Abby OSullivan shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Abby, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I think what I’m being called to do now is create in ways that feel more personal, tactile, and connected to community — to use food, art, and design as ways to build something lasting and meaningful. For several years while working in film, I found myself drawn to other creative mediums I’d encountered through my travels — food, fiber arts, and craft — and began exploring them alongside my work in filmmaking. Over time, those explorations started to feel less like side projects and more like a shift in focus.
For a long time, I was afraid to leave an industry that felt secure — one with pensions, healthcare, and a clear ladder. But when the pandemic hit in 2020, that sense of stability disappeared almost instantly. It made me realize the safety net I thought I had was mostly imagined. Feeding people became a natural next step — a continuation of design and care, just through a different medium and with a more immediate kind of connection.
I also found that I preferred the rhythm of this work — the consistent creativity and pacing, versus the start-and-stop nature of film production. And after nearly 18 years in the industry, so much has changed. The work itself, the culture, the economics — all of it feels different now.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Laundry Day Takeaway is my Vermont-based Cajun and Creole kitchen and pop-up. I grew up in a family of small business owners and local politicians, where community meant knocking doors and ending the day around a table. During COVID, while family members were running for office again, I started volunteering and cooking for the local campaign. Somewhere between the kitchen and the chaos, I realized how much I missed feeding people.
At the same time, I was still traveling for film work—designing costumes by day and throwing together big dinners for crews at night. It became the same instinct in two forms: designing to care for people. When I began exploring my home state again after nearly twenty years away, that interest took on a life of its own. A few spontaneous dinners turned into regular requests, and eventually into a weekly pick-up service that’s grown into Laundry Day Takeaway.
Cajun and Creole food has always been my favorite to cook, and it’s something Vermont didn’t have much of when I came back. Now, I get to share it with my community—working with local farms, using seasonal produce, and donating through food fundraisers and King Cake campaigns. And, as we seem to be entering another particularly unsettling chapter in this country, it’s also my way of offering a little comfort where I can. I call it Comfort Food for Discomforting Times.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Thankfully, my genetically inescapable distrust of authority reared its ugly head pretty young. And I think especially when you’ve got ADD or you’re a particularly creative kid ( I was gifted both), you’re told early and often that what you’re doing is wrong. So you learn to stop listening to people pretty quickly.
I don’t always have the ability to remove myself from that conditioning, but I think it’s a pretty common thread among creative people — and honestly, anyone who’s had to carve out their own lane to survive. It’s not rebellion for rebellion’s sake; it’s just the only way some of us know how to keep moving forward.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, absolutely — and recently. Making a pivot from film to food has meant slowly separating from a career I once thought I’d do forever. I’ll always keep a foot in film — I still have projects I’m slated to work on, and I still love the process — but this new creative path has pulled me in a different direction.
There have been plenty of times I’ve almost given up, especially in the middle of change. It’s hard to step away from something that defined you for so long and start again in a completely new field. I’ve had creative ventures that haven’t worked, and others I’m still figuring out. But I think when you’re moving in a direction where doors are opening, that’s always a good sign. It’s how I ended up in film from fashion — and in many ways, it’s how I’ve ended up in food from film.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
The Irish.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
forget the previous years mistakes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.laundrydaytakeaway.com
- Instagram: @laundrydaytakeaway
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaundryDayTakeaway
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
