ENTREPRENEUR, community organizer, and mother are all titles Jessica Cruz holds proudly. They are the culmination of years of work—networking, pooling resources, and trying all the vegan food known to human-kind. A passionate advocate for sustainable living and eating, Jessica’s dream has been to create a platform where veganism is celebrated, accessible, and delectable. Vegan Street Fair has not just been an event to achieve all that; it’s a testament to her dedication, drive, and belief that plant-based living could be both joyful and mainstream.
But as the ebb and flow of life would have it, Cruz was confronted with a chapter she hadn’t written into her story: a breast cancer diagnosis. Always keen on finding silver linings, she transformed this personal battle into a broader message. Her platform now bore an additional layer: a call to embrace our vulnerabilities and understand the ties between our food choices, the environment, and our own wellness.
Through her journey, Cruz isn’t just surviving, she’s thriving—exemplifying the fact that our trials, no matter how personal, can resonate and inspire a community.
Just days before a successful double mastectomy, VegNews sat down with Cruz to peel back the layers of her experience, diving deep into the ever-evolving tapes-try of Vegan Street Fair, and exploring the tender crossroads of vegan advocacy and personal well-being.
JASMIN SINGER: First of all, how are you doing?
I’m good. It’s so interesting because you go through all the phases you see
