KRISTIN GERHART

Name: Kristin Gerhart
Project Name: In My Plant Based Kitchen
                          (A Cooking Web Series)
Current Location: Los Angeles, CA
Website: www.EatCreateTravel.com 
YouTube: EatCreateTravel

                                                 
                                                  "I can't stop creating."
                                                                             - K.G

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Kristin is such a breath of fresh air.  From the moment I met her she exuded an electric passion for life, and a fearlessness towards adventure - to trying new things.  Although Kristin was only in my life for a brief period, she has always been an inspiration from afar.  She's one of those souls that draws you into her world through beautifully captured images and thoughts, and makes you care about the things she cares about.  Kristin is truly magnetic, and I feel so honored to share about her latest endeavor - a cooking web series she calls, In My Plant Based Kitchen.  Below Kristin shares about her latest project, what drives her passion, and will remind you what it looks like to love what you do.  We also share a collection of images from Kristin's project, and her latest adventures.  Thanks for sharing your beautiful story with us Kristin!

Watch Kristin's Promo video to learn more about her new project.

Tell us about your project and why you are doing it:

"I started my cooking and travel blog - Eat, Create & Travel - as a way to share recipes and travel stories with like-minded people.  I've been wanting to start a video series as a passion project for about four years now and this past summer I decided I"m finally going to make it happen.  I am a film and video editor for a living, and my boyfriend is a very talented director and cinematographer, who also loves to eat, so I write and test all of my recipes, then we film them and eat all of the leftovers after (ha).  Each video is only 1-3 minutes long.  I like to keep them short and sweet, and post the recipe along with it."

Give us an idea how your project, and the name, came about:

"I had no idea what to call the cooking series.  I hate to say it, but the word 'vegan' can scare some people, and I really want to cater the videos to anyone and everyone who wants to add more veggies to their life, not just vegans.  We also film the videos in our actual kitchen, so I figured, 'hey, why not call it - In My Plant Based Kitchen', and invite the viewers into my kitchen to cook.  It's not the prettiest kitchen, but it's home."

What is the earliest memory from your life that you can attribute to the passion that now drives this project?

"I have no idea when I started cooking, but I know I was a little girl.  I used to get off the school bus, and make these little brownie-a-la-modes & 'epic nachos' for my after school snack.  I was probably 8 (laughs).  My  mom has taught me a LOT about cooking and throughout my childhood and adulthood.  We've always cooked together.  She's not just some 'normal mom' who makes really good food either, she's a total bad-ass - in the top 5 for the Emeril Lagasse pie contest on Good Morning America, and she's been a finalist in the Pillsbury Bake-Off.  Anytime I have a cooking question, she ALWAYS knows the answer!  I still thank her on a regular basis for teaching me hot to cook - pretty sure I said it to her yesterday while I was at the grocery store.  She's the best."
My earliest memory of plant-based cooking was when I went vegan in college (side note: this was before it was cool).  There weren't a ton of vegan options at the time, and Daiya cheese (dairy, gluten, and soy free) didn't exist, so I thought, 'crap...I should probably learn how to make my own cheese'.

Looks Delicious?  We thought so - Get the Recipe by clicking on the photo above

Who are some major influences contributing to the passion behind your work?

"Aside from my mom...
I follow a lot of plant-based bloggers & holistic health practitioners on social media, and I read a lot of plant-based cooking and nutrition books.  The one thing that I always wished that there were more of however, are plant-based cooking shows.  I love Laura Miller's -Raw vegan!  'Not Gross & Fullyraw Kristina' posts raw vegan recipe videos, but in the grand scheme of things there really aren't very many 'plant-based' cooking shows out there.  I'm a go-getter, and I thought, 'Well, I'm a filmmaker, and I run a cooking blog, so I might as well make my own cooking show'. And so, I am!"

What other creative work are you passionate about?

"I work full-time as a film and video editor, so I edit TV commercials, and I'm also editing a documentary feature film right now at the office.  When I'm not at work, I'm creating and testing new recipes, and then filming and editing videos for In My Plant Based Kitchen.  I sort of don't stop working, but I love what I do.  Most of the recipes I make are things that I eat in my daily life, so all of my meals during the week are basically science experiments.  When I am able to sneak away for a vacation, my passion turns into travel photography.  I can't stop creating."

So, how do you balance your 9-5 and your 'passion projects'?

"I wish my job was '9-5' (laughs).  I can work anywhere from 40-80 hours a week at the office.  That's why my side projects are 'passion projects - I better be passionate about them, because it's what I do when I'm not working!  We film on the weekends if we have a few available hours.  Oh, and I don't really watch T.V., ..that helps a lot!  I wake-up, edit my videos at home, work out, go to work, come home - then I either do more editing on my videos, hang with the fam, or go rock climbing.  A day in the life of Kristin... I recently got a stand-up desk at home because I edit SO MUCH!"

Any struggles that come along with pursuing your passion project?

"Cooking and creating In My Plant Based Kitchen is a passion project, but it takes a LOT of time, which is my biggest struggle.  I was originally planning on releasing the series through my YouTube channel but FoodMatters also wants to stream it on the FMTV Channel (woo-hoo!) - So, I'm trying to create new content for both platforms... Sometimes it's as though I have two full-time jobs, but it's worth it!"  

What keeps you inspired to pursue this particular project?

"Every time I hear a person say they have no idea how to cook, it inspires me to keep going.  Every time I hear a child say, 'I hate vegetables', it inspires me to keep going.  Every time I talk to someone who is dealing with a health ailment that is correlated to their diet (note: many health ailments & illnesses are directly correlated to your diet, btw) it inspires me to keep going.  I wanted to create a cooking show that is short & sweet, and hopefully demonstrates that cooking can be fun, healthy, and easy to do."

What is the message or story you want people to get from your project?

"Eat your veggies!  I don't care if you eat meat or not - that's not my business, but what I do care about is that people take responsibility for their health and what they put in their bodies.  Only 25% of our population actually eats the suggested 5 plus servings of vegetables per day - that's ridiculous!  I cringe when I see things like store bought guacamole with a really long ingredient list that I can't even pronounce.  Just grab a avocado, some lime juice, tomato, garlic, salt & pepper -and make your own!  It'll take 2 minutes to make, and it tastes better too!"

I'm already feeling inspired! So, tell us, what can we look forward to in the future?

"I just want to continue creating and sharing new recipe videos, and hope to inspire people to have more fun in their kitchens.  The more people I can inspire, the better!"

Where can we find more of you?

"You can find my cooking show this fall on my YouTube channel - EatCreateTravel, and streaming on Food Matters TV later this fall.  You can also visit my blog - www.EatCreateTravel.com - and follow me on Instagram: @EatCreateTravel"

Watch Kristin's first episode, featuring Gluten-Free Herb Flatbread/Pesto Bruschetta!
GET THE RECIPE -CLICK HERE

Anything else?

"Eat your veggies! Ha, but seriously though!  Oh, and if you have a passion project -DO IT!  Don't ever let fear get in the way."

Click on the photo above to see a promo video that will give you more insight into Kristin's project - In My Plant Based Kitchen - we promise you are gonna fall in love a little bit...maybe A LOT a bit!

Thanks Kristin!

FEATURE CURATED BY: KATIE SIMKINS