Back in September, I introduced Herbies to Happy Herbivore's new fall intern, Jamee. During her time with us, her "project" was to manage all the recipe testing for my 5th cookbook.
Now, 3 months later, her internship is over, so I asked her to write a "reflection" blog post on her time working for HH.
Here's what Jamee had to say in her own words...
Recently there was a post on the vegan.com Facebook page about Lindsay’s latest book, and it jumpstarted my memory. That was the website that led me to Happy Herbivore. Erik Marcus, the brilliant author behind vegan.com wrote about Lindsay’s famous “I’m Not Vegan Anymore” post in October 2011. I was really curious about veganism, but not quite committed yet. I was so inspired by this woman I had never heard of and the way she decided to rise above the "vegan police", knowing she didn’t need the label to keep eating a healthy, plant-based diet. I have been a Herbie ever since!
No, seriously. I’ve cooked almost exclusively out of Lindsay’s cookbooks for about two years now. My friend Amanda and I were just talking the other day about how truly easy all of the recipes are. Once you have built your pantry around the ingredients Lindsay loves and is famous for, (granulated garlic powder, ketchup, mustard, and white whole wheat flour, anyone?) you can do a quick produce run and make at least half the recipes from any of the books at a moment’s notice.
As you can see, my fan girl moment that started in 2011 has not ended yet!
Official HH Interns Headquarters, aka my desk!
I remember how cautiously optimistic I was when telling my boyfriend that I applied for an internship with Happy Herbivore, and I will definitely never forget how much adrenaline I had when I woke up to the email from Lindsay telling me she would love to work with me! As you guys know, Lindsay is an early riser. I am the exact opposite; I would sleep in until 11 a.m. every day if I could. (I know, I’m the worst!) But when that early morning email arrived and I peered through sleepy eyes to read it, I shot out of bed! I immediately sent text messages to my family and best friends telling them the news.
Prior to seeing Lindsay’s Facebook post asking for interns, I had given up on getting an internship in college. It was late summer before my senior year, and I lived in Salt Lake City. A wonderful place, but not a cultural hub like Seattle, or media empire like New York City. Then, magically, the internship of my dreams fell into my lap: an opportunity for me to use my health communication degree, and promote a plant-based diet.
What a Herbie's plate looks like: Portobello Mushroom Steak, Green Beans, and Potatoes.
My internship is coming to a close as the semester ends for winter break, but I am just as excited about working for Happy Herbivore today as I was that first morning. I’m always proud and enthusiastic when someone asks me who I intern for. I’ve always said the only thing I know for sure about what I want to do in the future is work for a company that I feel is doing something to benefit the world positively. I can honestly say I feel that way about Happy Herbivore!
This opportunity has affirmed my belief that I want to do something out of the ordinary and special with my career, and I look forward to doing that after I graduate this spring.
Happy Holidays, Herbies!
Thanks Jamee for all your hard work and being such an awesome intern!