By Nina Lehr, VRG Intern
Looking for something new to read while social distancing? Look no further than In Search of the Wild Tofurky: How a Business Misfit Pioneered Plant-Based Foods Before They Were Cool. This engaging autobiography follows Seth Tibbott’s story of breaking into the natural foods industry with a tempeh business in 1980 and eventually founding the now iconic Tofurky Company.
At around 217 pages, the story is short and sweet, making it the perfect weekend read. Throughout the book’s 9 chapters, Tibbott establishes a strong sense of character and quickly hooks readers in–I was immediately captivated by his grit and tireless efforts towards spreading the plant-based meat movement. For instance, I was amazed to hear that he lived by very modest means for a long time while building up his business, even residing in a simple tree house for a several year period.
Central to the narrative is the tension between Tibbott’s desire to stay true to his mission of spreading veganism with an independent, “bootstrapper” attitude and a need to keep his enterprise profitable. Tibbott provides great advice on how to balance these two motivations at the end of each chapter with “20/20 Hindsight” sections detailing lessons such as “Fire Yourself Regularly” and “Invest Yourself in a Worthy Mission”.
The story demonstrates just how dramatically the vegan food movement has evolved over the years. Today, it’s easier than ever to take the accessibility of vegan options for granted. After all, even fast foods chains such as Carl’s Junior and Burger King serve meatless choices. Tibbott’s story is a great reminder that this progress has been the result of “bootstrappers” who dared to challenge the culinary status quo and try something new at a time in which veganism was considerably less mainstream. It’s both an inspiring reflection on the progress made in the last few decades, and a call to action to keep the momentum going in the years to come.
All in all, this book is a great choice for vegetarians and meat eaters alike! Anyone interested in business, veganism, or even just an engaging story will enjoy this heartfelt story from Tibbott. Buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Search-Wild-Tofurky-Pioneered-Plant-Based-ebook/dp/B07YCWH95T/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8