Authored By Chloé Morrison

A local entrepreneur is aiming to fill a void with her new business, which provides vegan meat and cheese food creations. "We've turned this into a full-time thing with community support," Linley Danielle, who owns Your Local Seitanist, said. Danielle creates vegan meat and cheese dishes by using meat substitute seitan, which is a high-protein food made from cooked wheat gluten. "Seitan is the equivalent of a chicken breast—it's the base of [a dish]," she said. Here are five things you need to know about Danielle and Your Local Seitanist. Seitan is not like tofu. Many people associate veganism with tofu, Danielle said. That's what many people are expecting when they try a seitan dish, but most of the time, once people try it, they realize it's different and they like it, she said. Danielle can make a lot of dishes. She makes ribs, sausage, burgers, steaks, cheese wheels and shredded cheese. "Anything out there that I would have eaten as an omnivore, I wanted to recreate that with vegan food," she said. She offers prepared meals ranging from vegan shrimp tacos to pulled barbecue beef sandwiches with macaroni and cheese. She sells the dishes at farmers markets and pop-ups. Danielle works five days a week out of a commercial kitchen. "We don't have a storefront right now," she said. "We are mostly farmers-market exclusive and [we do] restaurant pop-ups. Her Facebook page lists locations where people can try or buy the items. Customers can also order online for delivery or pick up at the market. Danielle can be found at Chattanooga's Sunday market, the Wednesday market in Collegedale and the Brainerd market on Saturday. She evolved into a vegan for several reasons. Danielle grew up eating meat and having food be a big part of the culture, especially when she spent some time growing up in Louisiana. But after her mother, who had heart issues, died, the doctor told Danielle about plant-based diets. And once she started looking into it, she discovered new motivation. "It transitioned into the ethical side," she said. "It's not about me, it's about the animals." Accessibility and low-waste are important values for the business. Danielle aims to make her food accessible to everyone, including low-income families. Her business is EBT accessible and she aims to offer meal kits that "have a little bit more bang for your buck," in an effort to be easier on family budgets. She also aims to use the least amount of plastic possible. "We’re mainly focused on accessibility and low waste," she said.