February
2002
Delicious
Choices
By Sefika Sayood
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Sefika Sayood is the founder of Delicious Choices, a Lincoln, Nebraska-based
company that creates magnificent vegan cheesecakes that can be ordered
online and received via overnight express mail. She sent the Satya
staff a sampler with six flavors ($28) and we were unanimously blown away.
Here, Sefika tells the story of how she got started and where she’s
going.
In establishing Delicious Choices, I wanted to do something I enjoy
and, at the same time, something I had not done before. By training,
I am a chemist with a doctorate degree in Clinical Chemistry. In my
previous incarnation I worked as a research scientist and as a medical
lab director. I like my profession very much (if I were a multimillionaire,
I probably would have a clinical lab with all the flexibility that comes
with having multi-millions), but, for a number of reasons, I was not
satisfied with what I was doing, so in the fall of 2000 I decided to
pursue other things. I love baking so I figured that is what I would
do. I experimented with a number of desserts and finally decided to
concentrate on cheesecakes. I live in Lincoln, Nebraska, and I thought
I would have a market for non-dairy cheesecakes among the lactose intolerant
population.
Lactose intolerance—an allergy to the sugars in dairy—is
more common than we tend to think and in some specific populations
the percentage
is even higher. Lactose intolerance is due to an enzyme deficiency,
however, it is not quite clear what percent is from a congenital milk
allergy, or how much intolerance develops later in life. At any rate,
if a person is lactose intolerant she/he tends to prefer to stay away
from milk totally. Another very annoying food allergy is to egg proteins.
Without these two ingredients, baking something tasty can be quite
a
challenge; one has to know why any given ingredient is being used in
the recipe and also the timing. That is why I thought the lactose intolerant
population would be interested in my cakes.
During my first four months, I averaged two sales a month. I think
I would have given up if it had not been for Pat Parmele, who is the
food
service director at Union College. Theirs is the only vegetarian kitchen
in Lincoln. I actually took one of my cakes to her just for the fun
of it. She was very impressed when she tasted it. She told me I had
a good product (though there was room for improvement) and that I should
not quit. Pat encouraged me to keep making these cakes and offered
to
let me use her kitchen in exchange for my services—I bake vegan
cakes for the students (Health Department regulations require one to
cook in a certified commercial kitchen). Pat is one of those people
who would not say things for the sake of politeness or just to make
you feel good, which is why she became my mentor. Knowing that she
would
let me know if she did not think I was doing the right thing is the
greatest support I can ever hope for from someone. Then I decided to
try the Internet.
I don’t know how long I would have lasted online were it not for
Erik Marcus, the author of Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating. Without
knowing him at all, I wrote to him asking for advice. I mentioned my
cakes, told him that they had no animal products etc., and to my surprise
he responded. In the first days I must have badgered him every day with
questions, and he always took the time to help me. He gave me advice
about the cheesecakes and suggested books for me to read. Throughout
all of our correspondences, he has always been very honest, most gracious
and ethical. So, as with Pat, I felt I could trust his criticisms and
comments with no reservations.
I am not a vegan and my vegetarianism has not been ideological; it
is just that I cannot stand the idea of eating meat and I don’t
like the idea of eating eggs either. Because of this I had little to
no knowledge
about vegan ethics. Erik told me about books to read and I am slowly
becoming less ignorant. Basically, Pat provided an environment for
me
to optimize the cakes and Erik provided education and help with the
Internet.
The people who purchased my cakes were very welcoming and gave incredible
support and invaluable suggestions, from the packaging to the flavors
they wished to have. When they realized I was taking every one of them
very seriously and making the necessary changes, they were even more
encouraging. Gradually I am building a very nice, very supportive, customer
group. Overall I would not be exaggerating when I say I have never seen
a more accepting and kind group of people.
Starting a business was/is very hard in Lincoln, and the product I
have makes it even harder. As soon as they hear “non-dairy cheesecake,”
people assume I am making something horrible and inedible. The impression
I get is that “vegan” or “non-dairy” turns them
off. But I keep trying. Since I came here as a foreign student I am
used to the requirement of being good in what you are doing. After
all,
foreign students come here because they want so badly to succeed. While
they know the difficulties of being in a foreign land, they also appreciate
the fact that this is a privileged opportunity. Having said all this,
life outside the university and my accustomed work place is much harder,
although I cannot tell how much of it is due to my location, gender
or being an outsider. The easiest part is being a one-woman operation.
It is almost like having your personal lab. When I make a mistake,
rather
than getting frantic I just eat my mistakes or feed them to very willing
friends.
Still, after more than a year, every time I send a cake I get just as
nervous, and every time I get nice, kind comments, I am as relieved
and happy as anything. I know I have millions of things I need to learn
and hurdles to get over before I can stand on my own feet as a business.
But this is a happy job: it is the fun of chemistry without the grief.
To learn more about Delicious Choices, to see lists of ingredients,
and to order vegan cheesecakes go to deliciouschoices.com.
Prices range from $24.50 to $29.75; plus shipping.
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