Things are reaching a critical mass this week. In fact, it is so damn exciting that I am having a lupus flare-up. Spent most of today asleep. Just taking it all in. This has been the most incredible ride of my life. It’s very up and down right now. The big work/shifts are happening now! I vacillate between being overwhelmed by the impossible and being inspired by the impossible. It feels like I’m pushing a giant boulder up a mountain. But I am continually lifted up by all the beautiful people out there. THANK YOU!! I just got an email from another store. There are some people out there that are trying to help me! It’s crazy. I just keep hearing from stores saying that their customers are demanding my product! I can’t express to you how grateful I am for your help. It really keeps me going. I was so ready to give up today. On a lot of days. But that really keeps me going. Much gratitude!!!  You are making a difference to me.  And I am so thankful.

This picture is from a radio profile they did on me for 10,000 Fresh Voices (a program on KFAI).  Check it out HERE.

Woah, Nelly! Things are blowing up these days. And it’s not just me. My boyfriend, Tom, sent me back this picture from LIVE LIVE AND ORGANIC. He was in town twice a couple weeks ago. Once to do sound for TBT at Webster Hall. And once for their surprise appearance on LETTERMAN! They did so awesome! So anyway, Tom checked on my stores while he was there. Things are going really well at Live Live and at One Lucky Duck! Cheeses have been selling so well at the One Lucky Duck Chelsea Market location that they are going to start stocking them at Gramercy Park too! And that’s not all!

In my last post, I wrote about MY FIRST ORDER FOR RAINBOW GROCERY in San Francisco. This is a picture that was posted by ECOVEGANGAL (who just unveiled her new, improved site today!). OMG…Did those go over well! They got a nod in the SF WEEKLY and in VEGANSAURUS! Apparently, renowned author and cheese expert (not vegan!), GORDON EDGAR, was singing their praises. And since he’s not exactly vegan, people perked up!

I mean really perked up! They sold out in a few days. This picture was sent to me by my friend Jonathan. Crazy, right?

It gets crazier! I sent them another order last week. And apparently, 80% of that order (50% larger than the first order) was pre-sold via a waiting list! And the rest of it sold out in a couple days. So now they’re still on a waiting list! (Thanks to Gordon for snapping this pic for me. He likes to be called Gordon Zola…pretty funny for a cheese guy).

The same thing has been happening over at VEGAN ESSENTIALS. They can’t keep stuff in stock either. And I’ve been adding new stores! Next order is going out to FOOD FIGHT! in Portland!

Needless to say, things are a little crazy! I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed. And I’m plotting my next moves….

…which speaking of, did I mention that we got our own shop?!! I just got the keys two days ago. Definitely overwhelmed!! But check out the video I made for PRL TV! It’s a TOUR of our new space! Crazy, huh?

Well, things are moving along at a pretty good clips these days. It seems like magical moments are all around. Starting a business is fraught with impossible challenges. But lately, it feels a little like I have a rainbow beam following me around. I’ve just been tuning out the impossible. I just don’t pay it any mind. And I just keep moving forward.

This week my rainbow beam is coming to me from the RAINBOW GROCERY in San Francisco, CA!!!! I have heard so many good things about this coop! From everyone I know in town.

So I’m very pleased to announce that they are the latest retailer to start carrying my cheese!! The first order is arriving today. And there will be FREE SAMPLES while supplies last! Go on down and check it out.

People keep asking me about my health. How am I holding up? Am I keeping it together? Things are going well. Aside from the usual funky displays of immune system dysfunction, I’m doing great! My energy is great. And I feel like I’ve finally rebuilt my blood enough that I’m not catching every bug that comes around.

I attribute both of these outcomes to the high volume of WHEATGRASS I’ve been consuming very regularly. I think it’s also responsible for finally getting ahead of that dreaded CANDIDA infection that I struggled with forever.

These little crop circles on my arm perplex me. They are the oddest little octagonal shape. Perfectly reproduced. So intriguing. Not sure what that’s about. But don’t really have time to ponder it now. So I’ll just put that in a pot and throw it on the back burner. And I’ll keep you posted on how things develop…

I am on a roll! It’s so funny. You struggle and struggle for so long. Feeling like nothing is happening. And then one day, there’s a drop that makes the bucket overflow. I don’t feel like things have changed that much. Day to day, it’s the same old slog. But all of a sudden, the impact of everything starts to change. What a beautiful thing!

This week’s new development…I got an email from Akin’s! AKIN’S is a natural food store that I shopped at when I was in Oklahoma. In fact, it’s where I did most of my shopping when I was in CULINARY SCHOOL. I got an email from someone on the new products committee! They want to review my product for consideration!

This is really exciting! Not only is Akin’s a store that I shop at. It’s a chain of 14 stores. There are 8 stores in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. And they have a sister chain, Chamberlin’s, which is located throughout Florida. How cool is that?

Looks like they’ve been around a while too. So this seems like a pretty promising development.

So…if you shop at any of these stores and are interested in getting your hands on some NUT MILK CHEESES, make a request!

It very likely will have a big impact right about now!

More exciting developments! The other day I was doing an interview with a local radio station (coming very soon!!), and the question arose. What would you call yourself? Chef/Owner/Cheesemaker?

I don’t remember exactly what I said. Something like Chef/Cheesemaker/Record Flipper/Former Shipping Specialist. I used to be a shipping specialist, but I fired myself. She thought that was so funny!  I guess it was kind of funny.  But I wasn’t kidding!  I really did fire myself.  Long story short…I ran a limited offer of my cheeses on my website.  And things quickly got out of control!  There were so many orders!  And shipping refrigerated items is well, kinda complicated.  I decided that I am ultimately better at making cheese than I am at shipping cheese.  So I got the axe.

The good news is that VEGAN ESSENTIALS PICKED THEM UP! What’s more? They are great at shipping! So if you were mad at me for firing myself, mosey on over and say hello! I’m sure they’ll be glad to see you.

Well, things have been blowing up out here in the northland. I have been completely overwhelmed with cheese orders. It’s kind of mind blowing, really. Orders from all over the country. Alaska even. It is way more than I ever could have dreamed. So I’ve been scrambling to figure out how to best accomodate. The winter offering of CHEESES ON MY WEBSITE has ended. Last year, this ended without much fanfare. Not this year! We’ve definitely exceeded our capacity for handling of orders.

The good news is that VEGAN ESSENTIALS is going to start carrying them on their site soon! You should see them there in the next couple weeks.

We have some new cheesemakers too! This is Julie. She helped me way back when I had to teach INTRO TO RAW FOOD on crutches. Julie also works in the bulk section at our local coop. So she’s pretty acclimated to our local food scene. Plus, she used to own HYMIE’S RECORD STORE. How much more qualified could she be?

Our other new cheesemaker is Dan. Dan was part of the team that opened ECOPOLITAN (Minneapolis’ only raw food restaurant). He’s worked at most of the veg friendly restaurants around here. And I had been unwittingly following his food around town. Now he is putting some of that love into our cheese. Yay!

More updates soon…Lots of developments on the way!

More good news! This week, I’ve gotten an insane influx of orders. At first, I thought it was just because of my KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN. But then someone mentioned to me in an email that she had heard about me from an article in VEG NEWS. So it looks like this little snowball is gaining some momentum…(page 79!)

From my KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN blog:

Hello out there!

Well, if you haven’t gotten the memo yet, our fundraising campaign was successful thanks to all of you! This has been a truly INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE. There are no words to express how grateful I am for this chance.

I am getting a fresh start for my 40th year with my hand and my heart on the horizon.

Just wanted to recognize a few folks before I leave you with the first of your thank you gifts. Thank you, RUSSELL JAMES! For those who don’t know, Russell has been hailed as the UK’s leading raw food chef by THE TIMES. He was also one of my instructors in culinary school. Russell is an amazing talent and someone who I’ve looked up to for a long time. So as you might imagine, it’s been a great honor to be the recipient of a couple of his ‘sonic booms’ during this campaign.

I would also like to thank Zachary Vex (maker of of the world’s most amazing guitar pedals, Z VEX PEDALS). Z Vex is one of Minneapolis’ most esteemed entrepreneurs. He turned a creative idea into a wildly successful business venture while maintaining the highest standards of quality. I hope to learn from his example.

Thank you to my dear friend from childhood and beyond Jue (Jooyee) Chung. So happy the internet can now connect people who are on opposite sides of the globe!

And thank you to Logan Erickson, a connoisseur of music and technology, AND the guy who took this campaign over the goal! Thanks, Logan!

Thank you to my friends at Too Hot Too Stop. These ladies are an amazing bunch and I learn from them every day. ESPECIALLY during this campaign! Thank you TINA PRUITT (the Healthy LIfestylist), Lorri Kovitz, GRACE QUANTOCK, and Michalene Casey, DEBBIE YOUNG, Elle Blythe and everyone there). These ladies are all true survivors with their own amazing stories!

Thank you to my amazing family for seeing me through this ordeal! And thank you to my boyfriend, Tom! Thank you for supporting me when I needed a little extra help. And thank you for being a genius who inspires me every day.

OK. Now for a thank you gift. Starting with some music! This is a digital download of a not yet released track. It’s a cover of a Tom Waits song, GOIN’ OUT WEST. This was recorded right around the time that I started to lose my eighteen month mono infection. I had tried everything I could think of to shake it. And it became clear that I needed to make a big change. So I went out west to stay with some friends for a month or so. And I think it was the time off that finally allowed me to get ahead of it. So I was feeling pretty liberated at the time. (The picture was taken in my friend Erin’s basement which seemed significant as he was officially the final supporter of this campaign…getting in seconds before the end!)

Tomorrow, I will start sending out surveys regarding the individual packages for donors and when to expect them. Be on the lookout.

THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE! This campaign has done so much for me. Before this happened, I had taken some hard knocks from some people with bad intentions. Not only has this provided me a chance to rise above that. It has also shown me the best side of human nature and restored my faith in humanity. A priceless asset! Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU!

So I don’t know if any of you have been following this story. If you have been following my blog for any length of time, you will know why it’s got me all fired up! ERIN BROKOVICH has caused QUITE A STIR lately by investigating a MYSTERY AILMENT that has been afflicting a cluster of girls in upstate New York who she believes were exposed to toxic materials after a train derailment.

Interestingly, she relayed some of the pertinent information in the case to Dr. Drew on his show recently. I was actually surprised that it was getting coverage. Because my experience has been that this kind of information is being actively supressed (causing much undeserved pain for people suffering from these issues). Lo and behold, within 24 hours, the CLIP WAS MYSTERIOUSLY REMOVED from their website.

Make no mistake! This is a gigantic development in the area of environmental illness. I actually suffer from these symptoms myself (as has been documented ON THIS BLOG). Mine also started after I suffered a toxic exposure. I really feel for these girls. It’s really a disturbing thing to have to live with. And there aren’t a lot of answers out there.

WATCH THIS VIDEO!

It’s truly tragic. People suffering with these issues need support. But instead they more often get brushed under the rug. To suffer in silence. I just want to put it out there. I hear you!! I am listening! And I wish that more people were. Just remember. Part of breaking thru barriers is meeting resistance. It’s built into the process. Stay positive and keep pushing, girls! There’s a lot of us out there. And they can’t keep us down forever!

About three and a half days left in my KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN. Please help me spread the word!

Hey, look at that! MPLS TV just wrote us up in the first installment of their new series, PUMPED UP KICKS! I love this piece. I was wondering how they would have heard of me. Just because I didn’t think I was really on their radar. But then, I noticed this picture on their site….
.
.