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Because it’s strange and beautiful and hot, people from everywhere converge on Florida and they bring their cuisine and their traditions with them. The Zest celebrates the intersection of food and communities in the Sunshine State.

Pure Vegan Cakes CEO Sira Garib on baking Tabitha Brown’s birthday cake and showing up for herself

Woman on the right pointing at a cake, with another woman in the middle and a young girl on the left

She started baking plant-based birthday cakes for family and friends, and today she runs Pure Vegan Cakes, a business specializing in custom confections and baking mixes.

Listen to the episode

When it comes to baking cakes, most of us reach for the same ingredients—milk, eggs, butter…

But Sira Garib says you can have all of the flavor with none of the animal products—good news for her customers, many of whom are vegan or have dairy allergies.

Sira is the founder and CEO of Pure Vegan Cakes, which specializes in custom plant-based cakes, cupcakes and cookies. Originally from South Florida, she has baked for some pretty big names, including actress and vegan influencer Tabitha Brown—an encounter that Sira credits with taking her business to the next level.

Sira stopped by the Zest studios at WUSF for a chat with Dalia Colón. In this conversation, she shares how she went from baking cakes for family and friends to being South Florida’s go-to plant-based celebrity baker and developing her own line of baking mixes. She also shares advice transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle and tips for baking a better cake.

"I host a food podcast" is a great icebreaker at parties.
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