Austin chef cooks up vegan comfort food to reach more communities of color.

AUSTIN, Texas — The most important step Marlon Rison ever took for his health was the day he quit consuming meat products.

“I remember it was an afternoon. I didn’t have much going on,” Rison said.

He remembers the date too. It was 8 years ago on July 3.

Rison had been a personal trainer for several years and always focused on anything regarding health, exercise and eating.

That fateful day, he watched a documentary called ‘What the Health’ on Netflix.

“I had no idea what I was getting into,” Rison said.

Rison grew up with upper respiratory issues, something his father told him was hereditary.

“Quickly you learn that it’s not what’s in your family as far as your bloodline goes that affects your health, it’s the habits that get passed down from generation to generation,” Rison said.

Rison expected to lose weight once he started a plant-based diet. The power lifter says at his heaviest he was around 380 pounds.

“Within the first 30 days I lost about 30 pounds,” Rison said.

But Rison was amazed by how else his body was changing. Lifelong health problems were regressing until he was seemingly healed.

“High blood pressure? Gone. Acid reflux? Gone. Respiratory issues? Non-existent. Asthma medicine? Don’t need it anymore.” Rison said.

The Victoria native started being creative in the kitchen. He dreamed of a cooking show, but the pandemic halted those aspirations. Rison used a lot of the time reflecting, trying to figure out his purpose. Around this time, Rison’s father found slave purchase papers listing his fifth great-grandfather.

“It’s crazy when you see a receipt for a human,” Rison said.  

It gave him a realization.

“From there I said, ‘man there’s a lot more I can be doing to really thank them (ancestors) for loving me before they knew me’,” Rison recalled.

Inspired, Rison sought to offer the same love to future generations in his family. He found his answer in opening a business and creating generational wealth.

Rison and his business partner, Ericka Dotson, opened Community Vegan making plant-based soul food accessible to communities of color in East Austin.

“Be able to eat foods that are good tasting, remind them of what they grew up eating at home but also happen to be plant-based,” Rison said.

Rison has no desire to convert meat eaters or make people eat at his business regularly. He just wants a chance to educate people. 

“Especially people of color, we just don’t have that education of food,” Rison said. “It’s something we need to do a better job of, and that’s what I’m here to do.”