Today we’d like to introduce you to Taslim Patterson.
Hi Taslim, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My Journey: Health Is the Wealth You Deserve
My journey into health and wellness didn’t start because I planned on becoming a vegan chef or building a wellness brand. It started because I wanted something different for my life.
Growing up, I watched members of my family experience a number of serious health challenges, including diabetes, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, strokes, congestive heart and lung failure, kidney disease, dialysis, and other health complications. As I got older, I began thinking about what my own health could look like if I continued down some of the same paths.
In 2015, I met someone who was into health, wellness, and veganism. They challenged me to try being vegan for 30 days. I decided to give it a chance.
During those first 30 days, I lost about 20 pounds. And honestly, part of the reason was because I didn’t know what to eat! I ate a lot of fruit and drank a lot of smoothies because I hadn’t yet learned how to prepare vegan meals.
But that challenge sparked something in me.
Instead of going back to what I knew, I started experimenting. I tried new foods, learned different cooking techniques, recreated some of the foods I already loved, and eventually mastered recipes of my own. The more I cooked, the more interested I became.
My friends and peers started trying my food and encouraged me to sell it. So, in 2017, I began selling my vegan food. People loved it, and that showed me there was an opportunity to do something bigger. I could introduce people to healthier options while also showing them that healthier food didn’t have to be boring, bland, or feel like you were giving something up. It could still be flavorful, comforting, creative, and fun.
In 2020, I officially obtained my LLC for Royal-TVegans.
What started as a personal 30-day challenge had become a business, but more importantly, it had become a purpose.
Throughout my journey, I’ve had opportunities that I never imagined when I first started experimenting in my kitchen. I’ve appeared on Power 99 radio, had the pleasure of sharing my food with singer Jazmine Sullivan, and introduced countless people to plant-based food and healthier alternatives.
But my journey isn’t defined only by those moments.
Over the years, I’ve also poured myself into philanthropy and community work. I’ve facilitated health and wellness workshops, taught cooking classes, provided meal preparation, and worked with people in my community to make wellness feel more accessible. Food became my doorway into a much larger conversation about how we take care of ourselves.
And that conversation is especially important to me because of my family history.
I’m grateful that, as I’ve gotten older, I haven’t experienced the same health concerns that I’ve watched affect members of my family. I believe becoming intentional about my lifestyle, including what I put into my body, has played an important role in my overall wellness.
One thing I’ve come to understand is that what gets passed from generation to generation isn’t simply genetics. We also inherit habits and traditions. We learn how our families cook, what foods we reach for, what we consider comfort food, how active we are, and even how we think about taking care of ourselves.
Some traditions deserve to be carried forward, while others may need to evolve.
For me, choosing a healthier lifestyle became a way of breaking certain generational patterns without losing the love, culture, and connection that come with food. I realized I could still enjoy food, celebrate with food, and bring people together around a table while creating healthier traditions for the next generation.
And the next generation is especially important to me.
I’m a single mother of two boys, God Irik Robinson and Aiden Patterson. They are my heart and soul. My decision to live healthier isn’t only about adding years to my own life; it’s about being present for them, setting an example for them, and giving them a different foundation to build upon.
When my sons look at my journey, I want them to understand that where you come from doesn’t have to determine where you’re going. We cannot control every aspect of our health, and lifestyle doesn’t guarantee that someone will never experience illness. But we can become more intentional about the choices we make today and the habits we pass on tomorrow.
That’s what Royal-TVegans has grown to represent for me. It’s bigger than vegan food. It’s about health, wellness, education, community, motherhood, breaking generational patterns, and showing people that taking care of themselves can still be joyful.
I started this journey trying veganism for 30 days.
I never imagined it would turn into a mission.
And through everything I’ve experienced, one message continues to define my work:
“Health is the wealth you deserve.”One of the most difficult chapters of my life began in 2021 when my grandmother, Naomi Williams, passed away. Her death affected me deeply. Life began to spiral out of control, and I went through a period of depression. Eventually, I had to make one of the hardest and most humbling decisions I’ve ever made as a mother: I asked my father to temporarily care for my two sons while I focused on getting myself back on my feet.
My boys went to stay in Virginia, and we were separated for 14 months—the longest 14 months of my life.
During that time, I was trying to rebuild myself emotionally, mentally, and financially. I needed to save money and create stability so my boys and I could be together again. But almost every month, I traveled to Virginia to see them. Those trips took money away from my savings goals and, in some ways, made rebuilding take longer. But there was something that mattered more to me than reaching a financial goal faster: I never wanted my sons to believe that I had abandoned them.
I needed God Irik and Aiden to see my face, feel my presence, and know that their mother was still there. Our separation wasn’t because I didn’t want to be their mother. I was trying to put myself back together so that I could return as a healthier and more stable version of myself for them.
That experience completely changed my understanding of what health and wellness really mean.
Before losing my grandmother, so much of my wellness journey had centered around food and physical health. I had seen diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes, kidney disease, dialysis, fibromyalgia, and heart and lung complications affect members of my family, so I understood the importance of making different lifestyle choices. But going through grief and depression taught me that you can focus on your physical body and still need to take care of your mind and emotional well-being.
As I began rebuilding my life, I became more intentional about nourishing myself again. Healthy eating wasn’t a replacement for the emotional healing and support I needed, but I began to recognize how nutrition, movement, rest, support, and taking care of my body could positively contribute to my overall mental and emotional well-being.
At the same time, I was still an entrepreneur trying to build a business. I had to learn that being able to cook amazing food and being able to successfully operate a business are two different skills. I’ve had to learn about budgeting, pricing, marketing, branding, customer service, consistency, and how to continue building when money and resources are limited.
There have been financial struggles, disappointments, sacrifices, setbacks, and moments when I’ve had to completely change direction. But those experiences taught me how to pivot instead of quit.
Those 14 months especially changed me as a woman, a mother, and an entrepreneur. I learned that sometimes strength means recognizing that you need help. Sometimes progress requires sacrifice. And sometimes doing what’s best for your children means making a decision that hurts temporarily so you can create something healthier and more stable for the future.
Today, when I speak about Royal-TVegans Wellness, I’m talking about much more than vegan food. My experiences have taught me to look at wellness as caring for the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.
That’s why the message “Health is the wealth you deserve” means so much more to me today than it did when I first started this journey.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the most difficult chapters of my life began in 2021 when my grandmother, Naomi Williams, passed away. Her death affected me deeply. Life began to spiral out of control, and I went through a period of depression. Eventually, I had to make one of the hardest and most humbling decisions I’ve ever made as a mother: I asked my father to temporarily care for my two sons while I focused on getting myself back on my feet.
My boys went to stay in Virginia, and we were separated for 14 months—the longest 14 months of my life.
During that time, I was trying to rebuild myself emotionally, mentally, and financially. I needed to save money and create stability so my boys and I could be together again. But almost every month, I traveled to Virginia to see them. Those trips took money away from my savings goals and, in some ways, made rebuilding take longer. But there was something that mattered more to me than reaching a financial goal faster: I never wanted my sons to believe that I had abandoned them.
I needed God Irik and Aiden to see my face, feel my presence, and know that their mother was still there. Our separation wasn’t because I didn’t want to be their mother. I was trying to put myself back together so that I could return as a healthier and more stable version of myself for them.
That experience completely changed my understanding of what health and wellness really mean.
Before losing my grandmother, so much of my wellness journey had centered around food and physical health. I had seen diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes, kidney disease, dialysis, fibromyalgia, and heart and lung complications affect members of my family, so I understood the importance of making different lifestyle choices. But going through grief and depression taught me that you can focus on your physical body and still need to take care of your mind and emotional well-being.
As I began rebuilding my life, I became more intentional about nourishing myself again. Healthy eating wasn’t a replacement for the emotional healing and support I needed, but I began to recognize how nutrition, movement, rest, support, and taking care of my body could positively contribute to my overall mental and emotional well-being.
At the same time, I was still an entrepreneur trying to build a business. I had to learn that being able to cook amazing food and being able to successfully operate a business are two different skills. I’ve had to learn about budgeting, pricing, marketing, branding, customer service, consistency, and how to continue building when money and resources are limited.
There have been financial struggles, disappointments, sacrifices, setbacks, and moments when I’ve had to completely change direction. But those experiences taught me how to pivot instead of quit.
Those 14 months especially changed me as a woman, a mother, and an entrepreneur. I learned that sometimes strength means recognizing that you need help. Sometimes progress requires sacrifice. And sometimes doing what’s best for your children means making a decision that hurts temporarily so you can create something healthier and more stable for the future.
Today, when I speak about Royal-TVegans Wellness, I’m talking about much more than vegan food. My experiences have taught me to look at wellness as caring for the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.
That’s why the message “Health is the wealth you deserve” means so much more to me today than it did when I first started this journey.
As you know, we’re big fans of RoyalTvegans . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
During the day, I work as a Program Specialist supporting adults with intellectual disabilities. That work has given me another opportunity to serve, support, and connect with people from different walks of life.
Outside of my professional career, I am a chef, entrepreneur, and wellness curator. Through Royal-TVegans Wellness, I provide catering and meal-prep services, facilitate cooking classes, and create wellness experiences designed to show people that taking care of themselves can be enjoyable, flavorful, and realistic.
Community has always been an important part of my work. In July 2021, I created the Black Vegan Expo, an event designed to bring people together around plant-based food, wellness, entrepreneurship, and community. We held the Expo again in October 2021, and after several years, I decided it was time to bring the vision back.
In 2026, the Black Vegan Expo returned, and it was a successful reminder of why I created it in the first place. For me, it isn’t simply an event. It’s an opportunity to create a space where people can discover businesses, experience new foods, learn about wellness, and see representation within the health and plant-based community.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love cooking and creating new recipes, but creativity in general is a big part of who I am. I enjoy acting, writing poetry, traveling, spending quality time with my sons, and creating experiences that bring people together. I love helping people, giving back to my community, teaching, and introducing others to new ways of thinking about health and wellness. I also enjoy meditation, self-care, music, good food, meaningful conversations, and anything that allows me to express myself creatively.
Dislikes:
I don’t like negativity, unnecessary conflict, dishonesty, or people being made to feel like they can’t change their circumstances. I also don’t like the idea that healthy living has to be boring, restrictive, or all-or-nothing. I’m big on growth and accountability, so I believe in being honest with yourself while still giving yourself grace to evolve.
And one thing I definitely dislike? Bland food. Healthy doesn’t have to mean flavorless. 😂
Contact Info:
- Instagram: RoyalTvegans
- Facebook: RoyalTvegans
