“I got my first tattoo when I was eighteen. My parents always said, no tattoos no tattoos. So of course … that’s what I did.”
—Lisa Higgins
Lisa Higgins comes from a long line of bakers. Her great grandfather was a baker, and she is now the fourth generation. Lisa, however, didn’t grow up wanting to be a baker. In fact, she has a degree in film and video from the University of Oklahoma and no professional training, but she was destined to follow her family’s legacy. When she decided to eat a vegan diet, she started baking and just couldn’t stop. She says, “When I went vegan, I started veganizing family recipes.” Making more and more, she often just gave her food away. However, when she moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2004, she met the owners of Food Fight! Grocery, an all-vegan grocery store, and starting with her cheesecake, she soon found herself selling many of her pastries to them.
In January of 2008, she opened Sweetpea Baking Co., where she focused on making vegan baked goods using organic ingredients and locally grown flour, seasonal produce, and fruits, proving that you don’t have to kill animals to make great baked goods. Since opening, she has convinced Food Fight!, Herbivore (a vegan clothing company), and Scapegoat Tattoo (a vegan tattoo parlor) to all move to the same building, creating a central location for likeminded business owners and patrons.
Since she started operating a bakery next to a tattoo parlor, she has gathered a lot more ink. “It’s hard not to get tattooed all the time with a tattoo shop next door.” Lisa got her first tattoo at eighteen, a little falling star on her back, but it has since been covered by beets and kale that sit over a little banner announcing “Leap Before You Sour.” Her left leg is fully covered in bright smiling pastries, a tattoo that came about after she mentioned that she wanted pastries for a tattoo to Brian Wilson, the owner of Scapegoat. Her right leg has the crush hazard safety icon that portrays a hand being crushed between two gear wheels. This tattoo is shared by many of the employees at Sweetpea, all with different sayings. Under the crush icon, Lisa’s tattoo says “You’re Fired,” but everyone else’s has something you’d say after an accident, like “Not Again” or “Oops.” Around 2005, prior to opening Scapegoat, Brian also did her “sink” and “swim” tattoos across her knuckles. “I love them. They are probably my favorite tattoo.”
Across Lisa’s neck she sports a pair of winter mittens. On one arm she wears a sleeve of architectural elements designed around a Northwest theme. On the other arm is a depiction of Ferdinand the bull smelling the flowers. As long as Lisa has room on her body we will likely see more ink popping up. Her bakery continues to be very popular in Portland.
Lisa says, “[This Vanilla Cinnamon Coffee Cake] is one of my oldest original recipes.”
