To my mother, Mary McQuirter, thank you for working with me on this book. Creating and testing recipes with you in the kitchen while we listened to Motown was a beautiful experience that I’ll always treasure. And I know that your vegan journey will be an inspiration to everyone who reads this book for years to come.
To my sister, Marya McQuirter, and my niece, Mara, thank you for tasting so many of these recipes and providing invaluable feedback, and for your encouragement throughout the process. Thank you to my sister, Veronica Hale, for always being so supportive, for your good advice, and helping me stay on track. And to my nieces, Raneesha and Taylor, thank you for your encouraging words. And to my extended family, a special shout out for all of your continued love and support. Thanks for always lifting me up.
To my agent, Lindsay Edgecombe, thank you for your excitement about this book from the beginning and your extraordinary guidance and support throughout the journey to completion. To my editor, Renee Sedliar, thank you for your unwavering commitment and passion for this project, and for all of your brilliant editing. And thanks to the entire team at Hachette for your incredible work on the book and for making the publishing process so seamless.
Thank you to Kate Lewis for your gorgeous food photography and styling. I’m grateful for your amazing work and enthusiasm for this book. To Delores Holloway, thank you for your stunning cover photography and for capturing the beautiful lifestyle shots of me and my mother. Thank you to Robin Fisher for your gifted personal styling and vision for the photo shoots.
To my dream team of recipe testers, I’m grateful for your dedication, time, and constructive feedback. It made all the difference. Thank you to Nadia Stevens for going above and beyond with your impeccable catering as well as recipe tasting. And my deepest gratitude to Cassandra Barber, Beverly Hilbert, Annette Harris Powell, Carolyn Woods, Valeria Villasenor-Bruyere, Monique Koch, Monique Flowers, LaCara Reddick, and Saundra Woods. And thank you to Sidra Forman for helping to develop recipes for the book.
To my friends Kristine Louis, Leslie Riley, Gina Lilavois, Carmen Scott, Kurtis Patterson, Barbara Agyeman, Susan Vitka, and those of you whom I already mentioned above as recipe testers, thank you for cheerleading, listening, and helping me stay the course during my book-writing journey. I truly appreciate you.
And finally, thank you to all the wonderful people I’ve met through my work over the last thirty years. Each time you greet me with a big smile or a warm hug and say that my work has helped change your life, I feel honored and just plain happy! You inspire me to keep on sharing, learning, and growing.