I was standing on the black carpet at the Inspiring Global Action Gala held by Animal Equality and I was nervous.

Part of the reason was because I’ve never done a red carpet interview of this caliber with so many celebrities and it was intimidating. Will I say the wrong thing? What do I do if my recorder messes up? A handful of questions ran across my mind as I stood next to reporters from major publications; each of whom all looked like this was as second nature as breathing. I did my best to look the same way, but I was doubtful of my appearance. What truly made me nervous was that I was interviewing people on a subject I know very little about: animal equality and plant based eating.

• [Want more posts like this? Subscribe to get on the list!]

You read that right; this meat eater would be interviewing celebrities on the way animals are farmed for consumption and vegetarian/vegan eating. Considering that I was already on the carpet with my camera and recorder ready, there was no turning back. The only thing I could do was interact with them like they were everyday people with stories to tell, and I did just that.

One after the next were Violett Bean, Nic Adler, Kat Von D, and Moby — all ordinary people with incredible talents netting them each famous lives. What made them wonderful to be around was that they all carried the same extraordinary mission to support organizations like Animal Equality and help individuals think a little differently about plant based eating.

In no particular order, here are the interviews that initially made me nervous.

Violett Beane is an actress known for her roles on The CW’s The Flash, the 2018 horror film Truth or Dare, and recently in God Friended Me on CBS. A vegetarian since childhood, Beane has continued her passion for animal equality and has even posed for Peta in 2018.

Follow My Gut (FMG): You can attend a handful of red carpet events, what makes this one special to you?
Violett Bean (VB): There are so many events in LA, but those that are raising money for things you believe in are worth it. It’s worth going out, it’s worth talking about it, and it’s worth spreading the word on social media.

FMG: When it comes to going meatless, what was the best transition food for you?
VB: Cashew cheese. For me, I can do without meat and I always have. As a kid I was vegetarian for a long time, but all I ate was cheese. So the hardest thing was cheese. But there are so many cashew based cheeses and cashew based ice creams that have changed it for me. I even think they’re better than the real thing.

FMG: Do you have a favorite place to grab it while in Los Angeles?
VB: In LA there’s a company called Blöde Kuh. I first found them when I lived in Studio City because they would sell their hard cheeses at the Studio City Farmers Market and at the restaurant Vegetable. For ice creams there’s So Delicious and Siete just came out with a queso and I put it on everything I make.

FMG: If there was one last meal you could ever have, what would it be?
VB: A Beyond Burger from Next Level Burger with chili cheese tots and a strawberry milkshake.

Nic Adler, son of music producer Lou Adler, is the culinary director for Coachella, Arroyo Secco, Stagecoach, and Eat, Drink, Vegan. Working with so many popular festivals, Adler brings some of the best restaurants in Southern California to feed hungry music goers. Festivals aside, Adler is also the founder of Monty’s Good Burger in Koreatown. The 100% plant based fast-food restaurant didn’t open with only vegans in mind, but it was “created for the person who loves to go to McDonalds, In N Out, and Fatburger”. With his restaurant, Adler and his team serve everything from tots to milkshakes to burgers. As a 23 year vegan, Adler has a strong footing on plant based eating in more ways than one.

Follow My Gut (FMG): When it comes to your festivals, how do you decide which restaurants are going to be incorporated?
Nic Adler (NA): I try not to look at any one based on vegan or non-vegan. I look at who has great food. It doesn’t matter if it’s vegan or not. With my partner who I do the food program with, we try to find the best restaurants and they might be plant based and they might not.

FMG: How did the restaurants perform when it came to Arroyo Secco?
NA: I’ll tell you something interesting about Arroyo Secco: the top three food vendors as far as sales were all vegan this year. And it’s crazy to think that the people who go to Arroyo Secco are not plant based.

FMG: Who were the restaurants?
NA: Sage, Monty’s, and Cena Vegan.

FMG: Any tips you can give to meat eaters to incorporate more plant based food into their meals?
NA: Come to Monty’s Good Burger. When you walk in you see onions and patties on the grill; there’s good music and there’s good energy. I think for most people that aren’t living a plant based lifestyle they recognize that. They smell the onions, they hear things, they see people smiling, and that starts to transition in the brain that “maybe this isn’t what I think about vegan food”. And then you order a single or a double, shake, fries, and tots, and those are familiar for people who enjoy eating meat. We’re trying to recreate those things to give people a chance to see what vegan can be like.

FMG: Is there anything you think chefs are doing incorrectly in the kitchen when it comes to vegan food?
NA: I always feel when a person tries to make something vegan, it’s just doesn’t end up the right way. Just make great food, use quality ingredients, use the best recipes, be smart about the way you’re cooking it, and make great food.

Kat Von D is a tattoo artist who is well known from various TV roles including Miami Ink and LA Ink, but more recently through the launch of her self-titled cosmetics line. Living a high profile life, Von D leverages her fame to bring awareness to animal rights. Partially as a vegan and partially through aligning herself with like-minded causes, Von D works to ensure individuals in communities within her reach understand the significance of a plant based lifestyle and the importance of giving a voice to animals.

Follow My Gut (FMG): How do you feel about being an awardee and being a part of an event like this?
Kat Von D (KVD): We, Leafar Seyer (husband), are excited to be here to support a cause that is really true, near, and dear to our hearts.

FMG: In regards to restaurants, what are you favorite vegan places to eat?
KVD: Out of all of our favorite places to eat, I love Crossroads. One of our favorite new spots is in Boyle Heights and it’s called Un Solo Sol.

FMG: What’s your go-to dish when you eat there?
KVD: I get the green pozole and the veggie mix tacos.

FMG: How are you guys when it comes to cooking vegan at home?
KVD: He is the chef of the house so I’m lucky.

Moby is an American musician with a glowing music career that started in the late 80’s. Three decades later, his music journey has resulted in over 20 million records sold worldwide. Off the stage, Moby is an an activist who works to protect animal rights. Collaborating with organizations such as Animal Equality, Moby lends his captivating leadership to inform and educate the public on important subjects such as factory farming. To support his efforts, Moby is a vegan and has a vegan restaurant, Little Pine, in Los Angeles.

Follow My Gut (FMG): How do you continue the discussion about events like this Inspiring Global Action gala in the days to follow?
Moby (M):  That question is the question I ask myself every morning. How am I being selfish? What can I do to better serve the causes I care about? And I can never do enough. The constant guilt can be motivational; can also inhibit action as well if you feel too guilty. When I talk to other activists it’s always that question: how do you – 7 days a week, 365 days a year, for the rest of your life – commit yourself to being effective at this? I don’t have a good answer because I ask myself that question every day.

FMG: If we rule out your restaurant, what’s your favorite place to eat in Los Angeles?
M: I’m biased because I own Little Pine. Probably, one of the first vegan restaurants I ever went to in LA is Real Food Daily on La Cienega. I’ve been going there for decades and I have a nostalgic love for it.

FMG: Do you have a favorite item on the menu?
M: I don’t want to take business away from my restaurant, but we don’t serve lunch and Real Food Daily has an amazing lunch during the week. A favorite dish is their vegan burrito with ranchero sauce.

FMG: What’s the best dish that a meat eater can have at your restaurant?
M: Our panko crusted piccata. I was having dinner with RZA from Wu-Tang and he’s been a vegan for a very long time; but he loved it so much that we ordered one to share, he ordered one for himself, and he ordered a third to bring home for his wife. He later in a very guilty way texted me that it didn’t make it. 

FMG: When it comes to animal rights, are there any steps we meat eaters can take to promote animal equality, especially if we don’t know where to start?
M: It’s tricky because I’ve been a vegan for 31 years and it was really hard to find information 31 years ago. Now there’s the internet. Also, there’s one thing I have to say to meat eaters which is a quote from Voltaire that Obama paraphrased in his first inaugural address which was, “Don’t let the pursuit of the perfect be the enemy of the good.” We do what we can. I know I am a vegan, but that doesn’t mean you need to be.

FMG: Any final things you wish meat eaters should know that might be helpful?
M: We can all recognize that loving animals and contributing to their suffering is pretty inconsistent. When we love something, we don’t want it to suffer.

Speaking with Violett, Nic, Kat, and Moby was incredibly exciting. It was a beautiful opportunity to have conversations with people who have preferences completely opposite of my own and to learn from them. I loved hearing their points of views on being vegan, discovering their favorite restaurants and dishes, and understanding what people like myself can do to help animals get the treatment they deserve. I may have been nervous at first, but each person I spoke with was so kind and warm that those nerves quickly disappeared. In talking with them, I can admit that I won’t be going vegetarian or vegan anytime soon, but I’m thrilled to try the restaurants they suggested and incorporate more plant based meals into my life. It may not be the biggest change, but it’s a start and every change begins somewhere.