Pumpkin pound cake loaf, chocolate chip cookie dough frozen yogurt and green goddess grilled cheese are just a few of the treats vegan baker Sierra Maust creates from her kitchen in Baton Rouge.
A 21-year-old baker and blogger, Maust began baking when she was around 13 years old. Throughout high school, Maust read cooking and food books, educating herself on clean eating and preservatives and fats in fast food. Maust wanted to find a way to eat foods that tasted good and were also good for her body.
About a year ago, Maust committed to the vegan lifestyle. Since she was born, her mother was a pescatarian. At the age of 10, Maust became a pescatarian, as well. Her father ate meat, while her sister was a vegetarian.
Maust began blogging on Instagram in 2015. She started by posting photos of her vegan-friendly food to share with her followers.
“Most people think of vegan as, ‘Oh, I just gotta eat a lot of tofu,’” Maust said. “People don’t think that you can eat anything. I want to show everybody that vegan [food] can be just as good as something regular, so I started doing vegan baking.”
After tagging her photos with #vegan, on Instagram, Maust received an increase in traffic to her profile. Her followers wanted to know more about her food, such as the preparation and ingredients. In February, Maust started her blog site, “Happie Healthy Hippie.”
Maust uses her blog as a platform for many of her talents, including baking, photography and graphic design. Maust attended the University for three years before deciding to follow her dream of baking full-time.
“I liked school because I love to learn, but there was no drive for me to keep going when I was trying to focus on something else,” Maust said. “Eventually I was like, ‘OK, I think this should be my career instead.’”
While at the University, Maust studied interior design before changing her major to graphic design.
In addition to attending classes, Maust worked at City Club of Baton Rouge, where she developed skills in the kitchen and with catering.
“When you’re growing up, people tell you, ‘Oh, four-year degree, that’s what you do.’ And it was like, ‘Is this what I want to do or is this something that’s on my mind that I can’t get off?’” Maust said.
Along with cooking, photography and writing for her blog and Instagram, she sells her products through her self-owned bakery Doux Natural Bakery. Through Etsy, Maust offers treats paired with photos and detailed descriptions.
She plans on expanding her brand by gaining more followers on her blog and Instagram and eventually owning her own storefront in the South.
“Baking is what I want my life to be,” Maust said. “I want to wake up and do this every day.”