Veg-an (pronounced "veggie an"), is a small-scale home-based business serving authentic Japanese vegan home-cooked food. Established on 15 Jan 2021, it is operated by husband and wife team Kennard and Tomoe, who are highly passionate about promoting plant-based diet and vegan lifestyle to combat climate change and improving animal welfare.
Born and raised in Singapore, Kennard is fascinated with Japanese culture and history. He majored in Japanese studies at the National University of Singapore, and went to Japan for studies in Fukuoka, Kyoto, and Okayama. He also worked with the Kagoshima Prefectural Government for close to six years. Through his experience studying, working, and living in Japan, he learnt more about local dialects, culinary culture, and unique historical developments of the various regions. Driven by compassion toward animals, Kennard turned vegetarian in 2011, and subsequently became vegan in 2016, and never looked back. His vegan journey is liberating and filled with excitement and new discoveries of plant-based living, and his only regret is not going vegan earlier.
Hailing from Okayama prefecture, Japan, Tomoe majored in English and came to Singapore for studies and work from 2006 to 2010, before leaving with Kennard to reside in Kagoshima in southern Japan. She had worked in an airline company and also as an English teacher, and later became a full time home maker, focusing on raising her children. She was appalled by the extent of environmental destruction caused by the livestock industry, and wanted to do her part to contribute to building a better world for her children and the future generation, and she decided to go vegan in 2019.
Kennard and Tomoe have been raised on an omnivorous diet, and they are fully familiar with Singaporean and Japanese cuisine. Not wanting to sacrifice taste, the husband and wife team work on their recipes relentlessly to ensure the flavours and quality of their food is satisfactory even for non-vegans. Japanese home cooking might not be as extravagant as restaurant fare but it does offer a unique culinary experience. Through Veg-An, Kennard and Tomoe hope to introduce Japanese home cooking, and veganised versions of regional specialties and popular Japanese meals to Singapore, and in the process, encourage more non-vegans and vegetarians to try out 100% plant-based meals.