About Thank You Berry Much
Meet Emily –
Hi there, I’m Emily—the professional recipe developer and food photographer behind Thank You Berry Much. I’m a longtime vegan who loves turning classic comfort foods into flavor-forward vegan recipes that pull on the nostalgic heartstrings of my readers.
Before moving into full-time recipe development and food blogging, I spent much of my career as an award winning physical product designer. I designed and developed kitchen appliances like espresso makers, air fryers, blenders, toaster ovens… you name it. (Many of which I now use everyday in my own kitchen!)
My background in product design taught me to approach every recipe with strategy and attention to detail. And now I use the products I helped bring to market to craft delicious, reliable vegan dishes.
The Recipes
Specializing in plant-based comfort food, Thank You Berry Much shows that anything that isn’t vegan can be veganized! I focus on creating omnivore-approved recipes that can easily replace your childhood favorites, from Vegan Steak to Vegan Chocolate Cake.
This blog is all about recreating nostalgic dishes with flavors and textures you remember, all while keeping things 100% plant-based and accessible.
The recipes on the blog are designed to satisfy any palate, vegan or not. All eaters are welcome here.
Emily’s Favorite Recipes
Here are a few of my favorite recipes from the blog—though let’s be honest, picking favorites wasn’t easy because I love them all!
Over a Decade of Mastering Vegan Cooking & Baking
Like many others, I grew up watching chefs like Ina Garten and Rachael Ray on Food Network. I was so into cooking that I even attended culinary camp, where I learned how to properly chop and craft delicious dishes just like my favorite TV chefs.
But when I went vegetarian in 2009—and then fully vegan in 2011—I suddenly found myself without a guide. Vegan resources and recipes were sparse back then. And unfortunately, I could no longer rely on the recipes I’d grown up learning from.
Over the years, and especially since starting this blog, my love of food science has really taken off. Vegan baking and cooking often requires rethinking traditional ratios. And I’ve spent over 12 years testing different egg substitutes, vegan butter brands, and dairy alternatives to find what works best in different situations.
Ultimately, I hope to create the vegan resource I wish I had when I transitioned to a plant-based diet over a decade ago.
Our Recipe Development Process
Tried, Tested & Perfected
In vegan cooking—especially baking—there’s a whole extra layer of science involved. Plant-based ingredients often work differently than their traditional counterparts. Every recipe on Thank You Berry Much goes through multiple rounds of testing to make sure it works for you, no matter your experience level. (Some have been tested dozens and dozens of times like my vegan brownies.)
When you combine…
A methodical testing process
Science backed substitutions
Rounds of tasting and refining
You get nostalgic comfort food — made vegan and better than ever.
I experiment with different ratios, ingredients, and techniques to get the best flavor, texture, and appearance. And my lovely taste-testing team (a.k.a. my husband, family, and friends) gives every recipe a final thumbs-up so you can be sure it’s a hit.
Fun fact, my most tested recipe to date (a vegan angel food cake) isn’t even on the blog yet since I have yet to perfect it. Maybe one day soon it will be published.
The Ingredients
The recipes here shine with the use of seasonal ingredients, chosen for their peak flavor and accessibility. And most recipes are crafted using simple, easily available ingredients from your local grocery store. While some dishes are refined sugar-free, most are designed around cost-effective pantry staples, from granulated cane sugar to versatile all-purpose flour.
I typically only use specialty ingredients for more unique dishes like vegan meats and seitan. For these, you may need to order items such as vital wheat gluten online if you don’t have a specialty grocery near you.
Emily’s Favorite Vegan Products & Ingredients Used on the Blog
Over the years, I’ve gathered a few go-to vegan products that help create consistent, delicious results. You’ll often see these in my recipes:
- Violife Vegan Butter: This brand works amazing in cookies, cake, buttercream, or just spread on toast.
- King Arthur All-Purpose Flour: This brand gives consistent results in both sweet and savory dishes.
- King Arthur 1:1 Gluten Free All Purpose Flour: If I’m taking one of my baking recipes and making it gluten free, 9 times out of 10, this is the flour I’ll use!
- Silk Soy Milk or Extra Creamy Oat Milk: Works great in coffee, cream sauces, smoothies, baking and more.
- Violife Vegan Cream Cheese & Vegan Parmesan: These are the best I’ve tried…and I’ve tried a lot!
- Forager Unsweetened Vanilla Bean Yogurt: I use this brand as an egg replacer in many cake recipes.
Some Reader Favorites We think you’ll love
Vegan Steak with Garlic ‘Butter’
“My wife and I have been vegan for five years. Over that time I have tried well over a dozen seitan steak recipes…this recipe BY FAR takes the cake (or “the steak”) for authentic steak-like taste, chew, and overall appearance.”
Glenn A.
Vegan Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
“Fantastic! Just finished making it and couldn’t wait to dive in. It’s soo incredibly moist and decadent without being too sweet or rich. So glad I found your recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!”
Lindsay L.
Creamy Lemon Garlic Tahini Pasta
“Wow! This is officially my new fav creamy pasta! Yum. Love the nutty taste from the tahini – and the garlic and lemon touch make the perfect balance.”
Val B.
The Best Vegan Seitan Beef
“I’ve tried dozens of recipes for seitan and this one had BY FAR the best flavor and texture. The others I’ve made peaked at “passable,” whereas this is legitimately delicious.”
Billy S.
