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Tina Tam sells an assortment of vegan baked goods at her farmers’ market stall.
Photo courtesy Tina Tam
Vegan baking evolves from need
By Hannah Scott, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Published 11:18 PDT, Tue April 14, 2020
Last Updated: 2:13 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021
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Tina Tam learned her five-year-old son was allergic to dairy and eggs when he was a baby.
So, the already vegetarian family decided to go vegan. But when it came to satisfying sugar cravings, they found it challenging.
“One day, we were at the Trout Lake Farmers’ Market and I was really craving something sweet. I couldn’t find anything vegan in the whole market,” says Tam, owner of Cookie Crumbles vegan bakery.
After successfully baking vegan treats for her family for many years, Tam became a vendor at Steveston’s Cannery Farmers’ Market. She’s now been serving sweet treats—free of eggs and dairy—for over a year.
While pickings were slim when she first tried a vegan diet 20 years ago, she says the field has come a long way.
“I can veganize almost any recipe out there. You learn lots of tips and tricks,” says Tam.
Among those tips and tricks is one of Tam’s personal creations: her own vegan butter. She says there are many resources on the Internet for someone who wants to start baking vegan—and that these resources helped her out when she was learning.
Egg substitutes can be a bit tricky, but Tam says some common substitutions include flax egg—made by mixing ground flax or chia seed with water and allowing the mixture to set briefly—oil, or applesauce. Another substitute is psyllium husk egg, made by mixing a plant-based powder with water.
Milk replacements can also be an obstacle. Because almond and cashew milk are less environmentally friendly, and many people have nut allergies, Tam sticks to oat or soy milk in her creations.
Popular treats at her farmers’ market stand include a chocolate ganache raspberry tart and cinnamon buns—which take almost three hours to make.
Of her business, Tam says she intends to showcase successful vegan baking. She guesses that 90 per cent of her customers are not vegan.
“I never went into this as an endeavour to make money,” she says. “It’s really gratifying to know that people still want to support small businesses.”
The Cannery Farmers’ Market has sadly cancelled the rest of its winter market season due to the COVID-19 outbreak. For more on Tam’s baking, visit her website: www.ccvbakery.ca/ or find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ccvbakery.
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