Meet Piper Gartner, one of our 2020 summer interns! She started interning with us this June and has been supporting the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge and Wholesome Minnesota.

Read more about what she’s been up to with CAA this summer and her other interests below!

How did you first hear about CAA? How did you get involved?

I first heard about CAA through my leadership minor at the University of Minnesota and was so excited to get involved through the field experience program.

What is your role with CAA? What are you focusing on this summer?

This summer my main focus is getting participants for the Wholesome Minnesota program which works to implement plant based meals in schools and other institutions. My other role is helping get the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge up and running for this August.

What CAA event are you most looking forward to?

I am most looking forward to the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge because it will be exciting to see an event happen that I was so involved with and that we have been planning for so long. 

What do you like to do when you’re not working on CAA programs?

When not working on CAA programs I love to go up to my cabin especially during quarantine! Up north my family and I go mountain biking, wakesurf, and just get to relax. It is a nice little get away from all this craziness right now

When you were moving toward a plant-based lifestyle, what were three things that made a difference for you?/what are three tips you have for new vegans?

• One of the big things that helped me when moving to a plant-based diet was adding lots of herbs to dishes to make them a lot more flavorful. They also add a lot of nutritional benefits!
• Also, make sure to get enough protein at every meal so you will have lots of energy.
• Even though it is very difficult at first just remember why you are doing it and if you are feeling sluggish at first after the first couple of weeks you will have more energy than ever.