 Welcome everybody to Lillian's Vegan World, coming to you live from gorgeous sunny Honolulu through Think Tech, Hawaii, the go-to place when you are after local information and what's going on in our gorgeous island. Today I am so excited to welcome an amazing couple who are running their own vegan business selling sweets and sapres right here in Oahu. So do allow me to welcome on to the show Lysa and Dennis Ronduen. Hi, everyone. Aloha, guys. Aloha. Aloha. Huge mahalo to you both for taking out the time and coming on the show to talk about what you do here. I really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you for having us. Yeah, thanks for having us. The pleasure is all mine. I'm just going to go right into this and ask both of you, starting with Lysa, please tell us a little bit about your business. It's called Seven Vegans High, I mean High Standing for Hawaii. Tell us a bit about it, Lysa. Right now we are offering like sweets and savouries, completely vegan plant based and it's just run by me, my husband, Dennis, and oops, it's a technical difficulty. It's okay. It's okay. That's okay. That's okay. Who does most of the cooking, Lysa, with this? Dennis does. Dennis? Yes. We have five kids, so we take turns watching them too. Yeah. I was going to say... It's only us, yeah. It's only us watching our kids, yeah. Only us. Yes. Yes. It's only us. Only you, Seven. That's obviously where the name of your business, Seven Vegans High comes from, so it's the two of you and your five children. Can I ask if you are all actually plant based and vegan? Completely all of us, our seven of us. Wow. Including your children. Yes. They were born vegan, yes. That's amazing. Dennis, tell us a little bit about your family. Actually before we go into that, which I'm absolutely intrigued to hear about, I do want to show a gorgeous photo of the Ronduin family. Let's take a look at the first picture. Oh. There you are. There's your huge clan. Yes. Yeah. Both of you look so young to have that many kids. You must have been extremely busy. We're actually a little older than what people think. Yes. Yeah. Well, that is often the case when it comes to vegans because I do admit the most vegans I meet look a lot younger than they actually are, I'd have to say. So let's, Dennis, please tell us about your family and your journey, how you brought up your kids to be vegan and on a plant based diet. Well, when I met Lysa, I was not vegan at all. So I met her over 20 years ago. Were you like five years old? No. Well, this is actually, we actually met in college. Okay. So, yeah. So when I met her, I think she was already a vegetarian pretty much. And with me, I was a big meat eater, you know, being from Hawaii, you know, you consume a lot of canned goods and the canned glad meat. So that was what I ate all the time. And I was really against this whole vegan, vegetarian agenda and so on. And you know, what led us to become the vegetarian first is that I was studying in a chiropractic school and I got my degree and everything and I took some extra courses on nutrition. So like one day when I was in class, it just kind of hit me like, what am I eating? You know, because I was eating like a lot of meat products, you know, with a whole like two or four and everything. And this is in California, this is like before we had a first child. So, you know, I just said, hey, you know, let's try to become vegetarian. So we did that. And that was a journey of all of himself that years again, you know, we became whole vegan, you know, all our kids have been vegan and we've raised up a vegan ever since. Wow, that's interesting. Can I ask how it's going for the children? Because I really can't imagine there are many other vegan children at their school that they're hanging out with. Like how does it work for the kids? Um, I think it's normal for them. I think we've been fortunate enough to have like teachers understand or the school faculty that actually understands because no one actually gives us a hard time about it. So the teacher has, they give us a hard time. Their peers are actually OK with it. I mean, don't get a hard time from your kids, you know, from your peers or don't get like from what I hear, you know, with other kids. So I think for us, we've been fortunate to have them in a in that situation where they don't have to feel uncomfortable for being or being vegan, you know, so that's amazing. That's wonderful to hear. And I know this is going to sound like a really silly question, but your children look absolutely healthy and, you know, obviously getting all the nutrients and vitamins that they, that a regular child needs through through a plant based diet. So living proof that regardless of age, you really can live very healthily on a plant based diet. Yes. So I'm guessing that your kids are like, must be the most popular children at school, given that their parents make these incredible sweets and vegan goodies, which I do want to have a look, Lysa. Maybe you can tell us about the first, this next photo that I do want to show the viewers of some of your gorgeous food. Look at that. That's the s'mores cake. So it's completely vegan. I know there's marshmallows there, but the marshmallows are vegan as well. Yeah, they're dense. Everything is. And the graham crackers are vegan. That looks amazing, guys. That's what, like, yeah, you would have no, you would not have any idea. It doesn't look like it, right? No. And sometimes I think it's almost better not to say it is if you're like taking it to a potluck or a party or something. Just let it let it sit there and let people enjoy all of its you know, glory. It's wonderful. We give our kids the treats for the friends as well, and they love it. Yeah, they must. Yeah, they must. Do your kids get sick of eating a lot of sweets? Because you're you're like serving up these really high quality, you know, treats they do. Well, we well, we both have a sweet tooth. Oh, yeah. So so, you know, like what we serve sometimes, you know, like our kids eat as well. So, you know, I mean, well, they're always begging me to make cookies next time. Really? OK. I actually enjoy sweet food, too. I wouldn't say I have a sweet tooth, but I definitely, you know, I. It's a nice treat, right? Absolutely. Absolutely. You know, fruit is really nice, too. But I tell you, give me a piece of that cake that we just saw. And I'll be a very happy woman. I do want to take a look at another photo that you've prepared for us. Tell us about these. Again, they just look they look delicious. Let me go. OK, well, the cupcake on the left is a. So hostess cupcake and three donuts are. The purple one at the bottom is a big donut. Now, which is a Philippine super potato. That's what we'll be. It is. It's a Philippine super potato. And the middle one is, of course, the basic cream chocolate. And the one at the top is a strawberry cream filled donut. Yeah, strawberry. Thanks, Dennis, like my mouth is really watering now. See, flavors, flavors like the Ube doughnut, you you really would not be able to find anything like that in the store. So I do have to, you know, give give viewers who are watching the show information on where and how they can get their hands on some of these treats. So, Lysa, tell us where where do we go to to purchase some of these? We could you can message me on our Instagram, which is seven begins underscore high, H.I. Like, or on Facebook and just message us and you can pick it up in our at our I.A. medical building office. Awesome. Dennis, when do you have when is your next pop up? Our next pop up is actually tomorrow. So tomorrow we're offering six different cupcakes as a sample. The very first time we're doing this. Yeah, so yeah, it's the first time I was offering six different cupcakes. And one whole box. Yeah, one whole box. OK, and it's all pre-order. So yes, it's up to order. We would. Yeah. How much are the sample packs going for? Twenty dollars for six vegan. Wow. That's extremely reasonable. Yeah, so we we we try to keep it fair. I mean, for me, like I I wouldn't want to charge something that I wouldn't pay for ourselves. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, like I wouldn't want to pay for something. I mean, charge, you know, something that I would never pay for. If someone offered it for like 40 bucks, I'll say I'm going to forget it. But, you know, I'd like to offer treats that's reasonable for everyone and everyone can get hands on you because I want people to know that veganism doesn't have to be that expensive. Yeah, that's a big misconception with being vegan. That OK, it's so expensive. And, you know, I'm trying to, like, you know, not deal with that whole stigma of, you know, being can't be has to be that expensive. And that's why people are afraid to try this lifestyle. So I want my price to be fair so that everyone can enjoy them. And, you know, it's a win-win. Sorry. Yeah, that's OK. I don't worry. I can imagine having five of them. You're going to have a little bit of noise in the background. That's that's actually, Dennis, a really a very interesting point that you bring up. There is that stigma or that kind of. There's a big stigma. Yes, that misconception that vegan food is expensive. And to be honest, I do find having moved to Hawaii only just over a year ago. That, yes, it's been only a short time, but I have found that a lot of if I go to a non-vegan restaurant, a regular restaurant and order something vegan or, you know, ask them to make something vegan, I find it very overpriced. Yeah, yeah, it's it's a very. That's for what it is, for what it is. Yeah, I mean, I know that Hawaii does cost more than most places absolutely in the United States, but it shouldn't cost that. You know, you know, with me, like, you know, that's my motto, you know, don't don't charge for something you'd never pay for. Well, that's a yeah, that's that's an excellent way to look at it. Thank you for bringing that up, Dennis. I do want to show one more photo before we go to our grave. Let's pull up another one. Look at this cake. I guys, I tell you, I want to order this cake next time I'm celebrating something. And is it is it possible to order a full cake? Yes, yes, yes. Give us at least, yeah, give us at least four to five days in advance to order a full cake, you know, OK, just to gather the whole ingredient, all the ingredients together. No, I that cake. Can we just bring up that picture again of the cake quickly so I can just remember it while I'm going to sleep tonight? That's our strawberry and cream cake. Strawberry and cream. So yeah. So yeah, even the strawberry sauce is homemade. Gorgeous. That is that is beautiful. I'm going to yeah, I'm going to get in touch with you guys and make sure I put an order in for some something special I'm celebrating. Guys, we are going to take a quick break and come back with the the couple behind the amazing seven vegans high business. So stay tuned, everyone will be back shortly after this break. Hi, I'm Rusty Kamori, host of Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. I was the head coach for the Punahou Boys Varsity Tennis Team for 22 years and we were fortunate to win 22 consecutive state championships. My show is based on my book, also titled Beyond the Lines, and it's about leadership, creating a superior culture of excellence and finding greatness. I feature a wide range of amazing guests who share valuable insights about how going beyond the lines leads to success in everything you do in life. I'm looking forward to you joining me every Monday at 11 AM. Aloha. Welcome back, everyone, to Lillian's Vegan World. I'm your host, Lillian Cumick, and we're coming to you live from the Think Tech, Hawaii, not studio, but we are we are working through our COVID-19 times and coming to you remotely from Honolulu. Today, I am with the awesome couple behind the business that's making quite a buzz in Honolulu and Oahu, the bakers and owners of Seven Vegans High, Dennis and Lysa, his gorgeous wife Lysa, Rondu. And welcome back to the show, guys. Hi. Welcome back. I am actually a vegan chef as well. And I did prep a couple of photos, some recipes that I'm working on recently. Now, I'd like to show them to the viewers if you don't mind. So here's the first one. This is actually a vegan grazing platter that I'm offering during the COVID-19. And in order to get one of these, you can find me on Lillian Vegan on Facebook or Lillian Cumick Facebook. Get in touch with me through my email, LillianJP, at yahu.com. So these vegan platters have 10 different appetizers in them. They're grazing platters for two, completely plant-based and good for you. Thanks. Oh, there you go. The other recipe I've been working on is some Korean food. I've got a bibimbap recipe that I do want a photo of what I'm working on. There we go. So this is, yeah, I have just started veganising Hawaiian food for a book that I'm actually working on in the editing stages of my first cookbook. And it's going to be, yes, it's going to be called Hawaii, a vegan paradise. So I am working on veganising all of these Hawaiian favourites. And I did come across the Korean bibimbap bowl. So that's one of the things that I'm working on. And every time I test out a recipe and get my friends or my non-vegan husband to give the recipe a try, they're always amazed that this is the first reaction I get. It tastes really good. I mean, do you know what I mean? Yeah, do you know what I mean? It's like they almost expect it's not going to taste good because I've used the word. Exactly. You're like, are you sure it's vegan? I know, right? Yeah, yeah, it's very common. I'm sure you get that reaction all the time because I mean, your sweets and your food, it just, it looks like, how can I say, it looks normal. Yes. And I know, I'm sure people are still under the impression that vegan food is a plate of alfalfa sprouts, lettuce and brown rice. Hard boiled. Yes. Which is, which it's clearly not. And you had, I've got some more photos that you guys have prepped. So let's pull up another one, Eric, please. Look at that. Tell us, Lysa, about this photo. The one on the left is our sweet bread char siu manapura. I was wondering what, what's inside of it? It's tofu with the char siu sauce. Wow. Very interesting. What's that? When it got more detailed, Dennis is the one who cooked that. Dennis, yeah, tell us about it. That's interesting. What a char siu is, char siu is a flavor that is used in Chinese cooking. So it's used in like roast pork, you know, and things like that. So what I did to veganize it, I just used tofu instead. So it's easy to switch off and I just made the bread a little bit sweeter to kind of have it, you know, have the bread less bland. Yeah. Because you know, I like a sweeter style bread. Mmm. So do I. Yeah. And especially with those Chinese Asian flavors. Yes. Yes. And it pairs really nicely. Mmm. It's very popular here in Hawaii. So we wanted to veganize it. Yeah. Because I grew up eating, yeah. Because people also call it as baobans. Okay. Yeah. But in Hawaii we call it manapura. Manapura. Uh-huh. Yes. I've heard of that. In Japan we call them nikuman. Okay. Yeah. But your bread, it looks like has it been baked? It looks like it's got kind of a crispy crust. Lovely. So it's not steamed. No, no, no. Yeah. I don't have a big steamer. So I, yeah. Okay. No, I prefer that. So you get a nice, you know, nice crust. A nice golden crust on the outside. Sweet bread. And then you've got the char suey. Yum. It's lunchtime. I know it is. All I need now is a glass of sparkling wine to go with something like that. Oh, that would be perfect. Yeah. Were they cinnamon rolls, Lysa, that you, you said the other half of that photo, they were cinnamon rolls. Yeah. Because growing up, I love cinnamon, but cinnamon, cinnamon rolls. No, we had to veganize it as well. Yeah. Yeah. Cinnabon. Gorgeous. Oh yeah. Cinnabon. Cinnabon. Yeah. Cinnabon. So everything that we veganize is something. From when we were growing up. We were growing up. Yeah. Things that we like. Yeah. We love growing up, and we were growing up, but we veganized it. Yeah. So we don't miss it. That's amazing. I think that's why, that's why it works and why so many people are talking about your, your food because it's food that you love that you've grown up with. You know what the non-vegan version tastes like. So then you're able to veganize it. So it tastes very close to the real thing. And it tastes great. I think one of the things when you're approaching vegan food is to simply forget the fact that it's vegan and just enjoy it for what it is. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I mean, we try to make vegan food as normal as possible without being too, you know, yeah, it's all vegan. I mean, I know that we always like to say, yeah, it's a vegan cinnamon, it's vegan. It's because we have to emphasize it because if you don't, people think, oh yeah, I thought you, you know, I thought you were vegan. So, you know, that's a big misconception. So, you know, we, we, we like to offer food to even non-vegans like our non-vegan friends. And you know, like, they, you know, like, they love it. You know, they like the way it tastes and it tastes just as normal as the non-vegans. Absolutely. Yeah. And it's awesome that you're clearly labeling what your food is because people like us and myself included who are vegan do want to, you know, clearly know whether it is or not. But yeah. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, definitely. But that's right. As you said, and as, you know, as we keep, we keep going on about is that vegan food is just, it's just normal food that happens to be vegan and tastes great. And the other thing I love about your, which is similar to mine is it's not overly healthy. It's not just, you know, it's not non-oil, non-sugar, non-prime, non-this, non-that. It's just, it's just real food that happens to be plant-based, which I think is important. I mean, how, how healthy you are or what you put into your body, obviously very important and you have to make those choices. But at the end of the day, we're all human and all of us want to have a piece of cake every now and again. You know, maybe not every, maybe not every day, but definitely, you know, it's just sometimes we are. Yeah. I agree. I, I don't mind that sort of food either. Let's take another look at one of your photos. Now here we go. This is the savory part. I, my husband wants to know what is on the skewers because he said that can't be vegan. It's vegan. It is. That's why you label it. I know. I know. Why don't you tell us about it, Dennis? Oh, Dennis. Okay. So the sticks, the barbie skewers on the left, yeah, they, they look like meat, but it's not meat. So it's a basically just soy meat, you know, that that's flavored with our secret sauce. So, you know, because like, yeah, it's just, you know, they marinated. Yeah, that's what it is. It's, it's not safe hand or anything. It's, um, okay. It's soy meat that we bought. We just recast to, you know, in water and then it, you know, it gets bigger and then yeah, we just put our secret sauce on it. Excellent. What are they, what is that dish actually called? Um, they're called. Well, um, they're called or barbie skewers and what means in the Philippines is, yeah, is, uh, so it's like more like a street food. Wow. Awesome. Do you know what? Since, um, since I started writing my, my cookbook, uh, I have had to do a lot of history on food in Hawaii. And I have, I have become in love with Filipino food. Oh, yeah. Okay. I had, I had never, ever tried it before. I lived in Japan for 30 years. Oh, wow. And I've, yeah, I've been a vegan chef for the past 20 years, but I'm originally from Australia. So I've, I've had no, I didn't have any, you know, experience working with or tasting Filipino food. But I have, I have actually added some dishes to my cookbook. And one of the ones that I love is adobo. Yes. Yes. We love adobo. I'm not sure if I'm pronouncing it properly, but I just adobo. Yeah. The flavors are just so delicious. Yeah. Filipino food is very interesting. I, I must get my hands on some of your food and, um, yeah, do some tasting. What was the other one in that photo next to the skewers? It was the mac and cheese. Is that right? Yeah. We have three ribs and our macaroni and cheese. So yeah, we offer that as a combo, the ribs and the mac and cheese, or separate. But, you know, the people like them both together. So we have it together. Yeah. Yeah. And so when people buy it, we have it as a combo deal. That's excellent guys. Looks amazing. Let's have a look at the other photo coming up. Okay. That's a good one. Yeah. That's a good one. Yeah. Now this is Lysa and Dennis. I'm going to be honest. This is why I was keen to get in touch with you guys, because I keep hearing about your tiramisu. Yes. Yeah. Very good things about your tiramisu and looks amazing. So I recommend any viewer who's watching this to, to honestly get in touch with Dennis or Lysa at seven, seven vegans. Hi. Either on Facebook or Instagram. Personal message them and get your pre-order in. Because this is food you don't want to miss out on. I think that was the last photo. So guys, we are coming to the end of the show. I would love both of you if you don't mind to say something quickly to the viewers. Anything that comes to mind. Dennis, I'll start with you. Oh, well, I know I've put you on the spot. Well, if any viewers have any questions like about our food or if you want to order our food, please contact us at seven vegans underscore high. Hi. Instagram. Okay. I do most of the cooking. So Lysa does all the media stuff. Yeah. She'll answer your questions. Whatever you need. Awesome. Thanks, Dennis. And Lysa, last message from you. Thank you everyone for, for your continuous love and support. Hi to all those who just found us now. Yeah. Just follow us at seven vegans. Hi. What's the seven vegans underscore high. And we love to talk to you soon. Thank you. Awesome. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you to both of you for coming on the show. It's been really wonderful talking to you both. I wish you the best of luck with you and your, your journey. My pleasure. And I will be in touch to get some tasting done. Thank you to all the viewers for watching. Lillian's vegan world. Look forward to seeing you all again. Stay safe. Stay healthy. And stay informed on the think tech. Stay healthy. Stay healthy. Stay healthy. Stay healthy. Stay healthy. Stay healthy. Stay healthy. Stay healthy. And stay informed on the think tech Hawaii. Aloha.