This LGBTQ+ Pride Month, we at Bon Appétit Management Company are thrilled to be partnering with Timothy Pakron of Mississippi Vegan. Timothy is a food blogger, photographer, cookbook author, and avid gardener who celebrates his identity as a vegan and a proud gay man, born and raised in the American South. His blog and debut cookbook, Mississippi Vegan: Recipes & Stories from a Southern Boy’s Heart, invites readers to explore the vibrant tradition of plant-based cooking that exists within Southern cuisine.
Growing up in Mississippi, Timothy was inspired from a young age by watching his father grow tomatoes, herbs, and flowers in their home garden. His love of cooking was sparked as a young teenager when he asked his mother to teach him how to make gumbo. Around that time, he started getting into photography after his father gave him an old camera. While he’d long been inspired by cooking and photography, those two interests didn’t merge until he created his Instagram account and blog Mississippi Vegan in 2014.
After living in New York City for many years, Timothy moved back to Mississippi to write his debut cookbook, Mississippi Vegan (buy it here), which features deeply flavorful vegan dishes inspired by Cajun, Creole, and Southern classics. While some might assume that animal products play a central role in traditional Southern fare, Timothy’s goal is to “reveal the secret tradition of veganism in Southern cooking,” centered on an abundance of hearty vegetables, mushrooms, beans, grains, and more.
After a decade of developing approachable, revitalized vegan recipes for the home cook, Timothy has recently developed a stronger connection to cooking home-grown food from his bountiful garden in New Orleans, Louisiana. Pakron’s second cookbook, Garden Variety, will be released spring 2026 and is heavily inspired by his love of vegetables and deep relationship with plants through his love of gardening.
We are honored to feature Timothy as our Pride 2024 culinary partner and are excited to share the moving story of his interwoven identities that inform his approach to vegan Southern food.