Boketto Moment with Elizabeth Thomas of Elizabeth Eats
I remember meeting Elizabeth for the first time when her and a friend drove down from Virginia Beach for facials. Elizabeth's bright smile, shining hair, and sweet demeanor brought light into the shop— and she continues to do so every time she graces us with a visit. Don't be fooled by her youth, Elizabeth is a business-minded entrepreneur at Virginia Tech who is well into her wellness journey, recently having launched her nut-butter company, Elizabeth Eats. Elizabeth has truly found her niche, making a healthy and active lifestyle fun and accessible for all.
As we're always looking for ways to spice up our lattes, we're most excited to play with her pecan & cashew butter!
What was the inspiration and philosophy behind your business?
The inspiration and philosophy behind my business, Elizabeth Eats, was to create healthy versions of sweet treats. As I was growing up and maturing, so was my diet. In middle school I began to understand the relationship between wellbeing and diet, but it was in the beginning stages of high school where I began to dive deep into the world of wellness. I began cooking gluten free, organic, zero refined sugar, and dairy free recipes at home and sharing with friends and family, but felt the need to share with more people. My senior year of high school I started Elizabeth Eats. I began by setting up a booth at the local farmers market in Virginia Beach selling gluten free, organic, zero refined sugar, and dairy free recreations of classic sweet treats, baked goods, and raw nut based milks, and nut butters. Nut butters are the product I am currently producing while also being a full time college student. I have three different flavors at the moment: Pecan Cashew, Cookies and Crème, and Cinnamon Spice nut butters.
How do you support your lifestyle and what are your creative outlets? What fuels you?
The ways in which I support my lifestyle are activities in which I am being my most authentic self. Staying true to myself and doing what makes me happy in every aspect and stage of my life is crucial in supporting my lifestyle. I would consider my creative outlet to be anything revolved around food. Cooking is my form of mediation and styling food on the finished plate sparks a creative light within me. What fuels me is seeing other people succeed. Not only does this confirm that if they can do it, I can do it, but also everyone deserves ultimate success and happiness in their lives.
Do you have any go-to recipes with your product?
My go-to recipes using my products aren’t really recipes, more like an unmeasured, no fuss combination of ingredients into a bowl. I love creating what I call “mush bowls” which is simply a base of Anita’s Coconut Yogurt (by far the best nondairy yogurt I have tried) mixed with plant-based protein powder, gluten-free granola, fresh berries (blueberries are my favorite), and a heavenly drizzle of Elizabeth Eats nut butter of choice.
What is a goal of yours in the new decade?
In the new decade, a goal of mine is to become a better business woman. In 2019 Elizabeth Eats grew to heights I never thought it would. With growth comes financial and managerial business tasks that I need to face head on. Which is tough because I’d rather be in the kitchen creating recipes than behind the computer loading numbers into Excel.
How do you ground yourself in the midst of the “busy”? How do you nurture/foster self-care?
Amidst a busy day, one very simple way I ground myself is to b r e a t h. Long deep breaths really ground me. I sit still with my feet grounded on the earth, eyes closed, and hands resting on my lap with palms facing up… And breath. Other forms of self-care I practice are daily morning workouts, pre-shower dry brushing sessions, weekly face masks, long walks in nature, and daily moments in the sunshine.
Boketto means to “gaze into the distance without thought.” At Boketto, we interpret these “Boketto Moments” as times when things seem to come together effortlessly, when a moment is filled with enough tranquility that you can simply “be.” How do you make time for yourself to just be?
Being a college student, business owner, daughter, friend, sister… human being, it’s sometimes hard to just be. My mind is constantly going, going, going jumping from one task to the next. I try my best to live in the moment without thinking too far into the future, which has the tendency to make me anxious.
Top 3 Boketto favorites, GO!
Top 3 Boketto favorites!! Royal Sense Pure Bulgarian Rosewater, Marie Veronique Protective Day Oil, Dark Horse Pickled Mustard Seeds.
