Federica started her Instagram profile almost 3 years ago as a personal food blog, she has kept on working on this project for years until she realized it was finally time to make it real and open her own, Italian Vegan Artisan Workshop in the heart of Berlin Mitte.
Meatless Movement recently had a chat with her. She told Meatless Movement – From now on there will be no more “I”, because she has put together the best team of bakers, and they are very much looking forward to baking the world a better place for all.
Tell us more about you, please
After all the efforts and sleepless nights, I can proudly say that I, we, made it
Federica Fronterré
Hello everybody, I’m Federica, an Italian living in Berlin, for almost 8 years already! I am convinced and “never felt better” vegan and I do whatever I can, in the way I believe it works the most, to let people familiarise themselves with Veganism.
Go vegan to save the human race on earth, end the suffering of the animals you love, and avoid new pandemics
Federica Fronterré
Becoming vegan was a pretty natural process, I never felt like I was forcing or obliging myself to do something. As I always tell my friends and families, it is a process and if you really wanna stick with it, don’t rush it. Any change you apply to your own life has to feel good to you, to your mind and body.
Doing things for the sake of trends, and most importantly, without having a clue of what you are actually doing, never end up the right way. I personally have started informing myself by watching independent documentaries, and, something I love to do, by reading medical studies.
We all know at this point that many big corporations are actually founded by meat-dairy and egg lobbies, so always making sure to check who’s behind (economically) any lab running a study would be the best to do.
We all can access valuable information about what animal products actually do to our health and why we should never consume them. Not to mention the fact that now, thanks to social media, the horrors, and cruelty that farmed animals are forced to endure are out there for all to see, and I could not turn my back and continue to be part of this sick system.
I find it disturbing that nowadays there are still too many people believing that milk is good for bones and eggs are the best protein source for humans. The reality couldn’t be farther away than that.
Make hummus, not war
Federica Fronterré
I personally gave up meat 8 years ago, together with the majority of dairy. As a true Italian, both meat and cheese are pillars of our cuisine, so it was never a problem for me growing up including them in my diet. This was simply because, like any other human being on earth, I was not aware of too many wrong and disturbing things.
The whole journey to Veganism proceeded very spontaneously, from giving up the few kinds of cheese I was still eating, then fish, and then, the very last thing included in my non-vegan diet, eggs. Do I miss any of them? No. Do I regret it? No, I just regret I didn’t turn vegan at an earlier point.
Join the awakening #GoVegan
Federica Fronterré
As of today, I have been on a fully plant-based diet for a year and a few months, and I never felt so good.
There has never been any weird episode when it comes to my life in Berlin, all my friends never made fun of me or avoided inviting me because of my being vegan, many of them actually turned vegan themselves. The only funny things always happen when I’m back in Italy, especially at my grandma’s.
She is pretty old, for her it’s not even clear what being vegan is, so every time I get to see her, she would offer me any type of meat or Italian sweets, my mom also would let me find Italian Cassata when I’m back home, as she remembers how much I used to love it. Well, it’s literally just ricotta cheese with some sugar, so obviously, I don’t eat it anymore 😀
I guess pretty much the same happens to all vegans nowadays. I never get upset or offended with them, I simply do understand that they have been spending an entire life in a completely different way and having completely different beliefs, and this is not something you can easily change. I do appreciate though that they try, by reducing dairy and meat consumption also as a response to the climate crisis. To me, it already means a lot.
Best dining experience in Berlin
Federica Fronterré
I’m lucky enough, I live in the European capital of vegan food. I live in Berlin and lately more vegan restaurants are popping up compared to non-vegan ones. Furthermore, any non-vegan restaurant has at least a vegan option on the menu. I never had an issue finding tasty and delicious food here. It is definitely more challenging when I’m back in Italy.
For some reason, in Italy, some brands do not even sponsor/apply the V-label on their products when they really are 100% plant-based. I guess it’s because of the fact that they are afraid of losing customers, as in Italy Veganism it’s certainly not as popular as in Germany.
I always like to see the picture from a wider point of view, and I suggest everybody do the same. If we just stop for a second and simply think about Tradition itself, it was never the very same way from when it was born till nowadays. It has always been evolving and improving.
The ancient Romans used to use in their everyday life, a fermented liquid made of fish innards, that many writers at that time defined as extremely smelly and almost disgusting. It was a strong part of their tradition, but do we still use it today? Nope. Even the way we used to bake pastries hundreds of years ago is not the same anymore.
The boring life of a vegan? I’ll write a book about it.
Federica Fronterré
We constantly change and always had changed our habits, according to external factors who affected us somehow. And this is exactly what will keep on happening as we live, and nobody can stop it.
Our society is facing a major crisis due to climate change and is now aware of how animals are treated and how bad their consumption for our health is. What’s wrong with simply acting to make things better for us all? The possible lack of taste? That issue can be easily overcome ;D
It is very much easier than you think. It’s just food, it’s just veggies. The meaty taste? Well, flavoring. Which is the very same thing they put in the meat. I know, many get upset when they hear it, but if you only would do the job to get informed, you would find it out yourself. No need to mention that a lot of food out there is already vegan and it always was. If you are curious enough to try the food of different cuisine and culture, why not give it a try with vegan food?
There’s still no vegan who died because of protein deficiency
Federica Fronterré
Yes, the question “do you assume enough proteins?” and “what about B12? You only get it from animals!” are as frequent as they could be. I never get upset, I just feel it’s my duty to let them know how things really are because if till now this is what they still believe, there’s definitely something wrong in today’s society.
The proteins need any human being has per day, it’s such a tiny one compared to what people think, the ones we get from veggies are more than enough. This is also why as of today there’s still no vegan who died because of protein deficiency 😀 almost hard to believe!
Also, the B12 we intake as supplements, is the exact B12 farmed animals take mixed with their food. If you only would get yourself curious enough, not only for animals and the earth but for your own health, to start making basic resources, you would really understand how things really work and could be part of the change.
To the people who believed in me and in this project, this is going to be fun
Federica Fronterré
As an Italian, I always did and still do enjoy food a lot, it has always been one of my biggest passions. It goes from food photography to cooking and baking. I have found myself extremely good at veganising traditional Italian recipes such as pastries and salty baked goods, and I always wanted to have my own place where to spend time doing things a love.
I have been working on this project for 3 years, and last year I had finally decided that it was time to give it a try. It was not easy and the whole process with banks, etc. took a very long time. But I’m happy that I have made it and will soon be able to open my very own Italian Vegan Artisan Workshop, “The Sanctuary”, in the heart of Berlin Mitte.
Federica Fronterré
I have been looking for the right name for literally just 5 minutes. I was thinking out loud, as I often do, and simply thinking about this place, what I was looking for, what I wanted to do, to let people perceive. I wanted people to feel the kindness of this place, to realize that this is a safe spot for anybody, that we do not harm animals and we are kind to all kinds.
I have simply said “like a sanctuary”, I want that atmosphere, that sense of inner peace in my own shop. That’s when the name was decided literally by itself. All the following details such as Artemis as logo and so on were simply chosen by heart. Many know Artemis as the goddess of the hunt, but it’s not the hunt as we intend it today. She was more of a protector of the wild animals and nobody except for her had the right to touch them or harm them.
Don’t stop until you are proud
Federica Fronterré
I feel a bit like her, I really wish I could protect all the animals, and my heart breaks by knowing what these poor souls have to go through their whole life. It is simply not fair, and really not needed.
My biggest goal, is to have my own animal sanctuaries, founded by my very own business, I know it would take a while, but I’m sure I’m gonna make it happen.
Federica Fronterré
🥨 Berlin | 🍝 Pavia
Foodographer | SM Marketing | @thesanctuaryberlin
Join the awakening #GoVegan
all images courtesy of Federica Fronterré