Cooking up a new dream

Sisters Lindsay Arseny (left) and Lori Garet made a massive double career shift during COVID launching their healthy and delicious vegan meal service Prairie Sisters in Winnipeg Manitoba.

photo credit: Riki Katherine Photography

Shift. It’s the word of the year as COVID-19 wreaks havoc on the economy, stripping people of their jobs and their livelihoods, but not of their dreams.

Like so many others who have seen their lives upended during this pandemic, two sisters from Winnipeg, Manitoba have completely changed course over the past eighteen months. When I sit down with Lori Garet and Lindsay Arseny for a Zoom chat, I can feel their renewed energy, their enthusiasm for launching their dream, and their burning hope for the future pulsating through the screen. I am in awe of their resilience and blown away by their commitment to making this next chapter of their lives work for them and also for their community.

“COVID kind of kicked both our careers in the butt,” Lori explains, “so we had to decide, ok what do we do now.”

Lindsay, 40 and Lori, 47 embarked on a double career shift jumping out of engineering and construction, and into the kitchen, where they are creating healthy, family-friendly vegan meals to nourish themselves and their neighbours. Yup, it’s the kind of career switch that could give you whiplash, but these two are clearly up for it.

“I tried out for Master Chef Canada a couple of times,” Lindsay shares. “I’ve always wanted to work in the food industry since back in my early 20’s, but you know you get caught up in having a family, working nine to five.”

Instead of pursuing her dream back then, Lindsay joined the family construction business handling accounting and HR in the organization that her sister Lori, a structural engineer, was running up until 2019. Ultimately, Lindsay would get back to the kitchen but only after the sisters, and their business, went through hell.

“We ran into problems with a client not paying a final bill that turned into a lawsuit which is still in court. We had two bad winters, my marriage fell apart, the company went under, I took the first job that came along which wasn’t a good fit for me, and then COVID hit,” Lori recalls. “It has just been a real test of faith, I think. I really hit rock bottom. There’s no other way to put it.” 

When the career and life she had built for herself bottomed out, Lori had no choice but to forge a new path. She started with her health.

“Stress and meat never mixed well in my stomach, so I started doing research about cutting out meat. Looking up recipes, going online, and of course, because I’m bored, watching documentaries looking at all this stuff,” Lori explains.

“I became completely vegan in June of 2020. I lost 30 pounds, reversed polycystic ovary syndrome, and when my health started getting better, everything started getting better, so I started cooking like crazy with all vegan options.”

When her big sister started creating all these amazing new recipes Lindsay’s competitive gene kicked in. “All of this happened with COVID and losing our jobs and everything, and then throughout the summer she was doing her vegan cooking, and I said, ‘Hey, I could do that!’” 

“We’re a competitive family by nature,” Lindsay reveals, “so I started working on some recipes.”

“She out-veganized me!” Lori pipes in with a laugh.

The sisters spent their summer developing delicious, healthy, whole-food, plant-based recipes, enlisting the help of their kids and friends to be taste testers. Lindsay’s 12-year-old son Quinten proved particularly enthusiastic about their project, so much so that he got his name on the menu for their tasty (and yes healthy) “Q’s Mac & Cheze”.

“What really got us going though is when some friends starting asking us to cook our meals for their families,” Lindsay explains.

When the sisters realized there was a market for their passion, they got to work, setting up a business, securing their licenses, choosing eco-friendly packaging, and of course cooking.

“We tried out our recipes a billion times,” Lindsay laughs. “Then we put our menu together, did all the social media, put it out there, and said, ‘“Let’s see what happens.’”

Their idea was a hit. “People were just so receptive because there are not a lot of options to pick up a really healthy meal and just throw it in your freezer for a later date,” the sisters enthuse. “We got a whole slew of orders all at once so we looked at each other and we said, ‘Ok, we need a kitchen!’”

The “Prairie Sisters” officially launched their frozen meal service on Facebook in late 2020, and they got their website Prairie Sisters Cookery up and running by January 2021. “We’re like a “Supper Central” with healthy vegan food,” the sisters explain. But they are really so much more than that.

These two focussed, kind, enthusiastic siblings, who finish each other’s sentences, are a living, breathing embodiment of what it is to support each other through hard times, and shift dramatically from a life that came crashing down, into a new passion full of love, joy, and hope for the future.

Photo credit: Riki Katherine Photography

"When we lost the business it was hard, it was brutal, and I didn’t do well. I’m finally better now but it took me a while to get there,” Lori shares. “But, it’s how we ended up here - all those kicks that knocked us down are how we ended up here.”

And, this is just the beginning. With COVID still in full swing, there are still restrictions on how fast they can grow, but The Prairie Sisters are definitely daring to dream.

“I’ve always wanted a storefront,” Lori shares. “Where people can come in for breakfast, lunch, or brunch. Pick up our frozen food, stop in for a cup of soup and fresh bread that I love to make, or stop in on the way home to pick up supper.”

“And I’d love to put our menu in arenas,” Lindsay muses. “Just think of how easy it would be to pull out a frozen, healthy meal before hockey. Our kids are usually in the rinks all winter, and we’re usually stuffing them with whatever is in the freezer, but how great is it if we can make it healthy and easy for people.” 

“I would love to see a freezer section at Sobey’s that has all Prairie Sisters food,” Lori jumps in.

“We really want people to try it and say, ‘Ok, it’s vegan, and it’s healthy, but it’s just food.’ I want to break down those barriers,” Lindsay continues.

Lori completes the thought, “That’s where the new generation is going. They’re more informed. They know we can’t sustain what we’ve been doing all along. So we have to find alternatives.”

And if anyone is an expert at finding alternatives when things just are just not sustainable anymore, these two sisters are. Hopefully, we can all pick up their frozen meals at a grocery store soon. Until then, only folks in Winnipeg are lucky enough to have access to this food made with love, health, and genuine renewal at its core.

You can follow The Prairie Sister’s progress on their Facebook Page, and check out their menu here on their website.