The Beet

Dr. Sunyatta Amen is a life-long plant-based eater: She's an Afro-Caribbean-Latinx and a fifth-generation master herbalist, naturopathic doctor, vegan chef, witch, and the entrepreneur behind Calabash Tea & Tonic in Washing-ton, D.C. She comes from a multi-generational Black family, and in the 1970s, her Syrian-Jamaican and Cuban parents had a health food shop and juice bar, Pyramid Tea & Herbal, in Harlem, New York.

Here, in an exclusive interview with The Beet, we spoke with Dr. Amen about the tradition of veganism in her family, the importance of HBCUs to Calabash, and why she opened a tea shop to share veganism with her community.