Elijah Joy facts for kids

Elijah Joy (born Erik C. Nedd) is an American vegan celebrity chef. He also works as a green living advocate, host, singer, and writer. He started a company called Organic Soul, Incorporated. This company focuses on a vegan lifestyle and multimedia projects. It is based in Takoma Park, Maryland.

Elijah Joy also created Go-Go Greens. This is a raw food vegan deli product. Organic Soul helped sponsor Al Gore's 2009 Green Inaugural Ball.

Early Career and Creations

Elijah Joy began his career as a personal chef. He cooked for the famous musician Isaac Hayes. In 1997, Joy often appeared on WRKS' The Isaac Hayes and Friends Show.

He later became a live host, known as an emcee. He worked at B.B. King's Blues Club and Grill. Joy also introduced his Go-Go Greens product. This happened at Moby's vegetarian eatery and tea shop, Teany, in New York City.

Media Appearances

Elijah Joy has used his voice for different projects. He was a voice-over artist on singer Mýa Harrison's album, Fear of Flying.

His work has also been shown on television. You might have seen him on The Wendy Williams Show. He has also appeared on E! Entertainment Television, Bravo, and MTV.

Expanding Go-Go Greens

In 2010, Elijah Joy made Go-Go Greens available to more people. This wider release happened at the same time as a new book. The book was By Any Greens Necessary by vegan nutritionist Tracye McQuirter.

That same year, Joy opened his first store for Organic Soul. It was a vegan pop-up store. This temporary shop was located in Union Station, Washington, D.C. In 2012, he opened a second vegan pop-up store. This one was in Oakland's Chinatown.

Community Work

Elijah Joy moved back to his hometown of Washington, D.C. There, he started working with local groups. These include civic and nonprofit organizations. They work together to bring healthy food to areas that need it most. This effort focuses on Ward 8 in the city. They provide "farm-to-table" food solutions. This means food goes directly from farms to people's tables.

His work in cooperative development was highlighted. It was featured in the October 2016 issue of Yes! Magazine. Students from American University also made a short film series about his work. This was part of their Center for Media and Social Impact.

See also

• List of vegans