We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Ellis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
There are many factors that have contributed to my success, but the most important factor behind my success is ‘Passion.’ Having passion to create fun and interesting content for my vegan food and travel brands. Passion is what allows me to persevere and meet my weekly goals and to stay focus, despite whatever kind of week life throws my way. Even with maintaining my professional career as a Certified Career Consultant by day (Which I’m also passionate about), I’m able to work on my brands as a vegan food culinarian and YouTubber by creating savory vegan dishes that are appealing to the eye. I recently went vegan nine months ago during the global pandemic for personal and spiritual reasons. In addition; my passion also consists of blogging and sharing my travels domestically and internationally. I have visited 25 countries across six continents and 48 states. From Fiji to Morocco to Australia to Vancouver, British Columbia to Boise, Idaho to solo-roadtripping to all six New England states within four days.    

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a vegan food culinarian and YouTubber for Nicky’s Savory Vegan Eats. I create savory and flavorful vegan dishes (Mostly from scratch) and turn them into a colorful work of art. I recently started my channel five months ago and have almost 400 subscribers. I want people to know that vegans have fun too eating delicious and healthy dishes. I decided to go vegan May 1st last year during the pandemic after ignoring an inner voice telling me I needed to change my eating habits. I am also a food and travel blogger for Nicky’s Savory Travels and I eat savory dishes from around the world. However; after having a ski accident tearing two meniscus and experiencing a hyper-extended right knee, I began to have inflammation in my joints and it was difficult for me to walk and go upstairs due to lack of exercising and eating inflammatory foods. In addition; in 2018, I returned from taking a solo trip to Spain and Morocco. Two days later, I passed out on my bathroom floor and was rushed to the emergency room. I had seven gallstones in my inflamed gallbladder which had to be removed. Fast forward to last year, I decided to take the plunge and simply stop eating meat and dairy products to allow my body to become quiet and to rid it from further pain and inflammation. I am excited about being vegan for almost a year now and seeing my body transform internally and externally. I no longer have swollen ankles, swelling in the body, headaches, body aches, pains, or stiffness nor any bloating within the body. I feel absolutely amazing and even more energetic these days, as I will turn 45 this year. I have also incorporated some cardio and yoga into my workout regimen. I believe I am where I am today as a vegan food culinarian, because I truly care about giving back to others. My success is not only built around me, but is also built around others. I am not only winning, but we are both winning as I care about others who are trying to make some healthy changes throughout their life as well. Therefore; not only do I show people how to make their own savory vegan dishes, but I try to provide some interesting healthy facts about the foods I consume throughout my videos. Also; as a travel blogger, I enjoy learning about the different countries I’ve visited along with the people, food, art, and heartbeat of the culture. I enjoy sharing travel experiences with people who may consider visiting a country I may have covered throughout my blog posts.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As a former food tour guide in Las Vegas, I have had many friends visit me and have taken them on a personal tour of Sin City. Some of my favorite spots to visit for savory eats include Dirt Dog at the Grand Bazaar Shops. Although, I am now vegan, I use to eat their bacon-wrapped beef hot dogs, which has some of the most flavorful and colorful combinations as toppings. The Flaming Dog includes center cut bacon, hot cheetos, grilled corn, chipotle lime mayo, cilantro, habanero sauce, and bacon bits. Their “DUI” fries will prepare you for a nap as they include pastrami, carne asada, bacon bits, cheddar cheese, chipotle aioli, and cilantro. They have so many delicious foodie options to pick and choose from including their veggie dog and deep fried oreos. You can literally visit here a couple of times a week while on vacay. Dirt Dog is L.A. based but has two locations in Las Vegas. For drinks and to people watch, I have taken my friends to hang out at the Linq Promenade which is full of a variety of restaurants including, Yard House and Favorite French bistro to colorful yard drinks and frozen drinks half off during happy hour to zip lining on the FLY LINQ. The Link Promenade is such a cool place to hang out as it’s tucked in a former back alley way in between The Flamingo Hotel and The LINQ Hotel. Brooklyn Bowl is a really dope entertainment venue full of colorful lights and flare, accompanied with live musicians and a psychedelic bowling alley. They also serve great drinks and good food. The Blue Ribbon Chicken wings are sooo delish! If you’re looking for another fun spot to grab a drink, consider adding the LINQ High Roller ferris wheel to your list. The ride is about 30 minutes, has about 28 spacious cabins, and you get to see a cool aerial view of parts of the Las Vegas Strip. Also; there is one cabin that actually has a full bar as you partake in watching the neon lights from high above. Day and night rides for adults range from $17-$52. Just a 10-15 minute walk away is Canonita inside The Venetian where they are a stylish Mexican eatery, yet known for $4 cocktails, $5 margaritas, and $5.50 wine during happy hour, all while sitting alongside the Venetian canals. You get a mixture of Italian scenery and Mexican cuisine all rolled into one, I would end out my tour guide capabilities with friends by taking them off the Strip to Fremont Street and Container Park. Fremont Street is a scaled down version of the Strip filled with cheap bars serving yard drinks throughout the night. There’s also cheap eats such as pizza slices, tacos, hot dogs, and a White Castle’s. Fremont Street has ‘The Slotzilla’, which allows you to zip line above busy streets and walking tourists throughout the fun, colorful, and loud streets of downtown Fremont. A couple of blocks east is Container Park. It’s comprised of smaller container shops serving as restaurants, boutiques, souvenir shops, bars, and so much more. There is also open space to sit outside and to take in free entertainment of live musicians on special nights, all while people watching. Right outside the entrance is a metallic sculpture of a praying mantis that sporadically spews out fire in sync of some rockish sounds. Last but not least, take a short stroll over to Mainstreet Station and grab you a $2 Margarita (Lime). The Strawberry Margarita is also refreshing and may cost a dollar more or so. End your night hanging out at the Gold Spike downtown Las Vegas and engage in more drinks at a carnival-themed bar, and play some oversized games that brings back childhood nostalgia such as Giant Jenga, Giant Chess, Giant Beer Pong, Shuffle Board, and Giant Legos.   

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate a shoutout to God, my hubby, and my mommy. Yes, I still refer to my mother as ‘my mommy.’ It’s an endearing way for me to acknowledge her as she has added so much value to my life, at a very early age to be the best I can be in life. She equipped me with tough love and didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear, but what I needed to hear to survive throughout life. She is my ongoing sounding board and I can always bounce my ideas off of her knowing she will always provide me with invaluable constructive feedback. My mommy has left a lasting impression on my life as it pertains to traveling, the performing arts, culture, and the hard knocks of life, in general. We have taken many road trips together including across county to traveling overseas to Germany, France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Japan, and Thailand. My hubby has been quite supportive in my corner after nearly 28 years of friendship and 14 years of marriage. He has seen me at my highs and lows, my weight gain and weight loss, going from a size 22 to a size 10 throughout my teen and adult years and still manages to have a crush on me after all these years. I would like to give him a shoutout for being in my corner and supporting me throughout our nine month vegan journey, in which I’ve gone down four dress sizes and I’m currently at a size 12. He has been my semi-camera man and lighting person when I am filming my YouTube channel at times. He constantly encourages me and can discern most of the time when something is off with me. I am a Christian and not ashamed of my personal beliefs and my faith in God has played an integral role into who I am today. I’m far from perfect, yet continuously on the road to being the best version of myself.  God has guided and protected me throughout my life, in which there are four instances I truly came face to face with life and death. I feel like I shouldn’t be alive today, but I’ve been given four chances to turn things around in my life and to make things right. The way I see it, God isn’t finished with me yet, as I still have purpose and passion to fulfill before I meet my dash date.

Website: www.nickysavorytravels.com
Instagram: @nickys_savory_travels & @nickys_savory_vegan_eats
Linkedin: N/A
Twitter: @NkySavoryTrvls
Facebook: Nicky’s Savory Travels
Yelp: N/A
Youtube: Nicky’s Savory Vegan Eats & Nicky’s Savory Travels
Other: TikTok: @nickysavoryveganeats

Image Credits
Image Credit: Self-taken by Nicole Ellis

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