Baking in Brighton

The lovely Jojo of Operation Icing fame

Jojo Huxster was one of the many inspirations behind this blog’s inception. What is more motivating than a charity bakery in England’s quaint seaside town of Brighton? My family hails from a town called Lewes, mere kilometers from Brighton, and having grown up dreaming of our next visit to the helter skelter (the slide, not The Beatles song) at Brighton’s pier, I was particularly jazzed to hear about Brighton’s vegan-friendliness, and its lovely residents such as Jojo who are furthering the vegan movement in East Sussex. We caught up with Jojo to hear more about her adorably titled Operation Icing (inspired by Operation Ivy for all you ska-punk fans out there) not-for-profit bakery.  You guys, this lady is one inspiring vegan on the move—baking up a storm for everything from feminist groups to animal sanctuaries to organizations such as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

VOTM: Who or what inspired you to start the bakery?

Jojo: This question is so hard to answer because I feel like the inspiration for the business has come from so many different places! I guess there’s my own desire to work for a vegan company and to raise money to help animals. It took a few years to work out exactly what I wanted to do & how to go about doing it. I considered moving to the countryside to start an animal sanctuary and contemplated opening up my house as a vegan B&B, but my love of cake and desire to work from home eventually spurred me on to start this little bakery. The actual business model hit me in May when I was trying to arrange Brighton’s first vegan bake sale, and I decided to make Operation Icing not for profit. Once I’d decided to do that, I was so much more motivated to get going with the hard work. Within a week I had the website and twitter account up and running and had my first order, so yeah, the bake sales taking place all over the world and the amazing people organising them were definitely a huge inspiration. Oh, and I can’t list my inspirations without mentioning Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero— those ladies taught me to bake—I recommend the book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World to everyone!

Speculoos Cookie Cupcake. COME TO ME.

VOTM: How challenging was it to get this project started from the ground up?

Jojo: It hasn’t been too complicated to get the business up and running. Last year when the idea first popped into my head I had to get the environmental health officer from the local council to inspect my kitchen, and to say that it would be okay for me to operate a business from here. But aside from that you don’t need any permits here. The hard part for me was working out how to make the idea align with my plan to raise money for the animals.

VOTM: Is it just you running the show?

Jojo: It is indeed but without my husband being so supportive, having a “real” job, and being able to knock up a website in a few hours, it would have been much more difficult for me to get Operation Icing up and running.

Vanilla cupcake with vanilla raspberry swirl frosting, topped with an iced and sprinkle covered baked mini donut. Jojo was inspired by friend of VOTM and amazingly young and talented cookbook author Kelly Peloza.

VOTM: What charities do you donate proceeds to?

Jojo: At the moment I donate the proceeds to Sea Shepherd, The Monkey Sanctuary and the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service. I’m considering adding a local animal sanctuary, Raystede, to the list. A few weeks ago I donated some cupcakes for a fundraising tour and tea and cake afternoon at the sanctuary and I’ve just heard that after talking to us and tasting our vegan cakes they’ve decided to make the cafe at the sanctuary completely vegetarian. Go them! I most recently donated cupcakes to a tea and cake fundraiser organised by Brighton’s feminist group to raise money for The Poppy Project who provide support and accommodation to women who have been trafficked into prostitution in the UK.

VOTM: What has been the response so far in Brighton?

Jojo: The response has been great. After tasting my cakes and brownies at the bake sale I organized, I had a girl stop me in the street to tell me that my cupcakes are the best cupcakes ever. It was so nice to hear!

VOTM: What advice would you give to vegans hoping to start something similar?

Jojo: Just go for it, the more vegan bakeries the better! I really disagree with this whole ‘hating the competition’ rubbish I’ve come across, I want there to be more vegan businesses in my city and around the world. The more mainstream veganism becomes the better it’ll be for everyone—both people and animals.

Let's all move to Brighton NOW Coconut Lime Cupcakes.

VOTM: Do you have future plans for this project?

Jojo: Aside from working on new cupcake flavours and a range of cookies, my next big step is to open an Etsy store so that I can sell my brownies and cookies elsewhere in the UK. The lovely Miss Panda With Cookie’s Etsy store has been a big inspiration in this decision.

Thank you Jojo! Everyone start bakeries! Especially you lucky ducks in the UK with handsome and forgiving health inspectors! PS: Jojo also writes a blog, and I read it religiously, not only because I regularly visit my grandma in Lewes and need Brighton eating tips, but mainly because I love Jojo and her fun writing voice.