When we decide what to eat or drink, we're making choices that go beyond flavor. What we consume can be a tool for social change, a connection with generations past, and a major influence on our well-being.

In this lively episode, WPLN's Emily Siner talks to Chris Carter of Porter Road Butcher, Tiffany Hancock of The Southern V, and Leah Larabell of High Garden Tea three food entrepreneurs who are merging innovation and tradition. How did they start down the paths of local meat production, veganism and herbalism? And how do they navigate pushback from skeptical customers?

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Leah Larabell grew up close to the land, and she began studying herbalism over a decade ago. She opened High Garden in East Nashville with her husband Joel in 2012. Through running the tea shop and offering classes, she is able to reintroduce many people to their forgotten green friends and a way of life full of joy, support and connection.Leah considers it her purpose to bring person and plant back together in the bonded relationship that it once was and can be.

Tiffany Hancock craved the flavors and seasonings from her past. She couldn't find them after she transitioned to veganism. But Tiffany loves a challenge, so she went to the kitchen and made magic. Now, you can find her sprinting back and forth, cooking and baking all the items for The Southern V in North Nashville. Her Southern take on vegan/plant-based dishes has provided many customers with a new perspective on the lifestyle, as well as given a nostalgic experience to longtime vegans.

Chris Carter made his entry into the restaurant industry as a busboy in high school and later studied culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute in Arizona. It was after culinary school, however, working at Flemings Steakhouse, where Chris came to appreciate high-quality meat and decided to create Porter Road Butcher. While not driving all over the region to pick up animals, processing and cutting meat in Princeton, Ky., or serving customers in the East Nashville shop, Chris enjoys going to a good concert, drinking several cold beers while fishing, roaming the aisles of Bass Pro Shop at Opry Mills and finding his center in a hot yoga class.

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Movers & Thinkers: The Butcher, The Vegan Baker, The Potions Maker - WPLN