Get to know Jam Rohr, the multi-passionate and talented creative behind Up Beet Jams.

Tell me a little about yourself.

I am a sculptor, an educator, a curator, a witch, a writer, and a vegan! I was born in Peoria, IL, and I ended up finding my way back here after graduate school because I saw that the Peoria art scene was growing, and I had a skill in metalworking that I thought could contribute to that community. I started Black Dog Metal Arts LLC with my husband, Danny Rohr. After becoming more involved in the community and talking about my eating habits with others, I saw another need that could help my community in another way. I started Up Beet Jams to offer creative and affordable ways to enjoy whole food plant-based meals.

What is your background (education, previous jobs and/or experiences that led you to create)?

I received my BA from Illinois State University in Painting with a minor in Psychology, then an MA from Eastern Illinois University in Visual Arts, then an MFA in Sculpture from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. I used to cook at a vegetarian restaurant, which was how I was originally introduced to vegan food. While I was earning my BA, I was a delivery driver for DP Dough for 3 years. Both of these jobs are coming back in to play with Up Beet Jams. I have held many different jobs throughout the years that have helped guide who I am, how I create, and my work ethic. A few of these include mail delivery person, dog walker, barista, "sandwich artist", curator, cashier, graphic designer, and teacher. As an educator, I am always learning just as much from my students as I am teaching them. My teaching style is more of a collaborative approach, which melts into my community involvement as an individual artist and a business owner.

What led you to start Up Beet Jams?

Up Beet Jams sort of snowballed into the business it has become, but I couldn't be happier. It began as an Instagram account where I shared vegan meals with recipes and a music recommendation. It started growing as a business when I met a friend (local artist legend Jaci Musec :D) for lunch one day. She had a whopper from Burger King and I had zucchini noodles with tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, and nutritional yeast and then strawberries with mint and lemon juice for dessert. She looked at my lunch and asked if I would make her lunch next week. I love sharing food with people, so I started making us lunches each week. One day she asked if I would be interested in making lunches for the week for her. I thought that would be really fun! My husband works at a tattoo shop, and mentioned that one of the artists said she wanted to eat better. He told her about the lunches I would be making for Jaci, so she asked if she could sign up, too. Each week since then I had gained more interest to the point where I couldn't cook in my own kitchen anymore. I decided to get my certification and licenses so I could open this to the public. Now I'm cooking in St. Paul's Episcopal Church kitchen where I have the room to cook multiple meals and the refrigerator space to store them!

Why do you think someone should consider eating more plant-based meals or go vegan?

Personally, I started eating plant-based because I was suffering from this pain for nearly a year. I didn't have health insurance to find a solution, so I started googling things to help reduce pain. I kept reading that a whole food plant-based vegan diet will significantly help, so I tried it. I still have pain, but it is much more manageable. There were other benefits I noticed, too. I used to suffer from cystic acne on my chin that was very painful and embarrassing. Since switching my diet I rarely get any acne at all. In fact, my acne scars are even becoming less noticeable. My hair grows thicker and faster these days along with my nails. I also have significantly more energy than I used to. I used to get very tired every day around 2:00 no matter what, but since switching my diet I have energy all day. After a little over 2 months of eating this way, I weighed myself out of curiosity because I noticed my clothes were fitting differently. It wasn't the goal to lose weight, but I had lost 12 pounds. There are numerous other benefits including reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, colon disease, breast cancer, dementia, and arthritis. It can also help with asthma, eczema, and allergies. It is also the easiest way to make the largest impact on improving our environment and reducing your carbon footprint. 

What are some of your short/long term goals?

Right now a short term goal is to get prepared to be a vendor at a food truck event on Fridays in Peoria. I won't have a food truck, but I will be a vendor with lunches for sale. Next year I will look for more of these events or maybe participating in the farmer's market so the public can try these meals the same day if they are wary of ordering a week's worth of lunches ahead of time. Each week my goal has been to have more orders than the previous week. This has been going on for 8 weeks now and so far I have had more orders every time! I hope to find a way to offer this to areas surrounding Peoria as well in the future.

What is one (or two) of your favorite dishes you've created?

It is hard to pick because each week I try various new things and most of the time they're wonderful! Sometimes they're not so good, but I take notes to improve the next time or before I offer it to the public. I will say two of my favorites are the stuffed shells and the tofu pho. The stuffed shells are filled with a cashew and sunflower seed-based "cheese" and topped with fresh chopped tomatoes from my garden along with basil. I usually also incorporate carrots to reduce the acidity of the tomatoes and other veggies to keep the textures different and interesting.

The tofu pho is so easy and so filling! I marinate the tofu ahead of time and bake it so it's a little crispy. Then I use veggie broth (I make my own from vegetable scraps that get frozen until the bag is full, which usually only takes me about a week since I cook often) to cook the vegetables in the soup instead of oil. Once they're cooked to my liking I will fill a pot with more broth and the tofu. I use rice noodles in the soup and top it with whatever microgreens I have on hand. The tofu marinade gets into the veggie broth so the soup is usually super flavorful and a little spicy.

How would you describe the process of working with Lettering Works to establish your branding? What did you enjoy most?

When I thought I was at a point where I needed a logo I knew I had to ask Lettering Works. What I had in mind was Chelsie's style, and having had worked with Lettering Works for a design for Black Dog Metal Arts' First Iron Pour run by FEmale Identified Artists in Peoria's history in 2019 I knew the process would be simple to navigate. What I like most is how organized the process has been. It is easy to see the sample, but I appreciate that there are many places to give feedback and make requests. I feel very appreciated as a client, and I felt like Lettering Works treats each project that it is incredibly important and exciting.

Why do you think artists should invest in branding their arts business?

I had always heard of branding but didn't quite understand the value until recently. It is important for ALL artists and makers to invest in branding their businesses because it makes their art/company easily recognizable to the public. It gives them the visual vocabulary to understand who this artist is, what do they do, what do they represent, what do they value, who is this work for. Clearly understanding your brand also makes a company or artist look more professional and confident, which I think is respectable to future and potential clients.

Find Up Beet Jams at:
Upbeetjams.com & on Instagram @upbeetjams