Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendall Duffie.
Hi Kendall, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In 2018, a routine doctor’s visit changed everything. After being diagnosed with high cholesterol, my doctor handed me a choice: start taking prescription medications, or radically change my diet. Learning that cholesterol only enters our bodies through animal products, the decision was simple—I chose the plant-based route.
What started as a personal mission to reclaim my health quickly turned into a culinary passion project. I began creating and testing plant-based recipes in my kitchen. When my family and friends tasted them, they didn’t just approve—they wanted more! That’s when the spark of a business idea took hold.
As an avid scuba diver and a passionate advocate for ocean conservation and coral reef protection, I wanted my brand to reflect my deepest love. Merging my two passions, Deep Sea Vegan was born. We’re here to prove that plant-based eating can be extremely delicious, better for you, and it’s a deep dive into incredible flavor that respects our planet.
From Pop-Up to Property: The Deep Sea Vegan Evolution
Our journey began in 2020 as a resident pop-up inside Hunter’s Station, a trendy food hall in East Nashville. By 2024, we took our flavors on the road, transitioning into a fully operational food truck. Today, we are taking our biggest leap yet: transforming an entire building into our very own food hall.
This exciting new real estate venture is a family affair, created alongside my siblings and business partners, Michelle and my twin brother, Kelvis “Clyde.”
The building, dubbed M6iX Salon Suites and Food Hall, is a dual-concept community hub. While the Salon Suites are now officially open for business, construction is actively underway on the food hall side. Once completed, the food hall will be proudly anchored by Deep Sea Vegan, alongside a curated selection of other incredible local eateries.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road to building this dream has been anything but smooth—but honestly, that’s to be expected. I always say: if it was easy, everybody would do it.
We’ve faced our fair share of storms, from sudden food truck breakdowns and complex commercial construction hurdles, to dealing with vandalism on the building before we could even break ground. There have been countless moments that tested our resolve.
But if this journey has taught us anything, it’s that there is undeniable strength in numbers. As three siblings locked in on the same vision, Michelle, Kelvis, and I always find a way to sort things out, pick each other up, and keep moving toward the ultimate goal.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As an entrepreneur, there is truly never a dull moment. While my siblings and I are hard at work putting the finishing touches on the first M6iX Salon Suites and Food Hall, we are already scouting locations for property number two to replicate this exact business model.
Beyond the culinary and real estate worlds, my passion for the ocean remains a massive part of my daily life. As a certified Divemaster, I host monthly excursions to South Florida to teach scuba lessons, and I am currently working toward earning my Instructor’s certification. Recently, I achieved a major milestone by being selected for the Metro Nashville Dive Rescue Team—a role that allows me to lend my skills, training, and passion to assist our local community when it matters most.
My philosophy on balancing these dual worlds of business and diving actually became the inspiration for my first book, released last year on Amazon: The 75/25 Rule: A Divemaster’s Guide to Tapping into the Greater Percentage of What Life Has to Offer.
Up next? We are actively working to get our signature Deep Sea Vegan cookies into retail stores nationwide. (And yes, I do try to sleep somewhere in between all of this!)
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
“My advice to anyone starting out is simple: never start a business unless you are willing to sacrifice for five to seven years before you really begin to turn the corner. It takes that long to build a foundation. However, every obstacle I have faced and every challenge I’ve had to overcome hasn’t just been a roadblock—it has shaped, sharpened, and prepared me for exactly what lies ahead.”
And find your tribe, your crew, your ride or dies. For me, it has and always will be my family.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.deepseavegan.com
- Instagram: deepseavegan
- Facebook: deepseavegan
- Youtube: deepseavegan
- Other: IG – @Kendallduffie9
