About Us
Meet Jessica & Jon
We’re Jessica and Jon Crane, founders of Compassionate Kitchen. Our journey toward creating a fully vegan, organic, and sustainable brand started long before our company was born—rooted in our passion for ethical, sustainable food and our deep love for animals and the environment.
Jessica's Story
Jessica has been passionate about plant-based eating since childhood, becoming a vegetarian at just seven years old. While pursuing her master's degrees in Environmental Science and Environmental Law & Policy, she uncovered the devastating impact of industrial agriculture—not only on animals but also on the planet. She saw firsthand how restoring natural food systems could lead to a healthier, more compassionate world.
For over a decade, she worked in health, environmental, and animal rights policy, with six of those years focused primarily on food policies to reform our broken food system. But along the way, she realized that true change requires more than policy—it takes companies, consumer demand, and education. People want to love what they’re eating, and making sustainable, plant-based foods more accessible is key to transforming the system.
Jon's Story
Jon’s journey into plant-based living began while studying philosophy at Furman University, where he developed a passion for ethical food choices and sustainability. Over the years, his love of cooking and baking deepened, and he became fascinated by how food could be both nourishing and transformative. After spending years in finish carpentry and construction, he was ready to build something different—a more sustainable and compassionate food system.
Jon is also a writer who has long explored the injustices within our food system. In his most recent book Shadows of Paradise, he uses fiction to expose the environmental injustices caused by large agricultural companies in Hawaii’s food system. His advocacy through writing aligns with his commitment to creating a better, more ethical food system through Compassionate Kitchen.
From Passion to Pantry
With over 20 years of combined experience in vegan cooking and baking, along with their experience in food service over the years, Jessica and Jon have crafted and continue to refine recipes that demonstrate plant-based food can be just as delicious—if not better—than traditional options.
Their shared love of food, commitment to ending animal cruelty, and passion for creating a better world for their daughter led to the creation of Compassionate Kitchen—a brand that makes baking easy, accessible, and always plant-based.
When Jessica became pregnant with their daughter Lily, they knew it was time to turn their passion into action. They set out to create the brand they had always searched for—one that’s always vegan, organic, and sustainable. Their love for animals, dedication to addressing food system injustices, and desire to build a better, healthier world for their child became the foundation of Compassionate Kitchen.