Fayetteville vegan food truck owner hopes to expand healthy eating choices for area

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Yoniara Montoya has been vegan for 5 years after she found herself overweight and in the hospital with congestive heart failure, she knew she had to make a change to be there for her kids.

So she started researching new ways of eating and lifestyles to lose weight; then she stumbled upon plant-based food choices and decided to give it a shot.

"After a while my blood pressure and hypertension and that was nearly gone that's how it all started with me wanting to help others," Montoya told ABC11.

For Yoniara, who goes by Yoshee Vegan these days, this was life-changing for her, and after losing 145 lbs on a plant-based diet she wants to share her passion for vegan comfort food with those who may have never even thought of triyng a plant-based burger.

This past year, Montoya and her husband Rob, now known as Mr. Vegan, faced plenty of hardships during the pandemic, they were homeless for a short time and facing financial hardships. During that time, Yoniara started meal planning and working as a personal trainer to bring in extra income but she didn't stop there.

She and Rob embarked on a mission to share their passion for plant-based eating by starting their own food truck "The Vegan Spot" you might catch the truck setting up for lunch or dinner in Fayetteville and surrounding areas serving up vegan-friendly comfort food for lifers and newcomers alike.

"I want to show people that they can eat something other than meat and be healthier and help the environment," Montoya said.

As the only vegan food truck in Fayetteville, in the first month of business, the demand has grown higher than Yoniara could have imagined and wherever this food truck takes her and her family she won't ever forget what got them here, "There were times when we didn't know where we would get meals from... and thank God for my husband's support because when people didn't believe in what I was trying to do it changed my life."