Exploring Life & Business with Lauren Hampton of Uncommon Fil

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Hampton.

Hi Lauren, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My vegan journey started a little over ten years ago, sparked by two things: my grandmother’s passing and an opportunity to attend a wellness retreat at Xinalani in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, through my employer at the time. During that retreat, my body went through a full detox from all the junk I had been eating. I learned about gut health and how deeply it connects to our overall wellbeing. When I came home, I knew deep down that my body wouldn’t let me go back to the way I used to eat.

As my life motto says, “Live a life that inspires others,” I knew this journey would be a leap of faith, unfamiliar, but necessary. On May 5, 2015, I went cold turkey and gave up meat. (Though looking back, I’d probably recommend easing into it.) My last non-vegan meal? In-N-Out Burger. I was the only vegan in my family, and at that time, it felt completely foreign. My early meals consisted of a lot of salads and stuffed sweet potatoes as I figured things out.

From the start, I promised myself I’d never become a pushy vegan, just someone who meets people where they are and inspires change through example. A family member and I attended the Vegan Street Fair in Los Angeles, and I was blown away by all the incredible food options. It was so much more than I imagined, and that’s when my entrepreneurial brain switched on.
At the time, I’d been an event coordinator for eight years, and I started wondering: where would someone even go to plan a vegan event? After searching online and not finding much, it clicked that I wanted to create a vegan event planning magazine. It was new territory, but I trusted God to orchestrate my path while I did the work.

In honor of my late grandmother, who always dreamed of publishing a book, I decided to call it Fíl Magazine. “Fíl” means “elephant” in Icelandic, which was her favorite animal. Through the magazine, I traveled to Bali to cover the Bali Vegan Festival and to Australia for World Vegan Day in Melbourne. I met countless people, connected with vegan-friendly hotels and businesses, and created a platform for others to share their vegan events.

Fast forward, I planned my own vegan wedding, and a year after we got married, our son was born. I was determined to make all of his food for at least his first year, collecting endless Pinterest recipes, buying cookbooks, and pouring my heart into every meal. I wanted to create food that nourished my family.

After his first birthday, I felt the need for a career shift. I’d spent over 15 years in event planning, and while I loved it, I felt burnt out. One night, while praying for direction, God placed a thought on my heart: look for plant-based culinary schools. So I did. That same night, I found the Institute of Culinary Education in Los Angeles and applied. By the next morning, they called to schedule a tour.

A few weeks after starting the program, I’ll be honest, I was almost ready to quit. Knife skills were no joke, and with zero kitchen experience (besides cooking at home), I was hard on myself. But I stuck with it, and over time, I gained confidence in my food and in myself. I had amazing instructors and built lifelong connections with individuals in my cohort. The program was about so much more than learning to cook; it helped me better understand food and how it plays a role in our bodies and overall health.
For my externship, I was accepted at Yellow, a fine dining vegan restaurant in Sydney, Australia, my first time working in a professional kitchen. Our team was small but mighty, and they pushed me to grow. I started with prep work and eventually ran my own station from prep to plating, which was a huge accomplishment. I returned to the States inspired, graduated with highest honors, and wanted to keep that momentum going.

While attending the Vegan Women’s Summit in LA, I reconnected with the owner of a vegan hotel I’d previously contacted about an externship. We stayed in touch, and I eventually took on a contract consulting role at Mother Earth Vegan Hotel in Costa Rica. It wasn’t a chef position, but it reignited my love for organizing, creating, and problem-solving. While there, I met someone who told me about becoming a Vegan Hospitality Consultant, something I didn’t even know existed. I connected with Meredith from Vegan Hospitality and joined the next cohort. That program filled the gap between what I learned in culinary school and how I wanted to help others on their vegan journeys. I learned how to support businesses in adding vegan options, create consulting systems, and lead with impact.

And from that, Uncommon Fíl was born, a vegan hospitality and event consulting agency that helps mission-driven brands, hotels, and restaurants elevate guest experiences through thoughtful, plant-based innovation.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely wasn’t a smooth road, but as an entrepreneur, I honestly wasn’t expecting it to be. What I was doing was completely new to me, and I’ll admit, I was a bit naive in the beginning. I used to assume that if something didn’t list meat or dairy, it had to be vegan. Spoiler alert: that isn’t always the case. Early on, I’d joke with friends and family that I was “95% vegan,” just to give myself a little grace in case I unintentionally ate something that wasn’t vegan. Thankfully, over the years, the increase in vegan products and accessibility has made it much easier to prepare my own food and stay consistent.

Finding community was another challenge. Back then, it sometimes felt isolating trying to navigate this lifestyle on my own since no one close to me was vegan. That started to change when my mom went vegan about 6 months after I did.

One of the biggest hurdles with Uncommon Fíl has been helping businesses and restaurants see the real value of offering vegan-friendly options, not just for inclusion, but for impact. I know deep down that what I’m building matters, even when doubt crept in. There definitely have been moments when impostor syndrome tried to talk me out of believing I belonged in this space. But over time, I learned to trust my vision, my creativity, and the purpose behind what I do. Believing in myself, and in the change I want to create has become the fuel that keeps me moving forward.

As you know, we’re big fans of Uncommon Fil . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Uncommon Fíl is a vegan hospitality and event consulting agency helping redefine how restaurants and hospitality spaces approach plant-based dining. I specialize in helping restaurants and businesses craft inclusive, vegan-friendly menus that are both exciting and accessible. My signature services include Menu Evaluation, Recipe Development, Product Sourcing, and Staff Training, guiding clients in elevating their offerings while staying true to their unique brand identity.

What sets me apart is my blend of creativity and strategy, paired with a deep commitment to planning sustainable, experience-driven events that connect food, community, and purpose. From intimate pop-ups to large-scale activations, I focus on curating events that minimize waste, highlight local ingredients, and tell a meaningful story through food.

I’m most proud that I get to inspire others to see plant-based cuisine not as a limitation, but as an opportunity for innovation and connection. At Uncommon Fíl, I want readers to know that my work goes beyond recipes, it’s about transforming food into an experience that reflects creativity, sustainability, and conscious hospitality.

How do you think about luck?
There have definitely been moments where things didn’t go as planned, but I’ve learned that what feels like “bad luck” often ends up redirecting me toward something better. Honestly, much of my journey has been about having faith and being ready when doors opened and having the courage to walk through them.

There’s been “good luck” too, meeting the right people at the right time, finding mentors and supporters who believed in what I was building, and even the timing of the growing interest in plant-based dining.

For me, luck has been about alignment, trusting that even the detours and delays are part of the process, and believing that everything is working in my favor, even when it doesn’t look like it at first.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://uncommonfil.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncommonfil/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hampton-21973537/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Adventures_of_lo

Image Credits
Gina Sabatella Edgar, MKT BOX