DJ Tigerlily has us hooked on this futuristic plant-based burger made with Future Farms TVNA.
Soul Burger has dropped a new vegan burger just in time for World Vegan World Day on November 1st. That’s today! So wipe the last remains of your ghostly or ghoulish Halloween-inspired make-up from your face, and get to a burger joint near you.
To celebrate the greenest day of the year, and for the whole month of November, plant-based burger chain Soul Burger has released the fish-tastic vegan burger ‘DJ TVNALILY’. Made with a little help from international food tech company Future Farms TVNA, which mimics the taste and texture of real tuna, and inspired by Sydney-based DJ Tigerlily who is known for her colourful wigs and outspoken animal rights activism, the burger is as picture-worthy as its muse.
We caught up with Dara Lawson aka DJ Tigerlily to talk shop, and about how it feels to be the inspiration behind one of the most picturesque burgers on the planet.
For the devoted vegan and animal rights activist the opportunity to collaborate with Future Farm and Soul Burger was a no-brainer.“I went vegan over six years ago for three main reasons: my health, my love for animals and the environment. This burger blends some of my most important values, not to mention it tastes just like real tuna which is so cool. I’m so excited for everyone to try the DJ TVNALILY!”
The DJ TVNALILY burger is swimming into Soul Burger stores on Tuesday, 1 November. Head into a Soul Burger store in Glebe, Newtown, Randwick or Parramatta to get your hands on the fish-tastic DJ TVNALILY burger throughout the month of November to feel good about eating clean and cleaning up our oceans, all in one bite!
HAPPY: What are you up to today?
DJ TIGERLILY: I like to try and enjoy a relatively slow morning if I know I have a busy work day/evening. So this morning looks like taking my dog for a long walk, eating breakfast in the sunshine (go Sydney!) and then getting ready for my day. I’m shooting a really fun campaign today and then have some meetings this afternoon. Going to finish the day off with another dog walk with a friend and poke bowls in the park.
HAPPY: Tell us about your suburb, what do you love/not love about where you live?
DJ TIGERLILY: We’re currently living in a suburb in Sydney’s northern beaches that is surrounded by bush and wildlife. There are so many amazing things about where we live; we have daily encounters with kangaroos, wallabies, goannas, all different types of birds including lyre birds and peacocks… but it also means we have regular encounters with some not so welcome guests… snakes, lizards, ticks and leaches!
HAPPY: Describe your average work day.
DJ TIGERLILY: Being a DJ it really changes every day of the week. Friday to Sunday are my busiest time with lots of travel, long delays, and late nights in clubs and hotels! Mid-week might look like meetings and calls with my agents, working on music, shooting social media content and planning future gigs. During the week I really try and take a couple of days off, or at least take some ‘me’ time every day to balance the craziness of the weekends.
HAPPY: What about your ultimate day?
DJ TIGERLILY: Phone off! Sleep in! Time with my husband and our dog spent in the park or by the pool. Eating good food and relaxing.
HAPPY: What did you read or watch growing up that fuelled your passion for music?
DJ TIGERLILY: My parents always listened to lots of different music growing up and the encouraged us to listen to what we liked. I remember spending hours with my sisters listening to the radio and recording our favourite songs onto tapes. My parents also put us into music school from a very young age where we learnt to play piano, sing, read and write music! As much as I’m sure I dreaded lessons, learning to love and play music was an incredible gift my parents gave to me and I’m forever grateful for that.
HAPPY: What did you read or watch last that opened your eyes and mind to a new perspective?
DJ TIGERLILY: I’ve been reading a book at the moment called War On The West. I picked it up at the airport having no idea what it was about and have been shocked reading it as it’s almost the opposite of what I thought it would be about. Either way, I’m finding reading something different really interesting, as well as understanding different perspectives and ideas.
HAPPY: Any top tips for how you maintain a healthy plant-based lifestyle?
DJ TIGERLILY: I’ve always eaten relatively healthy foods (thanks to my parents for setting a good example for me as a young kid), however, I think the best way to maintain a balanced plant-based life is to not deprive yourself of your soul food cravings. I’d recommend people learning to veganise traditionally nonvegan recipes in order to not only expand their cooking ability in the kitchen but also to eat flavours and textures that they love and are familiar with.
HAPPY: How did the collab between yourself, Future Farm, and Soul Burger come about? It’s pretty amazing to be a part of such an amazing collab to help create the DJ TVNALILY Burger.
DJ TIGERLILY: This collab came about quite organically. Someone from Future Farm, who I had worked with in the past, floated the idea of making a burger named after me for World Vegan Month. So naturally, we all jumped at the idea and put the wheels in motion to get something over the line to launch on World Vegan Day. Future Farm and Soul Burger are changing the game when it comes to vegan food, so it’s really exciting to be working with both brands.
HAPPY: How is the DJ TVNALILY Burger helping to clean up our oceans?
DJ TIGERLILY: The burger is helping clean up our oceans in two different ways. Firstly, a percentage of the profits made from the burger will be donated to Tangaroa Blue Foundation. They are an Australia-wide not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the removal and prevention of marine debris. By choosing the DJ TNVALILY burger over its non-vegan counterparts, you are making an environmentally conscious decision by choosing to reduce the waste entering our oceans. How? More than 100 million pounds of plastic enter the oceans from industrial fishing gear alone. At this rate, it is predicted that by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean.
HAPPY: You have been vegan for over 6 years now, why did you decide to go vegan?
DJ TIGERLILY: I initially decided to go vegan for health reasons – I was struggling with stomach issues and was ready to try anything to get better. It wasn’t an instant change from being sick to being well, but month by month as I learned how to eat and filled my diet with whole foods I noticed changes in my mind and body. I’ve never felt better and am incredibly grateful that I’m able to eat a plant-based vegan diet. Now, the main reason I continue to stay vegan is for the animals. I can’t understand why (especially when there are so many amazing options out there) you would sacrifice the life of an animal for your meal.
HAPPY: What makes you happy?
DJ TIGERLILY: Eating good vegan food in the company of my nearest and dearest.
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Putting their money where their mouth is, Future Farm and Soul Burger will donate a percentage of the profits made from the burger to Tangaroa Blue Foundation, an Australia-wide not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the removal and prevention of marine debris.
FutureFarm is changing the way people eat meat around the world, to ensure a better future for people, animals and the entire ecosystem of planet earth, the vegan company won the Fast Company 2020 World Changing Award, which is given to companies and organisations driving change in the world. Future Farm is committed to keeping a smaller carbon footprint, and bringing together soy producers, retailers and processors, as well as banks and social organisations, in order to encourage responsible soy cultivation worldwide.
Soul Burger is a fully vegan burger chain located across New South Wales, including stores in
- Glebe Store Address: 111 Glebe Point Road, Glebe NSW 2037
- Newtown Store Address: 190 King Street, Newtown NSW 4350
- Randwick Store Address: 49 Perouse Road, Randwick NSW 2031
- Parramatta Store Address: 3/6 Hassall Street, Parramatta NSW 2150
Profits from the sale of the DJ TVNALILY burger will be donated to Tangaroa Blue Foundation.
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