PHOTO GALLERY: Sorella Natural Foods chef prepares vegan meals

December 10, 2012 | 6:00 a.m. CST

Shelly La Fata, owner of Sorella Natural Foods, prepares healthy snacks and meals in her home. La Fata teaches in-home culinary classes and has a catering service.

In this file photo from Nov. 5 taken at Shelly La Fata's home, turnip soup is prepared by La Fata, who is the chef and owner of Sorella Natural Foods. It is made of turnips and topped with cucumber sauce with slivers of dehydrated mushroom and carrots. | Jaime Henry-White

Shelly La Fata of Sorella Natural Foods prepares a plant-based dinner. La Fata teaches in-home culinary classes and has a catering service. She plans to eventually sell her products in Columbia stores. | Jaime Henry-White

Seed crackers are prepared by Shelly La Fata. They contain pumpkin, flax, chia, sesame and sunflowers seeds. La Fata doesn't eat wheat or flour. Instead, she makes her own version of bread. | Jaime Henry-White

Banana soft serve is prepared by La Fata of Sorella Natural Foods. It consists of frozen bananas with raisins and homemade granola, and it was later topped with cinnamon syrup. | Jaime Henry-White