A Return to His Roots
/Will Edmond, Author of Vegan Street Eats, Lives and Hosts “Glampers” on His Family’s Douglassville Land
Article by Ellen Orr Photos by Shane Darby
Cookbook author and content creator Will Edmond was born and raised in Douglassville, Texas, on property that has been in his family for generations.
“The land was passed down from my great-great-grandmother,” he said. “Everybody lived on the same six acres. My great-grandmother had a philosophy of family taking care of each other, and of building community.”
Throughout his childhood, community values fed Will’s soul, and fresh, home-cooked meals fed his body.
“I grew up cooking turnip greens and hot-water cornbread and fried chicken and ribs and all the stuff that we eat here in East Texas, right?” he said. “I grew up with family who loved cooking, so I was always around good food. And there aren’t any restaurants in Douglassville, so everybody cooked and honed their cooking skills. I’ve been cooking since I was six years old.”
“That’s why I came home. I felt there was a need to go back to my grandmother’s roots.”
Will, who graduated from Atlanta High School in 2003, attended UT Tyler and studied public relations and advertising. Afterward, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he thought he was beginning a long-term career in Corporate America. After a few layoffs, however, he decided to reclaim his agency through self-employment. He worked in the entertainment industry and concurrently poured hours into his travel-vlog YouTube channel, which he launched in 2017. When the COVID-19 pandemic halted his jetsetting in early 2020, he pivoted to making cooking videos.
“I decided to do something like what my grandma would do at a time like this, and that would be to pull out the pots and pans,” he said. Will, who had then been a vegan for three years, started creating videos showcasing veganized recipes.
In June of 2020, a TikTok video he’d posted of a vegan southern-fried oyster mushroom sandwich (reminiscent of a fried chicken sandwich) went viral. After BuzzFeed shared the video in an article, Will’s short-form piece amassed 33 million views. Across his content-sharing platforms, his follower count skyrocketed to over 500,000 people.
With a robust following, Will was now able to partner with companies such as Walmart, Fitbit, T-Mobile, and Vitamix. He also worked with the Georgia Tourism Board, an opportunity that allowed him to travel to Ellijay, Georgia, where he stayed in a geodesic dome and documented the experience.
“[My host] had goats and chickens and ducks just roaming around out there, and I was like, ‘Oh wow, I could definitely do this—being in nature, being in the country, and just being at peace,’” Will recalled. A seed had been planted. As it took root, Will continued working as a content creator.
One day, in 2022, Will checked his email to find a message from a book publisher. They wanted him to write a cookbook. “To have my own book was always the dream,” Will shared, “so I said yes.” After his manager facilitated the deal and he had received his advance, he began developing his first book: Vegan Street Eats: The Best Plant-Based Versions of Burgers, Wings, Tacos, Gyros and More.
All the while, the piney woods of East Texas were beckoning. So, two years after his Ellijay stay, Will left Georgia and returned to his family’s land in Douglassville, along with his business partner and life partner (and now-husband), Austyn Rich. The couple was intent on revitalizing the property, which had become overrun as its caretakers had gotten older, died, and moved away. They knew they wanted to homestead—to grow their own food and live off of the land—and they knew how they were going to fund it: glamping.
“A lot of people want to get out into the country and to experience nature,” Will said. “And a lot of people haven’t ever been east of Dallas, you know? But when they come out here to East Texas, they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s so green. There’re so many trees. You can see the stars at night.’ That’s what inspired me [to offer short-term stays on the homestead].”
Will and Austyn got to work fixing up the property and building their glamping grounds. They now have six stays available: three geodesic domes, one standard tiny house, one Japanese-influenced tiny house, and a luxurious safari-themed tent.
The short-term rentals are fun for Will, who is naturally inclined toward hospitality; one might say that hosting is in his blood.
“I remember my grandmother was always cooking, and people—cousins, aunts, uncles—would stop by in the morning to get breakfast on the weekends,” he said. “She always [fostered] a sense of community.”
But Will’s true, abiding motivation for running the vacation-rental business is to sustain a healthy, happy, wholesome life of homesteading on his family’s land in Cass County. As a vegan, he is especially passionate about growing fruits and vegetables—following in the footsteps of his mother, father, and grandparents, all of whom keep or kept robust gardens. Will and Austyn are literally reaping the benefits of what these forebearers sowed.
“My great-grandfather had planted some pecan, walnut, and persimmon trees that are still standing,” Will said. “So we added a couple of apple and peach trees and started growing grapes. As for gardening, we do a lot of herbs. And, this summer, we had watermelon, cucumbers, squash, okra, and greens. My dad, who lives about a mile from me, grew a lot of peas and tomatoes. We’re going to be building some raised beds this fall so we can grow even more vegetables in the future. We’re thinking about growing microgreens as well for the nutritional benefits.”
Though the word “homesteading” may evoke images of isolationists and homebodies for some, Will and Austyn are looking forward to more global travels in their future. “I’m a nomad,” Will said. “I love being here [at the homestead] and [experiencing] the peace and tranquility, but I would love to, you know, go to Costa Rica and live in the jungle for two months, enjoy all the Costa Rican food, and then come back here. That’s my ultimate goal.”
As any avid traveler knows, the world is full of vibrant, interesting, delicious places, but there really is no place like home—and, according to Will, this is especially true for East Texans.
“When people visit our homestead, they’re like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know this place was so beautiful. There are so many trees, and people are nice and friendly,’” he said. “That’s the East Texas I’ve always known. This land has been in our family for over 100 years, and I plan to keep it in our family and pass it on whenever I’m gone—maybe to my nephew, or some day, if I have kids, to them.
“That’s why I came home,” he continued. “I felt there was a need to go back to my grandmother’s roots.”
Vegan Street Eats, which was published in August of this year, can be purchased through Amazon, Target, Walmart, and other major booksellers. Additionally, Will and Austyn’s picturesque vacation rentals are available to book through Airbnb and glampingremote.com.