She spent 25 years as a Director of Engineering in tech. Then chronic illness nearly took her out -- and a plant-based diet changed everything. Kelley-Sue LeBlanc didn't just get better. She built The Sleazy Vegan, one of New Hampshire's most recognized food businesses, four years running.

In this episode, Carol sits down with KSL -- as she's known -- to talk about the real origin story behind The Sleazy Vegan: the years of chronic pain, the desperation that led to a plant-based diet, and the moment she laughed herself to tears over a business name that made her daughter cringe. They get into what it means to run a vegan business that actually welcomes everyone (85% of customers aren't vegan), why "better is better" is the philosophy that drives everything, the $80k-to-$150k food truck disaster that led to a ghost kitchen pivot, the Pembroke City Limits chapter, and why she's now setting her sights on national events in 2026.

📍 The Sleazy Vegan Cafe -- 205 N. State Street, Concord, NH
Open: Thu-Sat 8am-8pm | Sun 9am-3pm
🔗 thesleazyvegan.com

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ABOUT BEYOND THE PLATE WITH CAROL
Carol Erickson, owner of Red Arrow Diner since 1987, sits down with the people behind New Hampshire's food and hospitality scene. It's not just about the food -- it's about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond.

Find us everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH
Follow Carol on Instagram: @carolsew24 

This episode is powered by Red Arrow Diner. All four locations open around the clock -- Manchester, Nashua, Concord, and Londonderry. Whether it's pancakes at 2am or fries and gravy for breakfast, Red Arrow has your cravings covered. New Hampshire's favorite 24-hour diner tradition. redarrowdiner.com
📍 Red Arrow Diner -- 4 NH locations, open 24/7
🔗 redarrowdiner.com
Follow Red Arrow: @redarrow24diner | Red Arrow Diner on Facebook

TIMESTAMPS
• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:29 - 25 years in tech -- then what?
• 1:53 - "Once you do something that makes you afraid for your life, you aren't afraid of anything anymore"
• 3:04 - The chronic pain years -- reading the New England Medical Journal for answers
• 3:26 - Going keto for 100 days (her Apple Watch said she might die)
• 4:04 - The last resort: going fully plant-based
• 6:42 - Learning to cook plant-based -- and why plants are never the same experience twice
• 9:07 - The Happy Pear brothers from Ireland and the cooking classes that changed everything
• 11:17 - The one grocery trip = five completely different meals system explained
• 14:09 - "Diversity is strength. It is resilience."
• 15:23 - Two weeks in and already feeling better 😂
• 17:11 - The business name origin -- and why her daughter was mortified
• 20:37 - Wearing Italian boots to an upscale vegan restaurant (and what happened)
• 21:19 - Why "Sleazy" was the perfect response
• 22:52 - "Having any kind of judgment or shame associated to it is just not happening on my watch"
• 23:04 - "Better is better" -- the perfectly imperfect philosophy
• 25:45 - Launching the LLC in 2021 -- and the ghost kitchen that wasn't on purpose
• 26:19 - The food truck that went from $80k to $150k overnight (supply chain chaos)
• 29:17 - Aggie hits the road -- and Pembroke City Limits comes into the picture
• 31:49 - Conquering the skeptics at Pembroke: "On the third bite they're looking at you like you're a witch"
• 33:22 - Losing the kitchen space and the bar partnership at the same time
• 35:14 - Finding State Street Kitchen -- and opening the Concord Cafe
• 37:01 - "I'd love to work myself out of the Concord spot so Traf and I can test drive this brand outside of New Hampshire"
• 37:14 - They sold Aggie 😢
• 38:04 - What drives the constant menu creation: "Give me the celery problem"
• 38:29 - The six-course seated dinners -- "Vegans of 20 years eating something they'd never had"
• 40:18 - Local sourcing: standing up against Big Agra, one seasonal ingredient at a time
• 42:00 - "Food as Medicine: Secrets and Lies" -- the monthly wellness series
• 44:44 - Four years of awards -- and why it still makes her blush
• 45:38 - "Cooking is where you share your heart"
• 47:05 - 85% of customers aren't vegan -- and that's by design
• 50:36 - Walk us through the front door of The Sleazy Vegan
• 52:30 - Secret vegan catering: "You don't have to tell anybody"
• 53:50 - This Sunday's menu: berry berry French toast and eggplant steak
• 54:39 - Lightning Round ⚡
• 57:46 - "Relief. That's really all we're looking for."
• 58:34 - Closing: "I'm doing the black diamond here in New Hampshire"