CT State Community College Middlesex introduces a new dining service at its Middletown campus—SoulFully Vegan—owned by 2017 graduate Allison Vaughan and husband Calvin. Middlesex will become one of the only college campuses in the country with an exclusively vegan food service. The grand opening takes place on October 13 beginning at 8 a.m. in the Founders Hall cafeteria. SoulFully Vegan at CT State Middlesex will operate Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“We are excited to welcome Allison and SoulFully Vegan back to the Middlesex family. We are proud of all she has gone on to accomplish and honored to move into this partnership with her as an alumna, local business owner and successful entrepreneur,” said Joshua Moon-Johnson, Ph.D., CT State Middlesex campus president. “An all-vegan dining option at CT State Middlesex aligns with our goals and values. We are excited to reinforce our commitment to environmental sustainability, cultural inclusion of various diets, and promote health and wellness for our students, employees and community members. I can’t wait to eat Soulfully Vegan on a regular basis from our campus.”
Allison Vaughan built a growing business by taking deliberate steps forward. Her career began in health care and has come full circle as her company, SoulFully Vegan, prepares to become the official food service provider for the college campus where she earned her degree.
In 2006, Allison graduated from Middletown High School and now lives in New Britain. While working in a doctor’s office, she was accepted into the physician's assistant program at St. John’s University in Queens. However, before she started the program, she found out she was expecting a baby. Instead, she got a job at a hospital.
Allison continued working in hospital administration and health care, but over time realized that to advance her career, she needed additional certifications. Being from Middletown, Allison was already familiar with Middlesex. She enrolled part-time while working and graduated in May 2017 with an associate degree in general studies.
Education was always important to her, and she considers herself an aggressive learner. She’s also grateful that college was affordable.
“The fact that I could graduate with no debt was huge,” she said.
During her time at Middlesex, Allison participated in the health administration internship program, which gave her valuable hands-on experience.
“The staff at Middlesex is always phenomenal. It’s a testimony to what a community college can and should be,” said Allison.
After graduating, Allison worked full-time at Trinity Health, negotiating contracts, and by then had been married to her husband, Calvin, for several years.
In 2018, Calvin was diagnosed with high cholesterol and placed on medication, but the following year, he decided to change his diet and become a vegan for 60 days to see what would happen. Seeing how well his cholesterol improved, he’s stayed on the diet ever since.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, work slowed down, and with her family expanding, Allison left her job to focus on caring and cooking for her family. While Calvin was working on losing weight, she experimented with new ways to prepare healthy meals. This worked for breakfast and lunch at home, but not so much when going out.
“Post pandemic is when it hit us like a ton of bricks that vegan options didn’t really exist out in the world. There were never any food options for us when we’d be out. That was a major problem for us,” Allison maintained.
Cooking at home quickly became more than a necessity; it became a passion. She developed recipes, including vegan dishes, to meet her husband’s dietary needs. Even when she was later offered opportunities to return to her former career, Allison, who describes herself as a people person, felt ready to start something new alongside her husband.
The couple bought a food truck with the original idea of offering healthy items like smoothies and fish. But as they developed their menu, they realized customers wanted quick, handheld foods that didn’t compromise on flavor. Allison also saw a gap in the market for vegan soul food and wanted to redefine the dining experience.
In May 2021, with funding from savings, family contributions and other sources, they debuted SoulFully Vegan on the Middletown green.
The business took off faster than expected. In 2022, they added a second truck to serve customers at the Big E in Springfield, Mass., New England’s biggest fair. By 2023, they opened their first restaurant in nearby Berlin, Conn., with a second location now under construction in New Haven.
In 2025, SoulFully Vegan was the winner of the Big Eats Awards, sponsored by Cutco Cutlery, in the Best Sweet category.
This fall, SoulFully Vegan is taking another major step by becoming the official food service provider for CT State Middlesex, making it one of the only exclusively vegan college campuses in the country.
“Eating healthy is important for anybody. My husband lost 40 lbs. just by changing to a vegan diet,” Allison said.
She explained that people become vegan for different reasons—some to avoid consuming the hormones and cholesterol from animal products, others out of concern for animal welfare. However, many are hesitant to try vegan food because they assume it won’t taste good. Allison addresses that by creating her own recipes where flavor comes first.
The lunch menu at Middlesex will feature familiar dishes with taste as the top priority and the vegan aspect second. SoulFully Vegan now employs 11 people, two of whom will work full-time on the Middletown campus. Allison’s daughter, Allaysia, who is a Tunxis student, will help out part-time and continue the family’s connection to CT State.
As a graduate herself, Allison has advice for today’s students:
“Take one class at a time,” she said.
Her own experience of starting small, gaining skills and building on each step shaped the success she enjoys today.