The Food Diplomat

Diplomacy has become second nature to Wendy Da’Cruz ’12/M.A./M.P.A. ’15 in all facets of her career: as entrepreneur, consultant and mentor.

So has versatility: Da’Cruz, who has Seton Hall graduate degrees in diplomacy and international relations as well as public administration, worked as a consultant for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in addition to launching two businesses. (She studied creative writing and business administration as an undergraduate.)

Da’Cruz earned the nickname “The Digital Diplomat” in 2016 as cofounder of the Virtual Global Consultant (VGC) Group, working to promote the use of technology to drive economic development. VGC helps clients worldwide adopt digital processes to find new revenue.

Later, in 2020, she took on the role of food innovator, when she and her husband, Dominique, started a food business after Wendy took a trip to Malawi, where she was served a chickpea meatball.

That culinary experience led her to investigate and develop alternative meat products through Mushroom Angel.

The company produces whole foods — like burgers made from mushrooms — and was created partly to develop better eating habits for herself and her family and to respond to the scarcity of fresh food in Detroit, where her family now resides.

Mushroom Angel’s mission, Da’Cruz says, is to provide impact locally and build globally; the firm contributes to economic development and job creation in the Detroit area.

“When I think about the Mushroom Angel Company, I think about food diplomacy. Everything for me comes down to diplomacy,” she says.

Da’Cruz says her faith came into play when she and her husband moved their family to Detroit to start a new life, and then when they started Mushroom Angel. “It took us four years to really understand why we believe God brought us to Michigan,” she says.

Although her path to success has provided plenty of twists and turns, Da’Cruz credits Seton Hall for her years of personal and professional development. While working as a graduate assistant in Public Relations and Marketing, Da’Cruz discovered how to be an effective communicator, and she says the lessons she learned in the classroom are still important in her business career today.

She notes that her mentors allowed her to grow both academically and personally, adding value and providing advantages to her as both a business owner and a mother.

Looking to the future, she is in a doctoral program at the University of Michigan, and hopes to pursue another venture, training corporate presidents and CEOs in global leadership.

“I want to leave this world empty of every gift that God has given me.”