Life Alive in Cambridge, MA
When I first went vegan, I fantasized about opening a plant-based café. I even dragged my husband all over Southern Orange County looking for the perfect location for my restaurant.
When I got serious about the idea, I contacted the owner of Life Alive, my favorite vegan restaurant in Boston, to chat with her about restaurant ownership. She invited me to spend some time working in her kitchen and off I went. My time in the Life Alive kitchen, however; squashed my café dreams. Restaurant ownership was hard!
That was awhile ago, and I thought my café dreams were over, but I’m thinking about it again.
Here’s how it happened…
Yesterday I made my first vegan cheese, An Unrefined Vegan’s Cashew Coconut Cream Cheese. The stuff was amazing, better than dairy cream cheese for sure. And it’s a cinch to make. Just whip the ingredients and let it set in the fridge.
This got me thinking about how easy it would be for bagel shops to add vegan schmears to their offerings. Since we live in an omnivore world, however; I assumed few bagel bakeries would bother. This bummed me out.
Then I thought, maybe I should open a vegan bagel bakery. I could sell healthier bagels made from sprouted whole grains and a variety of nut-based schmears. I could even make healthier versions of espresso drinks like vegan mochas sweetened with dates.
Oh no, here I go again!
Photo courtesy of Carrots ‘N’ Cake.
