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Silently vegan

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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Restaurants find success with customers by downplaying the v word

BY KELLI KENNEDY
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI When vegan bakery BabyCakes NYC recently opened a satellite shop in downtown Disney World, honesty wasnt a virtue. The shops teal signs touting their dairy- and egg- free treats proved too much for the mostly middle American, indulgent vacationers passing by. It was more of a repellant, said owner Erin McKenna. People were just walking away. Within a few days, the scary v word on the sign was made much smaller. And soon, unsuspecting walk- in customers were gushing over agave- sweetened vanilla cupcakes with lemon frosting and chocolate whoopie pies, unaware they were made sans eggs, milk and butter. McKenna took the same approach when she opened her New York bakery in 2005 letting the desserts, rather than the vegan message, speak for themselves. I didnt want people to automatically write us off and not come in, said McKenna, who also has a bakery in Los Angeles. I was confident the stuff I was making was good enough to compete with other stuff on the market. Celebrity vegans like Lea Michele and Alicia Silverstone might help boost the lifestyle as a sexy new food trend, but for many Americans veganism remains a turn- off, conjuring images of political zealots, hippie lentil loaves and hockey puck pastries. Its one reason vegan restaurants and bakeries are increasingly finding success by downplaying what they dont include on the menu. But vegan food also has evolved, with vegan cupcakes taking top prize on Food Networks Cupcake Wars and restaurants like Candle 79, an upscale New York vegan eatery, serving Moroccan spiced chickpea cake with red pepper- coconut curry and date- apricot- ginger chutney. It doesnt matter if the meatloaf or cake is vegan so long as it tastes amazing, said Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst for The NPD Group, a consumer marketing research

AP PHOTOS

Top: Lemon cupcakes are shown on display at the BabyCakes bakery in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Nov. 4. Above: Customers pick out cupcakes from a display case at the bakery. When vegan bakery BabyCakes NYC opened a satellite shop in downtown Disney World, honesty wasnt a virtue. The shops teal signs touting their dairy- and egg- free treats proved too much for the mostly middle American, indulgent vacationers passing by. Within a few days, the word vegan was made much smaller on its sign.
firm. Marketing a delicious cake or promoting that your restaurant offers the most diverse flavors will grow a business, not hocking them as vegan. When Ann Gentry opened Real Food Daily in Santa Monica, Calif., nearly 20 years ago, the menu advertised its offerings as organic vegetarian, even though everything they served actually was vegan. Vegetarians generally avoid meat, but will consume dairy and eggs. Nobody was using the word vegan, said Gentry. When she opened a second restaurant in West Hollywood five years later, the sign boldly showcased organic vegan cuisine. I came out and said it and really it didnt change anything, said Gentry, who is expanding to another location at Los Angeles International Airport and is refurbishing the West Hollywood storefront. Gentry is considering dropping the vegan tag because the restaurant name says it all and we have a

Karina Duran puts frosting on cupcakes at the BabyCakes bakery in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
reputation and we dont have to justify who we are. Most of who we serve are people that arent necessarily vegan or vegetarian. Theyre looking for really good healthy food in a great environment, she said. Recently, Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, stumbled upon a Las Vegas bakery with decadent- looking sweets in glass cases. But she assumed few, if any, of the options would be dairy- free. There was no sign that noted anything at all about the v word, said Newkirk, who happily discovered Please see Vegan, C2

what we love this week

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Choosing a turkey day dish S

o I received my Thanksgiving dish assignment Monday, and I was a little disappointed: cranberry sauce and an appetizer. The cranberry sauce, which will of course be made from fresh cranberries, isnt too bad, but its a little intimidating. Last week, I called my mother- in- law and asked for her recipe so I could make it for an office party, and she kind of had to make one up on the spot because, like me, she doesnt strictly adhere to recipes and had to try to recall what she actually does versus what she has written down. I think its a great sign of trust for her to ask me that recipe today its still being tested. And as for the appetizer, Im still trying to come up with the perfect thing. It should be something enjoyable but definitely on the lighter side, considering the hours of eating that will follow up the appetizer. Perhaps a veggie plate or a cheese plate with a fruit spread? Neither of these options requires much cooking, however, which is why Ive been reluctant to commit to anything yet. Then again, Thanksgiving is not the time to be a show-off, even if it is such a food-based holiday. Its really more about everyone coming together and sharing the work, the

PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAMS-SONOMA

WHERE TO FIND IT: Available at Williams-Sonoma for $10. Times staff

to bring her cranberry sauce, but its a lot of pressure, too. Plus when I made it last week it wasnt as good as I remember hers being, so I think I need to tweak it a little bit. So no sharing of

meal, and good conversation, and if I keep that in perspective, then putting together a cheese plate isnt so bad. In the meantime, here are two recipes using leftover turkey. The turkey soup recipe can be made a lot easier with storebought broth, and I like that you use two cups of leftover stuffing to make the dumplings. The second is a recipe for Monte Cristo sandwiches that kind of harkens to Christmas, using eggnog as its batter mixture. Eggnog is definitely in stores already and calling me with its siren song. Were supposed to Please see Dish, C5