Regional vegan restaurant house owners keep on being optimistic for an maximize in small business

AGAWAM, MA (WGGB/WSHM) — Many eating places through the coronavirus pandemic have struggled to remain afloat. But one Black-owned vegan cafe in Agawam stays optimistic, as the co-house owners are also the cooks and servers.

The thought for Flame on Vegan all commenced when a person of the co-proprietors wasn’t capable to uncover any sites to take in, so cooking vegan food items for himself turned into a restaurant enterprise for him and his companion.

“It is me and my parent, so it is two of us. We cook dinner, clean up, provide foods, [and] respond to the telephones. It’s certainly a battle for us. But you obtained to grind,” stated co-owner of Flame on Vegan Khesahn Reid.

Reid talks about what it can take to run a restaurant enterprise with only two folks. Proper now, they only do consider-out and smaller non-public events. The sort of people he is striving to attract to his restaurant is non-vegans.

“Soul food items, Caribbean, Spanish, Jamaican. What I am hoping to do is, I am targeting non-vegan eaters,” he explained.

Reid instructed Western Mass Information, his busiest times are soul food Sundays, when they make common soul meals vegan design and style.

“You nonetheless get your soul food items. You won’t even know the change. Like, say if I were to serve someone who never ate vegan ahead of and really don’t notify them it truly is vegan, and they take in some of that soul foodstuff Sunday. They likely to swear up and down to their mama it’s not vegan.”

Reid follows quite a few of Dr. Sebi’s methods of a vegan eating plan.

“I use all his seasonings,” he said. “I was alkaline for two a long time in advance of I crossed in excess of to vegan.”

Suitable now, at Flame on Vegan, the dining space is empty. But Reid hopes to have consumers taking in within just one day.

“When the pandemic goes down, [and] anything will get a minor safe and sound, I want to put some tables up in listed here,” he extra. “Some additional chairs and tables so folks can dine in.”

A purchaser explained to Western Mass News she hadn’t tried out vegan foodstuff right before heading there. She stated she couldn’t even convey to the variation between the vegan mac n’ cheese and common dairy mac n’ cheese.

If any individual is intrigued in going to the restaurant and making an attempt out some of the foods, Flame on Vegan is positioned on Walnut St. Ext. in Agawam.