Fueled by a continuation of family traditions, creative discoveries made in someone’s home kitchen and more, the region’s local market and vendor scene is flourishing. Included on the impressive lineup of neighborhood artisans who churn out products that fulfill residents’ deepest cravings — everything from fancy popcorn and cold-brew coffee to ginger beer and gourmet pot pies — is the vegan realm of locally made eats.
We’ve already provided you with a list of vegan and vegan-mindful restaurants, so here are three mobile purveyors of vegan deliciousness to follow from event to event.
Old Earth. A family-owned business started in 2014, Old Earth serves up gluten-free and raw vegan tastes made with organic, non-GMO ingredients. ("Raw" means that if heat is applied to the grub, the temperature is 110 degrees or less.) While Old Earth creates items like caraway bread, onion wraps and zucchini walnut flatbread, its offerings are dehydrated rather than baked, making them denser than traditional breads. The vendor often appears at area markets — St. Pete Beach’s Corey Avenue Sunday Market and the Dunedin Downtown Market included — but check its Facebook page for the latest updates.
Ray’s Vegan Soul. With a tagline of “food made with organic love,” Ray Milton, who formerly operated St. Petersburg’s Sugar Rays Bakery, cooks up tasty vegan cuisine for Tampa Bay with this crowd-pleasing operation. To get a sense of Milton’s versatility (and the possibilities of vegan food), look no further than a recent menu that showcased mac ‘n’ cheese, pumpkin chili and mung bean stew alongside roasted jerk sweet potatoes and peach brandy cobbler. Hungry locals can find Ray’s Vegan Soul at special events and locales like Geraldson Community Farm in Bradenton and St. Pete’s The Bends and Lake Vista Park. Stay in-the-know via Facebook.
Vegg’d Out Vegan Kitchen. Crowbar is among the venues that have hosted this thoughtful, Westchase-based vegan food slinger, which also put on Ybor City’s inaugural Bettersweetz: Vegan Dessert Fest a few months ago. Around for nearly two years, the Vegg’d Out Vegan Kitchen incorporates organic fruits, veggies, herbs and spices into its cooking, plus offers prepaid meal plans to patrons. Complementing its Nattiez Pattiez (the vegan variations of a Hot Pocket), chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes and other tempting fare, Vegg’d Out gets involved with the community through cooking classes, talks about healthy living and more.
