Black-owned 'LesbiVeggies' café to serve healthy eating with side of inclusivity
AUDUBON, N.J. (WPVI) -- The smell of freshly-lit sage fills the room at LesbiVeggies urban café, where 23-year-old Brennah Lambert is putting the finishing touches on her first storefront.
"This business has always felt kind of natural to me," said Lambert. "And over time, the vision for LesbiVeggies has grown."
The idea sprouted from a meal-prep service that Lambert provided for friends and family. Customers can find her weekly menu on LesbiVeggies.com and place an order Mondays through Wednesdays. The prepared meals, which can be preserved and heated throughout the week, are delivered by Lambert each Sunday.
"Two years in, I kind of had the vision of ,okay I want to open up a space where people can come and enjoy my food fresh," she said.
The Lindenwold native's business is now turning over a new leaf. Starting next month, LesbiVeggies will open its doors as a café on Merchant Street in Audubon, New Jersey.
The vegan and gluten-free menu will include brunch and dinner options ranging from pancakes to burrito bowls. But Lambert is pouring her heart into more areas than just the menu.
"The environment that I'm creating in this space is the number one thing that I am proud of and that makes me happy and that I want people to experience," she said.
The cozy hole-in-the-wall is packed with sleek high-top and mid-level tables. Lambert decorated the walls with a powerful quote and artwork depicting black culture. Instead of a gendered bathroom sign, hers reads, "Whatever, just please wash your hands."
"It creates an environment of inclusivity, just because of the name of it," said Lambert about LesbiVeggies.
While Lambert is a graduate of Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, she did not study cooking there.
"I just know how to make stuff taste good," she said.
She hopes to use her platform to inspire youth to follow their passions even if it does not require a formal education.
In the future, Lambert aspires to make LesbiVeggies a franchise with multiple locations.
"It's gonna happen," she said. "You'll be back."
To learn more, visit their website and catch up with @LesbiVeggies on social media.
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