Vegan!  It is not a bad word.  I have a few friends that are vegan.  What does that actually mean?  In a nutshell, a vegan is a person who does not consume any animal products at all.  That means they do not eat or drink animal products and they also do not support articles of clothing or other products made from animals.

I am not a vegan, and as I don’t cast aspersions on my friends that are, they don’t on me.

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As I learn from my friends, finding outlets to support their veganism choices is challenging, but thankfully not so much as it used to be.  Still, one of those challenges is when it comes to food.

Ordering out is not an easy thing to do.  Many restaurants don’t offer vegan options.  Then there are desserts.  Just because you are vegan doesn’t mean you can’t spoil yourself with something sweet and delicious.

I am not surprised to find there are many bakeries at the Jersey Shore that support veganism.  Even if some are not strictly vegan establishments some offer vegan options.

One particular vegan-friendly bakery is (or should I say "was") Seed to Sprout in Ocean Township.

Look at these amazing desserts....

21 Delicious Vegan Choices At Seed To Sprout

Yeah, owners Cara Pescatore and Alex Mazzucca were forced to close Seed to Sprout bakery last month.  The well-known local proprietors in the vegan scene, who also own the 2 Seed to Sprout restaurants in Fair Haven and Avon, were forced to close their bakery due to many obstacles over the past year.

They told Asbury Park Press...

"Labor has been a huge challenge for us at all our locations over the past year, given many people's concerns about working in food service during COVID and their ability to receive enhanced unemployment payments. Just like the hiring process has been challenging, we are also dealing with staff having more burnout than ever, as they are often taking on the workload of multiple people and are having their own anxiety and mental health struggles.”

The two also realized that their “dine-in” business model was not working out in their Fair Haven location...

“So, the perfect option for us felt like consolidating the two locations."

The restaurant then pivoted from dine-in to curbside take-out.  Renovations included removing tables to make room for the new takeout counter. Display space was also dedicated to selling their vegan baked goods..

"It became almost impossible to manage all locations without compromising quality or growth.”

By October, they hope to operate the Fair Haven location by also offering those vegan baked goods customers came to love in their ocean township bakery.

Mazzucca says...

"We are slowly incorporating things from the bakery into this space.”

SPREAD the word!

For those of you NOT vegan...

The most HEAVENLY bakeries at the Jersey Shore

18 Beloved New Jersey Bakeries that Are Too Sweet Not to Try

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