The pandemic has made many people rethink their priorities and consider a different future and for Plymouth chef Zoe Reilly it was the catalyst to realise her dream of a café with a real social purpose.
Her café Veganish by Zoe opened its doors in Plymouth Market for the first time this week boasting a mouth-watering menu while at the same time helping tackle food poverty in Plymouth.
Involved in hospitality and catering since leaving school at 16, Zoe’s natural response to the first lockdown was to help feed people who were finding it hard to access healthy, affordable meals.
Getting involved first in Plymouth Labour’s Community Action Group then a number of voluntary and social enterprise endeavours, including the Plymouth Soup Run, the idea for Veganish began to take shape.
“My instinct is always to feed people,” explained Zoe. “So as well as doing the errands that needed doing during the first lockdown – prescription runs and shopping – I started to formulate how I could deliver meals that just needed heating and eating to people.”
Soon Zoe was being partially funded by Cliik to provide 180 meals/recipe bags a week as well as distributing a further 50 meals a week – which Zoe donated herself – through a number of organisations in the city including Hamoaze House, Onward House Community Centre and the Breakthrough Project.
“I also began to be supported by Real Ideas Organisation as part of a social enterprise scheme,” explained Zoe. The natural next step was a café and the city’s market was an obvious location.
“I was nervous about it but once I made the decision it all started falling into place quite quickly.”
All of the food Zoe prepares is vegan (hence “Veganish”) but Zoe is clear about her “no waste” values. “I won’t refuse food containing dairy if it’s been prepared for me,” she says, and the café offers what she describes as a “good, varied menu with a couple of real show stoppers”.
As well as cooking up a storm for paying customers Veganish will be providing 50 meals a week for members of the community signposted to the café by a number of voluntary organisations in the city.
“No one should be struggling to feed themselves in this day and age but while there is a need I’m really glad to be doing my part to provide nutritious meals,” said Zoe.
Cooking workshops and fine dining pop-ups – again with the support of Real Ideas – are also part of future plans and the café’s location means that Zoe can source all her fresh vegetables just seconds away from Joe Brown’s, a fellow stallholder in the market. Sustainability is also a key part of Zoe’s ethos and containers are recyclable and mostly compostable.
Designing the café itself has been a real labour of love – the past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity as the unit has been transformed to a welcoming space with the help of Zoe’s three daughters Darcy, Erin and Niamh and her partner Ross.
Supported by four volunteers – who will be trained to cook by Zoe in return for their time – the café welcomed its first customers and the reaction has been ‘incredible’ according to Zoe.
“Our first week has been fantastic, we’re really busy and it really is wonderful to see people enjoying your food.
“The attitude to vegan food has really changed in the past few years and I know there’s market for what I’m providing, from people who eat meat and those who don’t.”
In fact, Zoe says, there’s nothing like watching committed carnivores tucking into one of her kebabs for the first time.
“I love all of the menu, of course, but people tell me the kebabs are pretty special.”
Written by Jemima, photos by Laura Joint Freelance Writer
