Vegan Dessert Shops Are Sweetening the East Village Scene

Joan Moses walked into Lula’s Sweet Apothecary and ordered a $5.60 chocolate flurry with
candied pecans. “It’s easier to be vegan here than in any other city I’ve been in,” Moses, 19, said
as she scooped into her non-dairy ice cream. “Comparatively, it’s definitely more accessible —
you can walk around the East Village and see a ton of vegan places.”

She’s right. As more people give up animal-based foods, East Village bakeries are serving up
more vegan desserts. This is a step even beyond vegetarianism because it means no animals were
involved at all in serving up the sweet treats. This means no milk, butter or cheese from cows or
goats. No eggs from chickens. No lard from pigs.

For animal-free sweet treats, the range of options include the dessert menus at vegetarian
restaurants like Curly’s (328 East 14th St.) and Dirty Candy (430 East 90th St). And for bakeries, dessert and tea shops, popular choices include Babycakes NYC (248 Broome St.),
Lula’s Sweet Apothecary (516 E. 6th St.) and Whole Earth Bakery (130 St. Marks Pl.).

Babycakes NYC offers vegan kosher desserts that are free of sugar, gluten, wheat, soy, casein
and eggs. Babycakes is more than just a vegan dessert shop. The bakery’s décor is a whimsical
fantasy world of pastels, paper lanterns and frosting that aims to provide pleasure through
desserts made with agave nectar and coconut oil.

Babycakes, which also has a shop in Los Angeles, is expanding to the southern stretches of
Disney World. With a new contract to replace the McDonald’s branches in the theme park, the
bakery will be opening its third outpost in Orlando, Fl.

While vegan treats are trendy now, they’re not new to the neighborhood. In 1978, Peter Silvestri
and his mother opened Whole Earth Bakery on Spring Street with a vision for fresh, natural
healthy foods. They eventually moved their shop to the current location at 130 St. Marks Pl.

The store does not use any white or brown sugar. Instead it bakes with sweeteners such as agave
nectar and maple syrup. Silvestri’s most popular items are tofu cheesecake slices ($6.00), apple
mixed-berry cobbler ($4.50) and fresh apple turnovers ($3.50). In 2006, his mother died. But he
decided to carry on the business, adding, “She’s still the guiding light.”

Less than a five-minute walk away, Lula’s is a small vintage vegan ice cream parlor with very
little elbow room, but a big and powerful air conditioner. You can stay and eat, but only on three
barstools or a short bench outside.

Lula’s ice creams have a pleasant and unwavering consistency. All ice creams are made with a
soy, nut or coconut milk base. Some classic flavors like chocolate or vanilla are offered most
nights. But other flavors like lime, licorice, root beer and pistachio change from day-to-day.
Floats are made with independent and natural colas, seltzer or root beer. Malts, sundaes, cones,
and soft-serve are also all options at this small vegan paradise. (Pricing: $5.50 for a double scoop
and $3.75 for a single).

Even though vegan bakeries are selling a healthy image, how healthy the products are depends on both the ingredients and their preparation process.

“They won’t have dairy, butter, or lard but the question is what will they have? It’s hard to
generalize,” said Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health and Professor of Sociology at New York University, in an email. Nestle was also a member of the FDA Food Advisory Committee and Science Board.

It’s easy to see why vegan dessert shops would be so popular, according to Peter Jones, director at the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals at the University of Manitoba. While vegan desserts have “less saturated fat, probably less total fat [and] less cholesterol,” these products cost more and probably “do not taste that great,” Jones added.

But back in the East Village, vegans like Moses seem to be enjoying their delicious non-dairy ice
cream. “It’s also been so long since I’ve had normal dessert that I don’t totally remember what it
tastes like,” she said.