By Mattie Hurt

Staff Writer

    Winston-Salem is home to many delicious restaurants, ranging from different cultures and lifestyles. One that is commonly overlooked due to people narrowing their view to only seeing it as healthy is the Vegan/Vegetarian lifestyle. While many just see vegan or vegetarian items as options, there are entire restaurants and bakeries committed to providing only plant-based goods. When Winston-Salem’s local establishments decided to make the switch or advance to the plant-based lifestyle, they were able to open their business to a greater community, benefitting not only the people but also the environment.

   The owner of Gingerbread Man Bakery expressed her motivation for how her goal of opening the bakery came to be. She also expressed the changes she had undergone in life and how those had altered the ideas for the bakery.

    “I’ve loved the idea of owning a bakery since I was a little girl,” owner of Gingerbread Man Bakery Wade Lindsay said. “I decided later in life to become vegan, but becoming a vegan didn’t change any of my aspirations. I knew I wanted to have fun and open a lively bakery that just so happened to be vegan.”

    When opening Gingerbread Man Bakery, Lindsay didn’t want a bakery just for vegans, though. She tried to make a versatile experience for everyone, even those who aren’t part of the vegan lifestyle. Wade Lindsay had a mission to create a space where a community could be built for bonding over sweet treats.

    “I’m vegan, but I don’t like to push my lifestyle onto others,” Lindsay said. “I don’t want to look at it as non-vegan vs vegan in that way. We have gotten so much support and advice from other bakeries and people who work for bakeries, as well as from the public, who have contributed so much love and feedback to us.”

    Wade Lindsay expressed her love and care for the business and the hopes that the community around would enjoy it as much as she does. Her ambitions for this business truly reflect her as a person, with hopes of not only improving her business but also the world around her. 

    “I believe that when people make that decision to try a vegan product, they are helping improve the lives of animals and creating a safer environment for them,” Lindsay said. “We are very proud of what we make and want people to come to enjoy not only our flavors but to spread positivity in the community.”

    Gingerbread Man Bakery is not the only establishment with aspirations of introducing a lively plant-based lifestyle to the community. The Manager of Hot Dog City, Krystal Reed, didn’t initially set out to offer vegan and vegetarian options. Still, after observing the limited effort being put into the plant-based food options, they established a menu dedicated to these options.

    “We decided to offer vegan and vegetarian options when we realized that not enough local spots were meeting the demand for plant-based choices,” manager of Hot Dog City Krystal Reed said. “We wanted to change that by offering a wide range of flavorful and satisfying plant-based options.” 

    Hot Dog City not only had the Vegan and Vegetarian community in mind, along with Gingerbread Man Bakery, but they also wanted to offer menu items that help create a better environment for wildlife.

    “I do believe offering and choosing vegetarian and vegan food can help the environment in several ways,” Krystal Reed said. “It helps protect the land we walk on and the animals that come with it, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and water conservation, growing plants typically uses less water than raising animals.”

     When choosing places that provide nutritious food and help aid in the environment, you’re not just improving yourself; you’re also chipping in a little more to help preserve our planet and the natural beings that come with it. Places that offer Vegan and Vegetarian options are doing an excellent job of spreading the message of choosing places that use good ingredients, they don’t create any harm to the environment. When bonding with those who offer them, a community can be formed that values caring for people and their well-being, along with the environment.