FOLEY — Flaky buttery croissants, celebration cakes and macarons are items you would expect to see in a top-notch bakery. What if they were all vegan and you couldn't even tell?
Soon, …
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Soon, those passing through, visiting and residing in Foley will enjoy those treats and more at Black Cat Vegan Bakery.
If the word vegan has you scratching your chin, that's OK. Owner, baker and recipe creator Lindsey Sholes enjoys surprising people with her bakes.
Sholes grew up in Mobile and has always been creative. She loves to cook, has a background in art and once considered herself a hobby baker. She dabbled with being a vegetarian in high school and vegan in her 20s, but it wasn't until her first child was diagnosed at the age of 2 with dairy, egg and gluten allergies that she started experimenting.
"I started really kind of cooking and baking to cater to her and her needs," Sholes said. "But I had friends with kids that had allergies ask if I could do something, and I would say I could try. I started doing that and baking for different people. Then the word just got out."
Anyone familiar with baking can understand the difficulty of making something delicious without traditional ingredients like butter, eggs and gluten. Sholes started with some passable recipes but felt there was room for improvement. For the past eight years, Sholes has worked, experimented and developed recipes that create a product she can be proud of and that customers flock to enjoy.
Making people happy with her treats is great, but making a child's birthday special takes the cake. Think back on your childhood and the birthday cakes, cupcakes and cookies that marked special occasions. For many children with allergies, their choices are limited. Sholes recounted a doughnut birthday cake she made for a friend's daughter.
"My best friend's kids have never had doughnut. She was turning 6, and that was all she wanted for her birthday," Sholes said. "I made her a doughnut cake and surprised her. We were all in tears. It was the sweetest thing that I've ever seen."
While many parents will bring an allergy-friendly treat like a rice crispy treat for their child, it's hard when everyone else at the party is eating cake. Sholes has worked hard to create recipes the entire family can enjoy.
"I spent a lot of time with a lot of bad recipes. I'm so stubborn, and I didn't want to settle for okay," Sholes said. "I wanted something everyone could enjoy."
Soon, Sholes's hobby turned into a job. Her dining room turned into a baking kitchen, and she started selling to local shops and filling custom orders. The business, Lindsey Bakes, and her following grew. She was on the verge of opening a bakery in Mobile but had to back out to focus on her youngest child after a cancer diagnosis. She paused the baking until her son was well and eased back in by getting her treats into some Mobile coffee shops.
It was through her placement in Mobile that caught the attention of Foley's Alex Warner. Soon, Sholes was delivering to Bagel Boy. After leaving Bagel Boy, Warner showed her where he's been working to open his next concept, Cheeseburger Randy's, in Foley and mentioned the front, windowed space of the building would be ideal for her bakery.
Sholes and her family moved to Foley this summer. Those who have driven past the imminent Cheeseburger Randy's in the last month may have noticed the large mixer, pink door and display tables in the front windows.
As soon as the building passes final inspection and gets the certificate of occupancy, Black Cat Vegan Bakery will begin turning out tasty treats and freshly baked bread. Sholes plans to offer a bi-weekly rotating menu. Customers will be able to look through the windows to see what is on offer and order through a window. The covered patio space will serve both Black Cat Vegan Bakery and Cheeseburger Randy's.
When asked what she is looking forward to most, Sholes quickly replied, "Having fresh croissants every morning, having a storefront in general and getting to talk to the public every day."
