North/South (Odd) | Veggin' Out And About

Home » North/South (Odd)

Smell The Bread Café, A Newcomer To The Plant-Based Scene in Sarasota, FL!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Sep 22, 2013 in American, I-75, Organic and/or Non-GMO, Sarasota, FL, Smell The Bread Café (Non-GMO) | 0 comments

By Stacy Perry

Located about 3 miles off I-75 on Clark Road, Smell the Bread walks the talk! This cozy place is committed to environmental and ethical stewardship, from their GMO-free pledge to their locally-sourced coffee roaster; and yes, the coffee is fair-trade and organic. They offer several vegan sandwiches (served on bread made in-house), a daily vegan feature Monday through Friday, and vegan salads with house-made dressings. If you’re traveling with a meat eater, Smell the Bread also offers a handful of items in which certified humane-raised chicken is the focus; this can also be added to any salad for an additional cost.

Smell The Bread, Exterior

When I was there last, I ordered the Harvest Roast Panini and my dining companion ordered the vegan feature of the day, the Meatball Sandwich with homemade ricotta and pesto. Their six regular plant-based sandwiches range from $7.95 to $8.95, their daily vegan specials are $8.50.

Harvest Roast Panini

(more…)

We are sorry to report that Uncanny Kitchen is now closed for business. Uncanny Kitchen – Southwest Virginia’s Most Socially Responsible Restaurant!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Aug 10, 2013 in Abingdon, VA, American, Features, I-81, Living Plant-Strong! Profiles & Articles | 5 comments

by Danielle Bussone

Not the tiniest detail was overlooked in creating Uncanny Kitchen, hands-down the most socially responsible restaurant in the region. It just doesn’t get much better than this!

The secret to the appeal of Uncanny Kitchen is in the partnership between owner David Basinger and his girlfriend of three years, Lisa Sykes. If David is the chef and the creative culinary mind behind Uncanny Kitchen, Lisa is its social conscience and marketing force. Aside from their talents, experience and market savvy, these two are a couple of seriously nice people!

David with freshly baked bread

David, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Western Culinary of Portland, OR, has had opportunities to work in large restaurants and run the kitchens of high-dollar establishments in other areas of the country. He preferred, however, to bring his talents home to serve the community he grew up in, offering wholesome, delicious food at affordable prices.

It is important to David to connect with the farmers in the area. When he was at culinary school, one of the things he liked best was the opportunity to join the co-op. He was instrumental in the development of the Farm To Table program in Portland. He often volunteered at Sauvie Island, where the school had some land. He peeled potatoes or turned compost on his off time. He’d pick berries and volunteer with Sauvie Organics who gave him plants to grow at the school. He came to see the value of working within a community of agricultural entrepreneurs and he liked this model of doing business. (more…)

We are sorry to report that Uncanny Kitchen is now closed for business. Uncanny Kitchen

Posted by Danielle on Aug 2, 2013 in Abingdon, VA, American, I-81 | 0 comments

by Danielle Bussone

When Uncanny Kitchen of Abingdon, VA first opened in early summer they set the bar for being the only vegetarian, mostly vegan, restaurant in the area using quality organic, locally grown produce. Uncanny Kitchen goes the extra mile in serving only GMO Free edibles! This restaurant is a new and very welcome addition to the casual dining scene in Abingdon, VA. The name refers to the concept that everything is made from scratch. Nothing owner David Basinger makes comes from a can.

Cornbread Salad

Uncanny Kitchen is the only restaurant in Abingdon Rich and I frequent because it is the only restaurant in town where we can be assured of a healthy, plant-based meal. The restaurant is small and the dining room is tiny, with only four tables. It was originally envisioned as more a take-out kind of restaurant and the number of clientele who have opted to eat in came as a bit of a surprise to the owner. Still, even considering the steady stream of traffic in and out of the restaurant, I’ve never had to wait for a table. (more…)

Whole Health Center, Abingdon, VA

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jul 12, 2013 in Abingdon, VA, Grocers, I-81 | 1 comment

by Danielle Bussone

If you find yourself low on organic supplies while tooling down Interstate 81, pull off at exit 19 in Abingdon, Virginia and stock up! Just a couple minutes from the Interstate on Main Street is a small family owned health food store called Whole Health Center. You can find organic bulk items, some fresh locally grown vegetables, packaged items like Bob’s Mills grains, coconut oils, date sugar, Braggs Amino Acids, Coconut oil, essential oils, soaps and the ubiquitous shelves of supplements.

Sean and Donna Bossie bought Whole Health Center two years ago from, Charlie, its former owner of 27 years. They had been visiting Abingdon from North Conway, New Hampshire, where they owned a coop. Their daughter had moved to Abingdon where she teaches school. The winters in New Hampshire on White Mountain were as brutal as the name suggests. Their children were grown and moved away and there didn’t seem to be much tying them to their home in the north. When Charlie commented one day, “You know, if you ever want to move closer to those grandbabies… I’m thinking of selling if you are thinking of possibly buying,” the wheels begin to turn in the Bossie’s brains. After a year of negotiating through snail mail (Charlie was not computer savvy), Whole Health Center became theirs and Abingdon, Virginia became home. (more…)

Richmond Vegetarian Festival, June 15, 2013 was a blast!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jun 25, 2013 in Features, I-64, I-95, Richmond, VA, Richmond, VA, Veg Fests | 8 comments

Richmond Vegetarian Festival was all a vegetarian festival should be. Rich and I drove the 300 miles from Abingdon, VA with our monster, Phoenix, happily settled in the back of our Subaru Forester. We stopped en-route in Charlottesville, VA and reviewed a marvelous Afghani restaurant called Ariana Grill Kabob House (see post). We sat outside and enjoyed our meal while Phoenix basked in the attention of passersby, her favorite activity. After checking into our clean, dog-friendly hotel, (Candlewood Suites near the airport) that evening, we visited India K’Raja, renown as Richmond’s best Indian restaurant since 1995, and for good reason (see post).

On the day of the festival, which took place in the verdant Azalea Gardens at Bryan Park, we arrived just before noon, which is when it was scheduled to begin. The gods were smiling on us as the weather could not have been more perfect with lots of sun, shade trees and a cool breeze. The event was free of charge and parking was plentiful. Even the parking lot was lovely. We were immediately greeted by animal rescue groups which had plenty of trained and health-certified adoption ready animals to take home. They had children’s bathing pools of ice for animals to help themselves to a cool drink at this pet friendly event. Towards the end of the event we saw a Labrador climb in and make use of this pool’s original purpose! We had to walk past these groups quickly and with resolve as we already have our maximum limit of monsters (the collective name for our beloved animals) in our home. (more…)

Cranberry’s Grocery & Eatery

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jun 12, 2013 in -Cuisine, American, Grocers, I-81 | 1 comment

If your travels take you down Interstate 81, you may want to stock up on healthy staples and have lunch at one of the quaintest little restaurants slightly off I-81, Cranberry’s in Staunton, VA. Rich and I stopped by for Sunday brunch in response to an anonymous request by one of our readers. We are so glad we did.

Sunday may not be the best day to stop if you are looking for a variety of vegan lunch items as their brunch menu is quite abbreviated. However, they did offer two sandwiches which we enjoyed. Rich had the Garden Wrap Raw Veggies in a spinach tortilla with hummus for $7.49. I had the New Street Burrito, made of black beans, brown rice, lettuce, tomato, red onion and salsa. ($7.19) They were both served with potato chips. They also carried a Southwestern Tofu Scramble which is tofu scrambled with scallions, bell pepper, roasted chilies and spices served with whole grain toast.($7.89). On other days they offer five vegan sandwiches ranging in price from $7.19 to $8.39, the Southwest Tofu Scramble and something they call Unwraps, which is a wrap’s fixins on a bed of greens. You can also build your own sandwich paying for the items a la carte.

There are two or three booths and a few other tables. It was quite busy by the time we left. You order food at the counter and they’ll bring it to your table. The ambience is that of a charming, old-fashioned main street mercantile with a diner in the back. Check out the rest room’s old fashioned toilettes with the tank high on the wall and a pull chain to flush. (more…)