Vegan Bodega offers plant-based comfort foods
Couple bring meatless menu to Parkville Market in Hartford
Six years ago, when Leroy Knight and Jessica Albino of New Britain decided to become vegans — she a secretary and he a teacher — they had trouble finding the foods they liked to eat. So they researched ingredients and recipes to make those foods themselves.
Today, Knight and Albino have changed careers and are the owners of Vegan Bodega, the newest tenant in Hartford’s food hall Parkville Market. “Coming home from school, I used to go to a bodega. This has the same vibe, the same menu, comfort foods, except everything’s vegan,” Albino said.
That menu includes mac and cheese, rice and beans, empanadas in three flavors, barbecue wings, Cuban sandwiches, salads, wrap sandwiches, hero sandwiches, mini pop tarts, fried rice with protein, “egg” rolls, sushi bowls, banh mi, pancakes, French toast, breakfast sandwiches and coldpressed fruit juices.
Albino is the chef and Knight is the baker. In their creations, they use jackfruit to simulate the pork in Cuban sandwiches, empanadas and other dishes. Seitan is used to simulate chicken and Beyond meat to simulate beef. “Anything you can think of with meat, we’ve tried to veganize it,” Albino said.
The chick’n wings have a stick in the center, for people who want a “bone” to hold. The “cheeseburger egg roll,” made with Beyond meat, has a dipping sauce similar to Mcdonald’s “secret sauce.”
The couple is working on a “VFC,” their take on KFC, with potatoes, gravy, cornbread and simulated chicken. “That should be on the menu by December,” Knight said.
Not all of the dishes have simulated meat. Many are based on greens, quinoa, faro, chickpeas, rice and beans, cauliflower, plantains, pasta, tofu, hummus, fruits, other vegetables and vegan milk and cheese.
“Some people don’t want food that tastes like meat. Like our daughter. Both our kids are fully vegan but she has been vegan since birth. She’s never eaten meat so she doesn’t crave it,” Knight said.
Their goal is to show “you can not eat meat and still have the flavors and textures you want,” Knight said. “It doesn’t have to be just salad and juice.” Many of their items are gluten-free. Some are organic.
Knight and Albino said parenthood motivated their dietary change. “We wanted to be healthier,” Knight said. “I started watching documentaries about food. I fell down a rabbit hole.”
He tried a raw diet for six months. “It wasn’t sustainable to my body. You have to listen to your body,” he said. He converted to veganism. Albino, at first reluctant, soon went all in on a plant-based lifestyle.
Friends and family members asked for help to switch to veganism or just to try meatless options. For months, they made food for them. Word of mouth enhanced their reputation. They got a small commercial kitchen to keep up with demand.
Then the pandemic hit. Albino was laid off. Knight was teaching on Zoom. They decided to switch gears and focus on food.
The two put in an application to come to Parkville Market. They waited about a year and changed their minds, deciding to get a food truck. Just as they prepared to finalize the purchase of the truck, Parkville called back and told them they wanted a vegan place. They left the truck behind. Vegan Bodega has been open since June 21.
Their ultimate goal is to graduate from their 200-square-foot kitchen to a real bodega. “It would be like your typical corner store, but everything in it is vegan,” Knight said.
Vegan Bodega is at 1400 Park St. in Hartford. Hours are Tuesday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. parkvillemarket.com and vegan-bodega.square.site.