Vegan treats satisfy Valley’s sweet tooth
Marcela Morlett is a vegan baker from the Imperial Valley who shares her delicious pastries in cafes for her community to enjoy.
Morlett became vegetarian in 2010 but, four years ago, she became vegan because she believed that animals or animal products shouldn’t be consumed. That made her want to try something new since veganism is a totally different life style.
“At first it all started as a hobby because I really wanted to try something new and different. It can be super difficult sometimes because it’s hard to get the right consistency and texture. It’s honestly been trial and error. Everything I use is organic,” said Morlett.
Morlett bakes a variety of pastries like pan dulce, pies, cakes and more.
Mark Jacobo, 28, is a close friend of Morlett’s and one of her customers as well.
“I’ve been vegan for two months, and it can sometimes be difficult. I think vegan pastries are great because it’s hard to find sweet treats that don’t contain traces of milk or other animal products. But vegan treats are really good and sometimes, you don’t even notice that they’re vegan. My favorite treat by Marcela has to be her oatmeal creme pies,” Jacobo said.
Daniela Gomez, 16, is a vegan, and she shared her thoughts and opinions about her lifestyle and her favorite pastries by Morlett.
“I feel like people don’t really have an open mind towards vegan food because they automatically think that vegan food isn’t good just because it’s vegan. People don’t really have an open mind towards it, but it’s a healthy alternative and plus the treats are good. But it really depends on your approach. My favorite treat by Marcela has to be her vegan chocolate chip cookies,” Gomez said.
But customers don’t need to be vegan to enjoy her pastries.
Kristian Salgado, 28, isn’t vegan, but still enjoys Morlett’s treats regardless.
“I think vegan treats are great because they’re tasty sweets and they don’t contain any animal products in them. My favorite pastry Marcela bakes have to be her lavender conchitas,” Salgado said.
Morlett has been baking for years and her variety of vegan treats have expanded.
“I’ve been baking from scratch for four years and my favorite pastry to bake are the conchitas and my best sellers are the gluten-free brownies,” she said.
Morlett’s pastries can be found at Shake and Wake and Strangers West in El Centro, and Tia’s House of Coffee in Imperial.