Animal activist sisters open Le Vegan Café
Pair aim to prove plant-based meals don t need to be bland and boring
Starting out in a garage two years ago, sisters Amber and Oshean Wiggill have finally made one of their biggest dreams become a reality.
The animal activists and advocates of a vegan lifestyle started making and sourcing vegan products and meals in 2018, when it was clear that tasty meat-free and animal product-free food was not easy to come by in East London.
Now, two years later, the passionate pair have opened the Le Vegan Café, serving 100% vegan meals. Four years ago, when I made “the move to a plant-based diet, there really wasn t much to
’ choose from, then moving to a vegan diet was even more difficult, said Amber, 29, who
” has been a vegetarian for four years and vegan for one.
East London wasn t feeding us, so we decided “’ to feed East London,” she quipped.
The pair have been making and selling a variety of vegan meals and products, developing their own 2 Sisters range, as well as sourcing products from all over the country.
From faux meats made from Seitan or wheat gluten to vegan cheeses, butter, tofu, baked goods and homemade frozen meals, 2 Sisters has provided many a vegan in the city with flavourful meat and dairy-free alternatives.
There s this idea that vegan food is bland “’ and all you can eat is grass and lettuce, but that s not true.
’
We want to show people that eating like “ this doesn t have to be boring,” Amber said.
I ve often gone to restaurants and been “’ told that the only option is to take the feta cheese out of the Greek salad.
I don t want a salad, I want a good, messy “’ burger that tastes good and is too big to finish,” Oshean, 26, quipped.
And if their beef burgers are anything to “” go by, then the flavour, and delicious messiness Oshean describes is exactly what visitors can expect from Le Vegan Café.
We re big foodies. We love “’ good tasting food that s full of ’ flavour, and it is possible, there really are alternatives for vegans,” said Amber. Launching their first sitdown menu on Friday, 2 Sisters are offering simple lunches including burgers, jaffles, wraps and a range of sweet treats, all 100% vegan from the burger buns to the — pulled pork ”.
The sisters also plan to offer breakfasts and a full sit-down menu, including gourmet burgers and more, from 2021.
We ve wanted to open up a cafe for a really “’ long time and it s really exciting, but also ’ quite stressful and nerve-racking, especially now with the number of businesses that are closing and people who are being retrenched,” said Oshean, the baker and chef “” behind 2 Sisters, who has been vegan for two years.
But we ve always really loved this space “’ and when it became available, we were really excited.
Amber said despite Covid-19 and the various regulations and uncertainties it brought with it, they were happy to have taken the leap.
When an opportunity presents itself, even “if it s in the middle of a pandemic, you take
’ it,” said Amber. We had to try, the worst that can “happen is that we end up back in the garage, but at least we can say we tried. At some point we d really love “’ to have a restaurant and open at night too. We d love to do a few dinner “’ pop ups at the cafe too,” she said.
The two describe themselves as activists first and business owners second.
We re passionate about food and we re “’ ’ passionate about saving animals, so we re really
’ grateful to be able to combine the two,” said Oshean.
Hoping their tasty food might change people s minds about vegan food and inspire ’ some to opt for a meat and dairy-free diet, Amber and Oshean said they were always willing to offer recipes, alternatives and advice.
When we made the switch, there wasn' t really anywhere, besides the internet, where we could go for advice so we want to be here to help people who are trying to make the change.
There s so many great tasting “’ vegan options and you don t need to worry about going ’ hungry,” Amber quipped.
● 2 Sisters Le Vegan Café is situated at 46 Beach Road, Nahoon. The cafe is open from 9am to 4pm, from Tuesday to Friday, and from 9am to 1pm on Saturdays. It also boasts a market section where their own range of vegan meals, as well as other vegan products are available.