Clockwise from top left, UnMoo Notz, Capital Chips Tortilla Chips, Hummingbird Gardens Garlic Chive Salt and O'MY Gelato Chocolate (Photo by Justin Vaughan)
Are plant-based foods the new hotness? There’s almost nothing you can’t order now that isn’t made with coconut parts, soy, beets or some other plant, and it looks like Richmond is embracing the dietary shift. Serendipitously, yet right on time, all four of these products are vegan (and three of them are made by women-owned small businesses).
UnMoo Notz
In the Museum District is the best vegan cheese I’ve ever had. Coincidentally, it’s the first vegan cheese made in Virginia. According to owner Josh Kadrich, the state had to create a whole new food category for his mozzarella-like cheese made from cashews. It’s meltable, shreddable, and contains no soy, dairy or gluten.
Capital Chips Tortilla Chips
Over in Midlothian, my crispy tortilla dreams are coming to fruition. Jennifer Davidson is meticulously crafting tortilla chips that stand up to anything you throw on them. Davidson’s experience in a local Mexican restaurant is evident — the chips are simply white corn tortillas and sea salt. It’s their simplicity that makes them so divine.
Hummingbird Gardens Garlic Chive Salt
The Rose Chili Salt took home the 2018 Best Overall Product Award at the Virginia Food and Beverage Expo in March and is a definite winner. But it’s the Garlic Chive Salt that has my heart. Owner Amanda Montgomery grows the garlic and the garlic chives herself, then blends them.
O’MY Gelato Chocolate
Alison Monette created a dessert free of common allergens with zero dairy. With coconut cream as the base, this gelato has a creamy texture. There’s a definite coconut undertone, which adds a round note to all of the flavors — chocolate, vanilla bean, mint chip, coffee chip, root beer float and orange cream.
