South Jersey's LesbiVeggies serves up inclusivity alongside colorful vegan meals
AUDUBON, N.J. (CBS) — A South Jersey chef and proud member of the LGBTQ community is serving up veggies, but the main course is inclusivity.
Just the name alone — LesbiVeggies — makes you look twice.
Owner Brennah Lambert, a proud lesbian and a vegan, is serving up a rainbow of plant-based delights in her Audubon, New Jersey cafe.
"Everything's really simple, and that was my intent," Lambert said. "It's easy, but it's good."
That description is a bit modest. The restaurant serves dishes such as lemon poppy seed pancakes with a side of creamy cashew cheese and a burst of wild blueberry compote and crispy eggplant parm with housemade almond ricotta.
But you don't need to identify as LGBTQ+ or even vegetarian to dig into the deliciousness at LesbiVeggies. Lambert says everyone's invited to the table.
"People come here and feel like it's an accepting place," Lambert said.
A self-taught chef, Lambert started out experimenting with vegan recipes for personal dietary reasons. Then in college at Rutgers University, she began cooking and selling vegan meal preps as a side hustle.
"I realized it was something I was passionate about and really enjoyed," she said.
LesbiVeggies opened in 2021, and in just three years, has quickly rooted itself as a Merchant Street mainstay.
Now, Lambert is spreading the love, whipping up her plant-powered dishes by the pan for catering.
"I genuinely do like what I do. I love what I'm doing. It's stressful at times, but I just want people to enjoy my food," Lambert said. "I don't know why. I always have. I put a lot of pride in it."