Amanda Lunan at work in her Bronson Avenue bakery.
For someone who describes her business as “not normal,” Amanda Lunan, better known as Auntie Loo, began sweetly in Ottawa’s growing environmentally and socially-conscious food scene.
Auntie Loo’s Treats, Ottawa’s first vegan bakery, celebrated its grand opening on Bronson Avenue last month.
But Lunan’s baked goods have been capturing the city’s attention long before she set up shop.
Lunan, 29, says she was a vegetarian most of her life and made what she calls a natural progression to being vegan 10 years ago.
She says growing up in Burlington, Ont., she spent a lot of time cooking with her family. When she switched to veganism, she also took on the challenge of showing her family their favourite treats could still taste good with her vegan modifications.
After Lunan garnered attention for her baked goods with her booth at events such as Ladyfest Ottawa and other locales such as Herb and Spice on Bank Street, she took the advice of friends claiming she could make a profit.
In 2005, Lunan enrolled in Algonquin College’s small business program, with the goal of opening her own store afterwards.
Last year, she participated in the YMCA’s Youth Entrepreneurship Program, which helps small businesses get off the ground financially.
As a result, Lunan was able to rent out the shop at 507 Bronson Ave. in June and spent her summer baking.
During that time, Lunan says neighbours were knocking at the door, begging her to open for business and make her treats available on a regular basis.
“So many people in the neighbourhood were so excited,” she says. “The neighbourhood around here is so supportive.”
As for her customers now, Lunan says 80 per cent of them aren’t vegan or vegetarian — not that it matters. “My food is for everyone,” she says.
Pamela Eadie, president of the National Capital Vegetarian Association, says she has seen options for alternative cuisines in the city increase substantially.
Several new restaurants that have sprouted in the past year, such as the gourmet Zen Kitchen on Somerset Street, have changed Ottawa’s culinary scene for vegans and vegetarians, she says.
Shops such as Auntie Loo’s provide options Ottawa’s vegan population didn’t have before.
But Eadie says non-vegetarians and vegans are also driving the market for the availability of these options.
“The number of people who are eating vegetarian or vegan food has changed substantially,” she says.
She attributes this increase to a shift in consciousness about healthy and environmentally-friendly foods.
Vegetarian and vegan options are a natural fit for people looking to boost their healthy food intake.
“Often times, the options just aren’t there,” Eadie says. “But that’s changing.”
Ron Eade, the Ottawa Citizen’s food editor, agrees the demand for vegetarian and vegan cuisine in the city is on the rise.
“Not only is it a growing market,” he says, “but it’s growing in sophistication.”
As for the future of Auntie Loo’s, Lunan says she’s going to follow customer demand.
For now she’s experimenting with her newest offering – the perfect Christmas cupcake.