Coconut Whisk, a vegan and gluten free pancake and waffle café, is coming to Downtown Minneapolis during AAPI Heritage Month.
Bella (Nhi) Lam and Miles Olsen launched Coconut Whisk in a small college apartment back in 2018.
“While in college, Myles and I went vegan because we saw how positively impactful it was for our health, environment, animals, and planet. After finding out that there weren’t any baking mixes on the market that fit our dietary choices, we were on a mission to find a solution,” Lam told Veg News.
“As an immigrant, a first-generation college student, and a proud Asian American… leading Coconut Whisk has been my life’s greatest and most humbling adventure. Through our work, I want to inspire others to lead with heart, take action and be fearless in the pursuit of their dreams.”
Coconut Whisk was originally launched as a line of vegan baking mixes. The vegan mixes are dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and non-GMO, according to Eater. Lam and Olsen sold the mixes at farmer’s markets, expanded to stores around the city and sold directly from their website.
The Coconut Whisk menu will feature items such as bite sized powdered sugar pancakes and waffles on a stick. Another feature of the menu will be boba milk tea, a Vietnamese coffee made with vegan condensed milk, and a fruity tea with a creamy foam called the “vegan milk cloud”. The Coconut Whisk retail space will also highlight BIPOC and women owned brands including SH Calligraphy Designs, Bamboo Switch, and Kreations by Kelly Rae.
The café will open its doors on Thursday May 20. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 12 p.m. at 901 Nicollet Mall in Suite 120 of the Young Quinlan Building.
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