Eating a plant-based diet reputedly benefits our health, waistline, environment, wallet and conscience. And, thanks in part to movies such as Forks Over Knives, it鈥檚 a lifestyle that鈥檚 gaining in popularity.
One plant-based newcomer to Squamish Farmers鈥� Market is Wildhearts Catering run by health-conscious entrepreneurs Amanda Whitehead and Emma Lee, who met as roommates and became immediate friends through food. 鈥淲e bonded over healthy, alternative cooking, and experimenting with different ingredients and nutrient-dense superfoods,鈥� says Whitehead.
As they started to earn a reputation as the girls who wowed guests at pot lucks and parties with plant-based desserts, they began exploring how they could share the food with others as a business.
At first, they started catering, but found their desserts got most of the attention. 鈥淧eople were like, 鈥榃hoa, that was made out of avocado?鈥� or 鈥楾hat was made out of cashews?鈥欌�� laughs Whitehead.
So this summer they took the leap and set up a market stand featuring just their desserts, says Whitehead. She describes the treats as 鈥渏ust like cheesecake but without the dairy. I feel like a lot of times if you say raw or vegan, you scare people away who just have no idea or think it tastes like birdseed.鈥�
They鈥檙e made mainly with nuts, dates and natural sweeteners such as agave or maple syrup, as well as herbs, spices and superfoods such as blueberries and hemp hearts, Whitehead explains. They鈥檙e so good for you, you could eat them for breakfast, she says.
Although neither of the girls is vegan, their goal is to show people just how decadent and indulgent desserts can be without refined sugar, flour and dairy products. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about making delicious desserts available to anyone who may have food allergies, or who are looking for a healthier option but still get to indulge.鈥�
They鈥檙e always trying out new flavours and working with what鈥檚 in season. Their current dessert bars include lemon raspberry, chocolate raspberry, triple berry, salted caramel, chai coconut chocolate and, their newest addition, chocolate mint.
How the bars look is also important, she says. 鈥淲e want our desserts to be beautiful,鈥� although sometimes they are mistaken for bars of soap, she laughs. 鈥淭he number of people that we get who come up and think, 鈥極h, these are cake? I thought they were soap!鈥欌��
Like many farmers鈥� market vendors, both Whitehead and Lee are juggling multiple priorities and work furiously behind the scenes. Lee lives in the city and is taking her exams in naturopathic medicine, while Whitehead lives in Squamish and travels throughout the Sea to Sky Corridor and Sunshine Coast.
鈥淏oth are very full-time, demanding gigs,鈥� says Whitehead. 鈥淚t makes for a very full plate so we鈥檙e having to find the time to do it all while giving as much as we can 鈥� even if it鈥檚 on the evenings or weekends. It鈥檚 definitely been a challenge and we鈥檙e still trying to figure it out.鈥�
The Squamish Summer Farmers鈥� Market is held every Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Victoria Street, and Wildhearts hopes to be there as often as possible. For a list of their market dates, visit www.nourishwildhearts.com
