During Women History Month, at Alice & Friends, we want to celebrate women-owned restaurants and their dedication to Vegans and allies.
This is important to us because we’re both a woman-owned and women-led restaurant.
Chef Ruby leads the kitchen with world-class recipes and creativity.
Alice & Friends’ Chef Ruby is the superwoman of chefs. We have been working together since 2016 and she still enjoys the hands-on process of creating and triple-checking that everything is as delicious as it is beautiful. She often insists on personally making the recipes and this requires a tremendous amount of work, dedication, and speed. She says that her biggest motivation is projecting her love of food to our customers and witnessing how our team has grown in the past few years.
We love Chef Ruby and it’s because of this empowering woman, that many of our team members get hands-on training and we can ensure the highest quality of dishes and desserts!
Women’s perseverance doesn’t go unnoticed.
Now more than ever, we’re seeing more women taking the lead and developing their own dreamy vegan food services and restaurants in Chicago.
Chicago Women-owned Restaurants that are worth Mentioning
In the past 10 Years, as a community, we have tackled one of the most common issues that comes into play for those who want to become or remain vegan: Diversity in food. This is important because the more vegan options that we have in Chicago, the easier that it becomes to support this lifestyle.
And when a restaurant decides to have an all vegan menu, we know they get what this is all about.
First Fully-Vegan and Woman-Owned Mexican Restaurant
Penelope Taqueria, is the first fully vegan Mexican restaurant and is co-owned by Paloma Pina-Ramirez.
They opened their 1st location at 230 W. Chicago Ave in 2021 and second location in Andersonville the very next year. Their signature dishes include a variety of tacos, enchiladas, and traditional horchata and Michelada drinks.
The “Original Vegan Deep Dish Pizza” That Has Stood the Test of Time.
Jennie Plasterer is the sole owner of Kitchen 17, home of the original vegan Chicago deep dish pizza.
The restaurant moved to their current location in the neighborhood of Avondale in 2022 and have since developed their menu further to include a variety of deep-dish, pan pizza, and New York-style ‘za.
A self-taught Chef that offers a variety of burgers, hot dogs, and milkshakes
Laricia Chandler Baker (Chef Fab) opened her first location of I can’t Believe it’s not Meat in 2019 and has since expanded with two additional locations and a food truck.
The restaurant specializes in burgers, sandwiches, and shakes. Menu items to try include the Philly Cheesesteak, The Chicago St. Hotdog, and The Cookie Monster shake.
A Bakery that Has a Dessert for Any Occasion
Chef Cheryl is the owner of Sweet Vegan Cakes, a bakery/cafe that specializes in baked goods that are both beautiful and deliciously perfect for any celebration. Most of the menu can be modified to be allergy-friendly and innovative designs include their High Heel Shoe Cupcakes!
Additionally, Chef Cheryl’s inspiration for her cafe menu is based on her own personal journey to live a healthier lifestyle. The menu includes a variety of comfort foods like Mac & Cheese, Lasagna, and candied Jams.
A Chef that Offers a More Tailored Experience.
Chef Katie Simons, a Plant-Based Chef, who embraced a fully-vegan diet in 2015, offers personalized services for meal delivery and catering for events. Additionally, she conducts cooking classes and in-home meal preparation.
Her commitment to educate others about the plant-based world is noteworthy.
Alice and Friends Offers Catering Services
In 2020, we also decided to offer catering services which include most of our appetizers, dishes, and desserts.
We didn’t know what to expect but we soon realized, this service was needed more than we originally thought. We want to thank everyone that not only comes to visit us but feel that our food is that good to share with family and friends.
Thank you for all your support and don’t forget our catering services are still available during the remodeling of our Broadway location.
Happy Women History Month!