By: Luis Arjona Photos By: Rachel Benavides
The air is crisp, you are with your loved ones, and the aroma of Christmas treats are filling your nostrils with fervent potency. Fall and Thanksgiving have come and gone, serving as a primer for December. There is nothing like Christmas time – a time of year when we celebrate gratitude, engage in seasonal activities, and share delicious treats with family and friends while ignoring the scale in your bathroom.
Although, indulging does not have to come paired with guilt. Furthermore, if certain dietary restrictions limit your ability to enjoy animal-based culinary experiences, finding food choices can be difficult. However, the Coastal Bend is lucky to be home to an excellent vegan bakery.
Owned and operated by Veronica Guerra, Trendy Eats & Vegan Treats opened in 2018. Seeking alternatives to prepare a birthday cake for her daughter to enjoy, Guerra experimented – successfully – with a vegan recipe to assuage an allergic reaction. This moment of investigation gifted the Coastal Bend with a local vegan baker.
Originally inspired to become a tattoo artist, Guerra’s affinity for creativity took on a new form. She works with a passion for providing an excellent experience for her customers. Our conversation drew back the curtain a bit and let me hear from the owner herself. “I don’t serve anything I would not eat myself,” Guerra says. Every order is baked from scratch with fresh ingredients the day of delivery to ensure quality treats.
“I make sure everyone enjoys their food, so I offer refunds if someone does not enjoy what they bought. I want to provide people with food allergies or lactose intolerance, or [who] want a healthier option … treats that make them feel better.”
Speaking with humility and gratitude, Guerra said the community’s positive feedback over the years has allowed her to grow. There are plans to open a storefront and serve her fresh goods paired with delicious coffee.
Until then, you can order from Trendy Eats & Vegan Treats through its website, which displays several of her staple treats such as conchas, donuts, and cakes. There is also a rotating menu in correlation with the time of year; Guerra’s fall menu was loaded with snickerdoodle cookies, autumnal muffins, and an array of edible cookie dough flavors. Offering up a new slate of delicious seasonal baked goods, Guerra’s Winter menu leaves me salivating as I write this. Although she didn’t plan to start a vegan bakery, Trendy Eats & Vegan Treats is a startup with organic growth and promise.
Our city is lucky to be home to a grassroots bakery, serving up healthier options for those who cannot or do not want to consume animal products. We are looking forward to the future of Trendy Eats & Vegan Treats, and the increasing momentum veganism has in the Coastal Bend.
