The Vreamery: Vegan Cheese Shop and Melt Bar

from Atascadero News Magazine • #46 • April 2022

Three Speckled Hens: It’s Back

By Camille DeVaul

The Vreamery is located in the Paso Market Walk at 1815 Spring Street. HOURS: Monday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tues-Thurs 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Vreamery Vegan Cheese Shop and Melt Bar at the Paso Market Walk on Spring Street is the third vegan cheese shop in the United States to curate the most esteemed vegan cheesemakers in the country. The shop showcases a variety of small-batch, plant-based artisan vegan cheeses and features dozens of cheese styles. The Vreamery’s mission is to educate and inspire people, through experiencing fabulous plant-based foods to embrace a vegan lifestyle.

In addition to offering cheese by the ounce, The Vreamery serves a menu with hearty bagels, footlong artisan Panini, freshly made salads, grazing boxes, and a selection of locally sourced Grab and Go goodies.

Owner Jennifer Golden began experimenting with crafting plant-based cuisine in 2015, just after her father’s passing. He had suffered from Lewy body dementia which led Jennifer down the rabbit hole of brain health. Jennifer was profoundly inspired by the works of Dr. T. Colin Cambell (author of “The China Study — The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted”), Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn (author of “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition based Cure”) and Dr. Michael Greger (NutritionFacts.org and author of “How Not to Die - The Role of Diet on Preventing. Arresting; Reversing Our Top 15 Killers).

Committed to mitigating disease, Jennifer began to eliminate highly processed and animal-based foods from her diet and replaced them with minimally processed, plant-based whole foods. “It’s a process, not an event,” Jennifer admits.

In 2018, Jennifer had the opportunity to attend PLANTLAB, an international Raw Vegan Culinary Academy started by celebrity chef Matthew Kenney. At PlantLab, Jennifer further expanded her education with fermenting and culturing foods. That same year, she began selling her cashew cheese at local farmers’ markets and health food stores throughout the county.

The process of making Vegan cheese is much like it is with dairy cheese, just replacing animal milk for nut milk and then culturing and aging in accordance with traditional cheese-making techniques. The end product, albeit not an exact replica

of animal-based cheese, is satisfying and robust with flavor and is often indistinguishable from the dairy counterpart. Jennifer adds, “Vegan cheese is not only a more nutritious choice, it is 100 percent humane with regards to animal welfare and is significantly more sustainable for the environment than dairy cheese.”

The Vreamery recently updated their menu and launched several new items, including their ‘Mighty Crab Cake Salad’ featuring Lion’s Mane Mushrooms from local growers’ Mighty Cap Mushrooms’ and a ‘Sage Steak’ Panini which is entirely reminiscent of a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich.

The Vreamery is all about saying “yes!” to their clientele, welcoming special orders, and accommodating all food allergies and sensitivities. “We are devoted to providing excellent customer service and exemplary hospitality and would love for you to come in and give us a try,” adds Jennifer.

Come in and receive a free ‘Three Cheese Sampler’ available Monday through Thursday between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. when you order any signature sandwiches (just mention this article!)