WHO ARE WE?
Vegeria
is a grass roots vegan restaurant. The first of its kind in San
Antonio. Taking the Lone Star state by storm with fresh plant-based Tex-Mex and Latino cuisine.
OUR PROJECT:
Vegeria is adding a second restaurant called ¡Viva Vegeria!
to
share its healthy options with the diverse population of San Antonio.
Vegeria aims to feed the masses and educate the city on issues like
cultural preservation through food, healthy eating, urban gardening,
farm-to-table movement, and organic seasonal farming.
In it’s larger location with a beautiful shaded outdoor patio setting, ¡Viva Vegeria! will continue to value and promote its rich Mexicano and Tejano roots. ¡Viva Vegeria! will be located at 1422 Nogalitos in San Antonio, Texas.
¡Viva Vegeria! was established as a result of business partner Mark Voelkel and Vegeria founder Chef Fred Anthony Garza teaming together to make a difference in the San Antonio community.
Our key principle is the need to preserve the food of our ancestors and the indigenous food of the land. Chef Fred Anthony Garza believes our diet
has changed, but our culture hasn't. We want to preserve our family's
traditions of food, love and culture in a noble and ethical way. We want
our children to know the recipes of our grandparents, and the love in
which we all come from.
Fred
was inspired by his grandmas recipes, legacy, and love. He wants to
share that with a new generation of people. "If we don't keep cooking
the food of our ancestors no one will. If we want our children and
grandchildren to know what real Tex-Mex food is we must keep creating
it, sharing it and serving it, and letting it evolve. We must be proud
of our food and culture."
RISKS AND CHALLENGES:
Vegeria in it’s current location has had challenges with visibility both in terms of the building and signage. As Vegeria has increased business and the number of customers we serve. We have found more limitations have surfaced such as parking lot size, available amount of tables, and kitchen size for food preparation. We are confident we can overcome these limitations with our new location and a loyal customer-base. The new location has many advantages for attracting new customers. Furthermore we are proud to bring our plant-based food to the south side of San Antonio.
SUCCESS:
In our short 4 year history. Vegeria has grown in business and also been recognized for it’s success. This includes:
- 2012: Voted one of the top 10 new restaurants in San Antonio by the San Antonio Magazine
- 2013-2014 : Nominated as one of top vegan restaurants in the USA Today
- 2013: Nominated for best Casual Vegan Restaurant in Veg News
- 4 time finalist for “Best of SA (San Antonio)” by The San Antonio Current
Additionally,
Chef Fred Anthony has been recognized by Veg News, Vegetarian Times,
The San Antonio Current, and Texas monthly. He has also appeared on several
local TV stations.
YOUR PARTICIPATION BUILDS A PATH TO THE FUTURE
What do we plan on doing with the funds? We plan on creating educational programs each quarter, to teach vegan and gluten free cooking at no cost. We want to buy more high chairs, and booster seats for the kids we serve. We also need a few more kitchen tools to help crank out food safely, and quickly. We need two more prep tables to create nutritious food. A mixer for our bakery, to bake more delicious goods. We would also like to purchase additional outdoor tables, and chairs to have customers enjoy our patio.
We want to make sure we to offer quality experiences. We also want to make sure to pay our employees a living wage. Not only do we want to feed hungry crowds, we want to help improve our community with good jobs, healthy eating and education. Every dollar helps. We have some great perks for donors
We
hope to keep sharing, and improving the lives of our community for
years to come. However we need your help. Together we make a difference.
A difference in our health, culture, the lives of animals, and to San
Antonio. Our plans is to keep learning, and serving compassionate, and
loving Comida Latina.