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For Trezel Brown, it has been a joyful week. Not solely is she celebrating the two-year anniversary of her restaurant, CC’s Vegan Spot (231 East Delmar Avenue, Alton, Illinois; 618-433-8300); she’s additionally thrilled to announce that she is shifting the plant-based eatery to south St. Louis, with plans open close to the intersection of Loughborough and Macklind avenues in early July.
The brand new CC’s Vegan Spot will exchange her unique Alton location, which is able to shut on the finish of June. Although Brown admits the transfer is bittersweet, she can’t wait to start the subsequent chapter of her restaurant.
“I wished to maintain the Alton location, nevertheless it simply did not work out,” Brown says. “It is simply greatest for me to let go in order that I can put my complete coronary heart and soul into one location, particularly with it being so arduous to search out workers. It is bittersweet. I will always remember the place it began.”
The forthcoming CC’s Vegan Spot will likely be situated within the former Nook Bistro area and could have the identical menu her regulars have come to like with a number of minor tweaks. Brown will likely be taking the Past Burgers off the menu and can as an alternative give attention to her personal eggplant and beet burgers, which have been nice sellers. She can even proceed providing her signature “Ish Bites,” “ChickN Sandwich” and jalapeño poppers, in addition to different vegan savory and candy gadgets.
A gifted house prepare dinner, Trezel started experimenting with vegan delicacies about six years in the past as a approach to assist mitigate her dietary points. She rapidly discovered that, not solely did she really feel higher, she fell in love with vegan cooking and developed an in depth repertoire of dishes that her household and pals raved about.
Nonetheless, she had no plans to open a vegan restaurant. As a substitute, she initially envisioned CC’s as an icee store impressed by those she beloved to go to on journeys to Harlem in New York Metropolis. With that marketing strategy in thoughts, she opened the doorways to her unique Alton, Illinois, location in Might of 2019, solely to shift to a full-fledged vegan eatery six weeks later, after her relations inspired her to take action.
For 2 years, she ran the Alton CC’s, discovering success all through the challenges of the pandemic and making a reputation for herself as probably the most thrilling vegan eating places within the space. She credit the attract to her deeply flavorful, comfort-food model that reinterprets acquainted meat-based dishes in plant-based type.
Brown is thrilled to quickly supply these dishes to a St. Louis viewers. From the thought’s inception, she thought she’d open CC’s in south metropolis, and even got here near inking a lease on Cherokee Avenue. Nonetheless, when that deal fell via, she selected the Alton location as a result of it was near her house. Although she beloved the spot and had first rate assist from the locals, 80-percent of her enterprise got here from St. Louis. It made the transfer to Loughborough Avenue a no brainer, regardless that she says she’s going to all the time maintain the Alton location near her coronary heart.
Brown has deliberate a delicate opening of the brand new location for June 25 and hopes to open the primary week of July. She is happy that the brand new digs could have a smaller, however extra helpful footprint that may make it simpler to handle. She’s additionally trying ahead to the brand new place’s patio seating, which she believes will likely be an asset because the business continues to face pandemic-related challenges.
“The whole lot is falling into place, and that is simply such a blessing,” Brown says. “I’ve labored arduous too, although. That is two years of getting up at 4 a.m. and going to mattress at midnight. Am I scared? Sure. Am I nervous? Sure. It is a complete different degree and alternative, that it looks like I’m dreaming.”
We’re all the time hungry for ideas and suggestions. E mail the creator at cheryl.baehr@riverfronttimes.com.
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