Kelownasa国际传媒檚 newest vegan shop is ready to open next month.

Maple & Manchester, located at 438 Lawrence Avenue, is a one-of-a-kind shop: owners Natasha Davis and Damian Chalmers call their store a sa国际传媒榝auxmageriesa国际传媒�, a play on the French word fromagerie meaning cheese shop.

But, donsa国际传媒檛 let the name deceive you because it doesnsa国际传媒檛 sell fake cheese.

Davis and Chalmers use organic cashews, culturing and fermenting it just like dairy to make their vegan cheeses. So how do they do it?

Davis and Chalmers soak the cashews first, then crush them, in essence making cashew milk. Then they use a vegan lab culture to start the culturing and ageing process.

sa国际传媒淐ashews can be cultured in a very similar way to how you would culture a dairy cheese,sa国际传媒� Davis said.

sa国际传媒淪o we use a vegan lab culture and itsa国际传媒檚 just a fermentation process (after that). We let it sit in the culture, give a little bit of heat and then at that point, wesa国际传媒檒l put it into a mould, add flavouring and let it culture longer.sa国际传媒�

The result is a cheese wheel not unlike charcuterie cheeses available in grocery stores, they said. The process takes about two to three days but they said the cheese can be left to age for much longer if you want a sharper quality to it.

Currently, the flavours available include the Manchester sharp cheddar, balsamic glaze, black truffle, caramelized onion camembert, pepper jelly brie and bleu cheese.

Before they got to making cheese, the duo actually had the idea to start up a vegan food truck well before the pandemic hit. Chalmers said with the number of vegans living in Kelowna, as well as people with dietary restrictions, he and Davis always wanted to offer up plant-based food for them. The food truck idea didnsa国际传媒檛 quite make it, but one time, Davis decided to bring vegan cheese she made to a family dinner. Everyone loved it and it seemed like a sign.

Then, Davis said, she had another sign.

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sa国际传媒淥n Boxing Day last December, I had a dream that we opened a vegan cheese shop called Maple & Manchester. I told Damian about it and he said it was a great idea,sa国际传媒� she said.

sa国际传媒淭he name is a little bit of him and a little bit of me. Damian is from Manchester (England) and Isa国际传媒檓 Canadian so it works out.sa国际传媒�

After months of setbacks as the approval process through the City of Kelowna and Interior Health were slowed down by the pandemic, then renovations and a heatwave, Maple & Manchester is finally ready to serve customers on Sept. 1.

The shop will offer vegan cheeses, cakes, pasta and pizza sauces, as well as other plant-based food items.

Davis and Chalmers said they want everyone who walks in through their doors to feel warm and welcomed.

sa国际传媒淲e want people to walk out the door thinking sa国际传媒榶ou know what? Vegan cheese isnsa国际传媒檛 that bad,sa国际传媒� he said.

sa国际传媒淲e want people to walk in through the door and be able to grab everything they need for a plant-based charcuterie board,sa国际传媒� Davis said.

More information on Maple & Manchester can be found through their page and their .

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twila.amato@blackpress.ca
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