Kemi: A Vegan Cafe Owner Thinking Outside the Box

Kemi has always considered herself a renaissance woman. She was a nurse, lifestyle coach, and devoted vegan who was passionate about health education. 

Kemi became known for her delicious vegan recipes through providing her gumbo at community initiatives and catering for movie sets. When she was given the opportunity to join a community food corporation, she jumped at the chance to launch what would become her signature dish: the carrot dog. 

“Carrot Dog is a spin on the classic American hot dog, offering a plant-based alternative to nostalgia,” Kemi said. 

Kemi and her business partner launched the carrot dog in their Food For Thought Cafe. 

“We launched it and it took off,” Kemi said.  “We met short term goals and were in line to meet some of our longer term goals in February. Then, in early March, it was like a rug being pulled from our feet.”

Food For Thought had to shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kemi was still working part time as a nurse, but with many corporate wellness contracts cancelled, she wasn’t able to pick up much extra work. As an independent contractor, she didn’t think she was eligible to receive unemployment benefits, but a colleague convinced her to try, and she was able to receive some benefits eventually. 

During this stressful time for her business, Kemi was also a caregiver to her 73-year-old mother. She also had to replace the transmission in her car. 

On top of all that, she needed to handle an unexpected fee on one of her business applications. She used a $500 grant from SaverLife and Wells Fargo to pay for the fee. 

“It wasn’t even 24 hours from the time we found out we had to pay the fine,” Kemi said. “The next day SaverLife saved our life! The timing couldn’t have been better.”

Luckily, Kemi and her partner were able to open Food For Thought for take out over the summer, and business began to pick back up again. 

“The advent of COVID forced us to think outside the box,” Kemi said. “We’ve done preorders and given ourselves the opportunity to create more technical awareness around our website.”

Although the shutdown was difficult, Kemi is excited about the ways it fostered collaboration in the small business community and is allowing her to bring health education to underserved areas in Atlanta. 

“We’re exploring the idea of a food truck and making DIY meal kits,” Kemi said. “It’s overwhelming, but exciting. We have some really loyal customers and pretty much sell out every week.”

Despite all the struggles she has faced this year, Kemi remains optimistic for the future and committed to her goal of building community one carrot dog at a time.