Eating a plant-based diet reputedly benefits our health, waistline, environment, wallet and conscience. And, thanks in part to movies such as Forks Over Knives, it’s a lifestyle that’s gaining in popularity.
One plant-based newcomer to Squamish Farmers’ Market is Wildhearts Catering run by health-conscious entrepreneurs Amanda Whitehead and Emma Lee, who met as roommates and became immediate friends through food. “We bonded over healthy, alternative cooking, and experimenting with different ingredients and nutrient-dense superfoods,” says Whitehead.
As they started to earn a reputation as the girls who wowed guests at pot lucks and parties with plant-based desserts, they began exploring how they could share the food with others as a business.
At first, they started catering, but found their desserts got most of the attention. “People were like, ‘Whoa, that was made out of avocado?’ or ‘That was made out of cashews?’” laughs Whitehead.
So this summer they took the leap and set up a market stand featuring just their desserts, says Whitehead. She describes the treats as “just like cheesecake but without the dairy. I feel like a lot of times if you say raw or vegan, you scare people away who just have no idea or think it tastes like birdseed.”
They’re made mainly with nuts, dates and natural sweeteners such as agave or maple syrup, as well as herbs, spices and superfoods such as blueberries and hemp hearts, Whitehead explains. They’re so good for you, you could eat them for breakfast, she says.
Although neither of the girls is vegan, their goal is to show people just how decadent and indulgent desserts can be without refined sugar, flour and dairy products. “It’s about making delicious desserts available to anyone who may have food allergies, or who are looking for a healthier option but still get to indulge.”
They’re always trying out new flavours and working with what’s in season. Their current dessert bars include lemon raspberry, chocolate raspberry, triple berry, salted caramel, chai coconut chocolate and, their newest addition, chocolate mint.
How the bars look is also important, she says. “We want our desserts to be beautiful,” although sometimes they are mistaken for bars of soap, she laughs. “The number of people that we get who come up and think, ‘Oh, these are cake? I thought they were soap!’”
Like many farmers’ market vendors, both Whitehead and Lee are juggling multiple priorities and work furiously behind the scenes. Lee lives in the city and is taking her exams in naturopathic medicine, while Whitehead lives in Squamish and travels throughout the Sea to Sky Corridor and Sunshine Coast.
“Both are very full-time, demanding gigs,” says Whitehead. “It makes for a very full plate so we’re having to find the time to do it all while giving as much as we can – even if it’s on the evenings or weekends. It’s definitely been a challenge and we’re still trying to figure it out.”
The Squamish Summer Farmers’ Market is held every Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Victoria Street, and Wildhearts hopes to be there as often as possible. For a list of their market dates, visit www.nourishwildhearts.com
