No dairy? No problem. Baker creates ‘unique’ vegan desserts popping up around Columbus
When Mandy Manic first arrived in Columbus, it was difficult finding vegan treats that satisfied her sweet tooth. Baking had been a longtime hobby, but the move from the United Kingdom to the American South made it more of a necessity.
Now, her apartment kitchen buzzes with frantic activity. There’s a bowl of frosting under the mixer that will be frozen for later use. A pastry base is ready for its filling, and her airy brownie batter needs some chocolate chips. It’s a bakeathon — and the result of constant trial and error.
“I think that’s what I enjoy about it, the challenge of trying to vegan-ize desserts that people think, you know, you can’t do,” she said. “When you’re not using eggs, milk or butter to try and make desserts, it’s almost like a kind of chemistry experiment in a way.”
Manic, owner of the recently opened Plant Hustle Vegan Bakery, created her business to fill that vegan void. People line up for her pop-up events at various storefronts and venues across the city.
Some local bakeries also carry her products, catering to folks living a plant-based lifestyle, the kids who want those sweets without their allergies getting in the way, or even the curious taster who wants to understand what the buzz is about.
Why vegan goods in Columbus?
Manic was raised as a vegetarian but became a vegan in 2011 shortly after the birth of her daughter, Reyna. Manic developed eczema so severe her fingers bled and the inflammation started working its way up her wrists.
Medications couldn’t seem to fix the problem, so she began eliminating foods from her diet. Once she gave up dairy products, the condition went away. But she didn’t want to give up desserts.
“For me, it was a thing that I kind of had to do,” she said. “I still wanted to have a cake, now and then.”
It was easy to find those products in Europe. But when her husband, Juspal, moved the family from the U.K. to Georgia as part of his work with TSYS in 2018, Manic realized she now had to make her own treats.
In the United Kingdom, she said, some restaurants have a full vegan menu or several vegan options.
“It seems to be the norm over there,” she said. “Coming to the U.S. — particularly the South, it’s kind of a more meat-heavy area — I couldn’t get any vegan options or it was difficult to get vegan options when (I) ate out.”
Manic didn’t convert her professional psychology qualifications when the family moved because she wasn’t sure how long they’d be here. The change gave her more free time to experiment in the kitchen while her daughter was at school.
How has the business grown?
Manic started testing her vegan treats on one of her husband’s co-workers who had a plant-based diet, and she also baked goodies for guests that stopped by her home.
That eventually grew to Manic and her daughter selling baked goods at Market Days on Broadway through the Minor in Business nonprofit program. The program helps young people under the age of 20 learn about business, customer service and the importance of giving back to the community.
Her daughter participated in the program, but Manic told Sherricka Day, the program’s founder, about her vegan bakery idea. The concept developed from there.
At Day’s suggestion, Manic took part in the 9-week course from StartUP Columbus, an organization that provides support to entrepreneurs with their business idea, earlier this year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“What I love about Mandy is that she is a go-getter,” Day said. “I felt like she had something unique and also sought after. Her baked goods are so delicious. I’m happy that she gave herself a chance.”
Manic’s business really started to take off in the summer. She hosted her first pop-up event at Beejou Craft Kombucha in May, coming back to the shop for events in June and July.
“The June and July ones, there were people actually queuing up outside before I even got there,” she said.
Now, Manic makes baked goods for My Boulánge, a downtown bakery, to sell on the weekends for mini pop-ups. On Mondays, she drops off treats at The Food Mill, a nonprofit organization and restaurant working to address food insecurity issues in Columbus.
She’s done events at local gyms such as Max Fitness and Solcioty Fitness. Most of the time, businesses reach out to her about hosting events, she said.
She sells cakes and other treats from home, too. Her take on a red velvet cupcake with a vanilla cream cheese frosting is called “Beets Don’t Kill My Vibe,” a nod to rapper Kendrick Lamar and the root vegetable she uses to get a natural red color. Bugs Bunny might like her “What’s up Doc?” frosted carrot cupcake. Pun lovers rejoice.
The technical process of vegan baking
Manic’s clients are often people like her: vegans looking for a good doughnut as well as parents of children who have certain food allergies. In addition to not using animal products, Manic uses organic and non-GMO ingredients with no artificial colors or flavoring. Some products are also gluten-free.
On a rainy fall morning, Manic worked on several projects in her apartment kitchen as she answered questions about her business. She prepared her British Bakewell tart — a shortcrust pastry tart with ground almonds, almond paste, raspberries and topped with almond flakes — as well as brownies to be sold at My Boulánge.
The brownie batter is visibly light, fluffy and airy. Her secret: chickpea water drained from the can, also known as aquafaba. When vigorously whipped at high speeds, the liquid mimics the properties of egg. It’s a vegan workaround she uses often.
“Whenever we make anything with chickpeas, I save the liquid, put it in an ice cube tray and freeze it,” she said. “Whenever I need a bit, I just pop it out. ...I always have it on hand.”
One of her favorites to make is a Victoria Sponge cake, a white cake with a layer of strawberry jam and buttercream icing. She enjoys making British treats, but she said she’s sort of “Americanized” her offerings.
She recently purchased the last two cans of pumpkin from Publix for her pumpkin muffins and mini pumpkin pies. The ingredient was difficult to find, she said.
“I know it’s so popular here, pumpkin-spiced everything but we don’t have that (in the U.K.),” Manic said. “I kind of tried it and tested it out on some American friends who said ‘oh, this is good.’”
Manic keeps track of all the testing she does on a detailed spreadsheet of her recipes — what works and what doesn’t. Ingredients are weighed, and even different kinds of cupcakes require different amounts of batter. She keeps track of any tweaks and measurements in a notes section.
“Even I didn’t realize how technical it was until I started to do it,” she said.
What’s next?
Manic doesn’t have plans for a storefront yet, citing the general uncertainties associated with the pandemic.
Her customers, she said, are now used to virtually ordering food items. She plans to continue signing up for pop-up events and selling her products through other local businesses and bakeries.
She hopes her business will continue to grow, citing people’s demand for more plant-based products. Fast food restaurants are serving plant-based meat substitutes and local coffee shops are offering vegan options. The District Green, a vegan restaurant, recently opened. It’s something Manic said she wasn’t seeing two years ago.
“Columbus seems to be quite a unique place where everybody seems to be really supportive of each other,” she said. “It’s a nice kind of culture. ...I don’t think there are probably many places in the U.S. or anywhere in the world as unique as Columbus, well not from what I’ve found anyway.”
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 5:50 AM.