The couple found a restaurant space in 2018 and by 2019 had already hosted several pop-ups , selling vegan soul food to patrons eager to try Good Vibes ’ healthier take on tangy , hearty ribs and creamy mac and cheese , so they decided to pause work on the cafe ’ s location in favor of a semiregular delivery-only option . The quick-thinking transition wasn ’ t just a hit , it showed Barnes that Sacramento has an appetite for plant-based food .
Barnes hadn ’ t considered an ongoing delivery service when she and her husband , who has a background in fast-food management , drew up their business plans . Under shelter-in-place orders , those deliveries helped Good Vibes gain momentum . To simplify the process , Barnes only plans one menu per drop-off day and schedules deliveries using an online ticketing system .
To prep , the couple , along with their three employees , either use the facilities at Queen Sheba Ethiopian Cuisine , a restaurant owned by Barnes ’ good friend and mentor , Zion Taddese , or rent space at a ghost kitchen , a professional food-prep and cooking facility .
So far , Barnes says , customers have responded with hungry vigor , snapping up every reservation spot . “ I want to keep them up even once the restaurant has opened because the demand is there ,” she says .
For Jamie Cavanaugh , the lockdown brought the oft-harsh realities of running a restaurant into sharper focus . In 2017 , Cavanaugh was selling baked goods through local pop-ups . By 2018 , she ’ d become vegan and decided to recalibrate her focus , in part because she recognized a local void . “ What if you crave a burger or fried chicken but don ’ t want to eat an animal ?” she says . “ I started buying a ton of meat substitutes and making ( those dishes ) myself .”
That same year , Cavanaugh entered the Downtown Sacramento Foundation ’ s Calling All Dreamers competition , making it to the semifinal round with a fast-casual vegan concept featuring burritos , cheeseburgers , wraps and salads . Although she didn ’ t win , she moved ahead with her vision for Pure Soul Plant-Based Eats , planned for an East Sacramento shopping center .
Chutharat Sae Tong ( left ) and her husband , Alex Sherry , opened Majka Pizzeria & Bakery in downtown Sacramento in June .
Cavanaugh hired a chef , Robb Henry , to help develop recipes , and together , the pair perfected items such as the BBQ Pulled Jackfruit , a pulledpork-style sandwich with spicy barbecue sauce , and the Nashville Hottie , a house-made faux-chicken — or “ chick ’ n ’” — sandwich dressed with pickle slaw , cucumber and ranch dressing .
After hosting a few pop-ups , Cavanaugh and Henry prepped for a soft opening at the end of March . When the shutdown order halted those plans , Cavanaugh didn ’ t panic as she switched to delivery and takeout .
The change proved wise : Pure Soul now sells upward of 125 meals a day , roughly the same amount of business Cavanaugh originally anticipated for indoor dining . “( The deliveries ) gave us the momentum to stay relevant ,” she says . They also showed Cavanaugh how unrealistic it would be to try to fit herself , seven employees and customers into Pure Soul ’ s 715-square-foot space .
Cavanaugh says although there are plans to add a few outdoor tables , she now can ’ t imagine opening the cafe for dine-in business . Instead , she is trying to rent the space to vegan entrepreneurs to use as a ghost kitchen . In the meantime , she ’ s on the lookout for a larger location for her
“ I ’ m not the type to face a roadblock and be done with it . We kept rolling with it .”
Jaeda Barnes , co-owner , Good Vibes Vegan Cafe & Herbs
cafe concept . Wherever she lands , Cavanaugh ’ s grateful she had the chance to pivot . “ It ’ s been a blessing in disguise ,” she says .
The folks behind Majka Pizzeria & Bakery had a similar change of heart . Initially , Alex Sherry and his wife , Chutharat Sae Tong , planned to serve diners out of their first-floor space in a new residential complex at 15th and Q streets in downtown Sacramento .
In 2018 , Sherry and Sae Tong , who both worked at Berkeley ’ s revered Cheese Board Collective , moved with their young daughter to Antelope ,
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