Your Vegan Mom: What should we say about our field trip to Viva La Vegan?
The Three-Year-Old: They have donuts! They have vegan donuts!
YVM: That’s important. But I thought maybe you would say, it was a really long drive, or it was totally worth it because it was so awesome. Or that Mommy let you eat total junk for dinner. Or we got to hang out with our friend. What else?
The Six-Year-Old: This is a vegan grocery store.
YVM: Why is that special?
6YO: They have lemon poppy seed bread.
3YO: I wish we got to have the pumpkin bread.
YVM: You guys wanted to get everything though, right? It's kind of hard to not go totally crazy in a vegan grocery store. You liked that bread?
Both: (Wistfully) Yeah.
YVM: What else did we have there?
3YO: A bar. (ReBar - the boys, hopped up on gummy bears
YVM: Got it. What else?
3YO: The last thing we should say is not about the store. The last thing we should say is (and now his voice gets very quiet and serious, and a little bashful) I love you.
Viva La Vegan Grocery
9456 Roberds Street, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91701
(909) 941 - 4495
Open 10 - 8 Daily
They have everything - from kale seedlings to frozen vegan corndogs to things you never dreamed of like this adorable date-based vegan caramel sauce. The cheese selection, as you might expect, is staggering - my co-chaperon on this field trip, Vegyogini, came home with a few kinds of parmesan, and I bought a small refrigerated jar of marinated tofu feta. The prepared food from Vegan with Joy is comfort food delicious - the boys had mac 'n cheese for dinner, and I brought home saucy barbecue and creamy, pickly potato salad for Paul and me. There's an all-you-can-eat brunch on Sundays for $15 too. We picked up a frozen pepperoni pizza specially packaged for the store from Cheezy Pizza in Colton that Vegyogini and I popped in the oven after the boys finally went to sleep. We stayed up way past my bedtime catching up - while I've been living in a kid-constructed bubble for the last year, she's been diligently collecting the vegan scoop. I can't wait to hear what she has to say about our field trip. From the owner, she learned that Viva La Vegan is hoping to open a branch in Culver City in several months. Viva La Vegan indeed. I love this place.
