Happy Soul Delights brings vegan offerings to downtown Bradenton
At first glance, the menu at Happy Soul Delights looks very familiar to what diners would expect to find in most American restaurants.
Cheeseburgers and fries, meatloaf, nachos, chili, and pulled pork sandwiches, for example.
But the twist is that everything is vegan.
Paula Tromp opened Happy Soul Delights in October, sharing space with Sugar Cubed Pastry Lab at 531 13th St. W.
Sugar Cubed is now at the rear of the space, and Happy Soul Delights is up front with seating at the counter, and several tables inside and outside on the sidewalk.
“We sell vegan comfort food,” Tromp said.
The nachos are packed with flavor, but the “hamburger” crumbles on top are actually a plant-based substitute from Beyond Meat. The cheese sauce is also a plant-based product.
“No soy or gluten is used in our food,” Tromp said. “I feel like by cooking organic and vegan we can reverse some of the bad effects on the body from not eating properly.”
Tromp started on the path to opening Happy Soul Delights by making almond milk at home, before branching out to produce a number of healthy snacks.
It was a bit of serendipity that when she started looking for restaurant space, she stopped at the Sugar Cubed Pastry Lab and ran into Valencia Mitchell, a partner in the bakery business.
Mitchell and Tromp were long-time friends going back to the time they were in elementary school together.
Yes, we would have space for you here, Mitchell told Tromp.
“I say it’s a God thing,” Tromp said of her decision to check out Old Main Street, not realizing that her old friend had a business downtown.
Reconnecting with Mitchell gave her the reassurance that she was on the right path for opening a restaurant.
Happy Soul Delights is open 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Cheeseburgers and truffle fries are available every day.
The Monday special is meatloaf, made with Beyond Beef, while on Tuesday, Jackfruit Nachos and vegetable chili with cornbread is served. Thursday, it’s pulled pork sandwiches — actually barbecued jackfruit — and on Fridays it’s cheeseburger and mac and cheese or truffle fries. Wednesday’s special is posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Happy Soul Delights offers catering and meal prepping, for individuals and families.
Also on the menu are almond milk in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, blueberry and mocha-coffee flavors. Other refreshments include lavender lemonade (in lemon, strawberry and blueberry flavors), hot and iced tea.
Happy Soul Delights also offers some non-vegan treats from Sugar Cubed, including cookies, doughnuts and cupcakes.
For more information about Happy Soul Delights, call 941-932-7320 or visit feedyourhappysoul.com, or the restaurant’s Facebook or Instagram pages.
This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
