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Seed to Sprout Vegan Bakery will officially open its doors 6 a.m. Saturday at 1405 Wickapecko Drive in the Wanamassa section of Ocean Township.

An expansion of restaurateurs Alex Mazzucca, 35, and Cara Pescatore, 32, [at right] healthy and sustainable food dining experiences in Avon and Fair Haven, the bakery will feature baked goods, grab and go items, and their scratch made cakes.

“We are really excited to do our custom cakes out of here,” Mazzucca said. “That was the impetus to come here. We had so many custom cakes orders and it was getting crazy to do them out of the restaurant. We were literally bumping elbows trying to frost a three tiered wedding cake while brunch is going on in a two foot space.”

In April their popular weekly raw food cleanse will make a return, but until then, fair trade coffees, lattes, juices and teas are on the shelf. Small plate breakfast and lunch items will include items like avocado toast, cream cheese and jelly toast, granola yogurt bowls, salads, and an array of sandwich offerings, like their Sunflower Burrito.  

“We definitely want to accommodate people who are on their way to work who want to pop in for something for breakfast or lunch,” Mazzucca said

“We want this to be place where people come to enjoy healthy, delicious, good food,” Pescatore said. “We want to be here for your every day; be here for people’s needs, whether it’s taking something home for their own kitchens like a loaf of bread and salad dressing, or coming to us just for that chance to get a good healthy meal.”

Pescatore and Mazzucca are childhood friend who found a common bond first in vegetarian food and then to eventual transition to a vegan diet. Both made the transition due to health concerns; the former suffering from migraines and the latter from allergies.

They opened Seed to Sprout in their community Avon in 2012 and followed it with the Fair Haven eatery in 2015.

Their online cookbooks, periodical cooking classes, and ready made products, offers those new to vegan or even healthy and clean eating diets, an opportunity to learn from two women who, after receiving college degrees in unaffiliated fields, returned to school to study nutrition.

“It was always really important to us that not only do we provide something but that we want to help spark a change in people and really get them to bring what they eat and learn at Sprout home,” Mazzucca said.

“It is daunting when people think of going vegan,” Pescatore said. “They think, well what will I actually eat. We want to give people to tools, what to stock their pantry with, how to prep yourself in the beginning of the week so they can put simple meals together.”

The 1,500 square foot bakery boasts the organically calming decor featured in their other locations, with an art wall design and installed by their significant others. The natural wood table and seating bars [one in the window and at the counter] help offset the counter and steel bake ovens. Behind the scenes, an almost equal part square footage is dedicated to production and prep work for the shop and their growing catering business.

The pair say the majority of their existing clientele are not vegan but those searching for healthy, clean food.

“We really want to show people that you don’t have to sacrifice taste for health,” Mazzucca said. “You can come in and get something that is comfort food, hearty and delicious but is made from scratch out of completely whole organic ingredients. We do not comprise that at all, we are extremely rigid with our standards. We will not accept non organic produce regardless of cost or availability. That’s how we roll.”

Currently, the Seed to Sprout Vegan Bakery hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

For more information, visit their website, Facebook, and Instagram pages.

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The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

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