Toronto Gets Its First Vegan Cheese Shop

Toronto-based vegan cheese company Wandering Deli will soon open the city’s first artisanal vegan cheese shop. The shop will carry up to 30 different styles and flavors of dairy-free cheese, and plans to offer products from local vegan cheese makers once the store is established. Styles will include Smokey Paprika Ash with a charcoal rind, Almond Mylk Mozzarella, Bocconcini, Almond Feta blocks, Chèvre-style logs, and cream cheese in favors such as Beet Lox and Octoberfest. The store also plans to offer Cheese Club-themed bundles during the holiday season with offerings such as Cranberry Orange Chèvre and Chocolate-Dipped Nutmeg Brie. ”Toronto is a world class city with a booming vegan scene and a couple of great vegan grocery stores, but has yet to boast a deli-style artisan vegan cheese shop,” Wandering Deli founder Kira Lancaster told VegNews. “Awesome small shops like Blue Heron in Vancouver and La Fauxmagerie in London are something we’ve admired from afar and we want to bring the experience of a neighborhood plant-based cheesemonger to Toronto.” Wandering Deli has existed in various forms over the years, including offering a local Secret Vegan Cheese Club and selling its cheeses at farmers’ markets. What started out as a hobby for Lancaster and partner Cailean Lewis has since become a full-time job. The couple has been offered the opportunity to use their current production space for their public shop, and are currently crowdfunding in an effort to pay for renovations and equipment.