First All-Vegan Coffee Shop to Open in Los Angeles

Antoanet Aburto (Chef Toni for short) is working to open Los Angeles’ first all-vegan coffee shop, Evolution Café. Aburto, who currently manages M Café on Melrose and runs a meat-free Latino catering business on the side in addition to her blog Chica Vegan, went vegan after hearing Vega formulator and triathlete Brendan Brazier explain how health issues could be solved with a plant-based diet. Like her shop’s namesake, Aburto believes coffee needs to evolve with the times. “Cow milk shouldn’t be the only way to enjoy coffee … we’re in the year 2012 … I mean, we just took some awesome photos of Mars. Why are we still eating and drinking the same way [as] centuries ago?” she told laist.com.