New All-Vegan Bakery Opens in Los Angeles

Vegan bakery Just What I Kneaded will soon open in the Elysian Park (known as “Frogtown”) neighborhood of Los Angeles. Co-founder Justine Hernandez raised $30,000 via crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to turn her baking business into a brick-and-mortar shop. Hernandez decided to go vegan after the 2016 presidential election and partnered with local restaurateur Ermano Navellier to build the business. “I love animals, I love our planet, and I wanted to put a purpose into my food,” Hernandez told The Eastsider LA. “I wanted to make an impact and knew as a baker I would be using a ton of animal resources like eggs, milk, and butter if I went the traditional route. I love ‘regular’ pastries and would never argue that butter isn’t delicious, but I felt there was room for something different, something that made me feel good about taking our environment into consideration.” An Echo Park native, Hernandez is of Polish, Native American, and Mexican descent and draws inspiration from her roots to create a variety of pastries such as tomato galettes, spinach scrolls with almond ricotta, and (her favorite) cinnamon rolls. The eatery will also serve a breakfast menu with items such as burritos, English muffins, and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.