Texas Vegan Bakery Wins $25,000 Grand Prize

Last weekend, Austin, TX-based vegan bakery Skull & Cakebones was awarded the $25,000 grand prize during this year’s Quest for the Texas Best competition hosted by supermarket chain H-E-B Grocery Co. The contest welcomed 565 entrants from 200 Texas towns that showcased a specialty food item that was judged on taste, customer appeal, value, uniqueness, market potential, and differentiation from current products available at H-E-B markets. The bakery’s winning dessert was the Mocha Marmalade Trifle, a rich chocolate cake layered with coffee buttercream frosting and topped with chocolate pudding. “Everything we do is vegan because if you can make a tasty dish without using animal products,” the bakery’s motto states, “why wouldn’t you?” The bakery’s brick-and-mortar location serves menu items such as flakey handheld pie pockets stuffed with seitan-based “chik’n” pot pie, vegan grilled cheese sandwiches made on homemade sourdough, and a selection of pastries, including cinnamon rolls, fruit galettes, and cookies. Skull & Cakebones’ winning chocolate dessert will be featured in H-E-B’s supermarket locations, Texas’ largest grocery chain with 380 locations across the state and in Mexico.