April 5, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
An all-vegan cafe owned by a 21-year-old entrepreneur and college student opened in Bushwick today.
Sol Sips, located at 203 Wilson Avenue, features an array of plant-based smoothies, juices, sandwiches, salad bowls, and general cafe fare.
Items include avocado mushroom melts, tamarind jackfruit paninis, bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches made with substituted ingredients, and kale and lentil patties. The locale will also offer alkaline coffee and in-house herbal tea blends.
Sandwiches and bowls are priced at around $10, while smaller items on the “munchies” menu are around $5. A “sliding scale” brunch will also be available every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The cafe is the brain child of Francesca “Sol” Chaney, who is currently studying health and anthropology at Brooklyn College, according to her GoFundMe page.
Sol Sips first opened in Bushwick as a three-month pop-up in December, following several years of work on the cafe’s concept. The pop-up was a major success, with over 400 customers served in the first month of opening.
Chaney was soon offered a chance to make the cafe permanent, and opened a GoFundMe page in January to help raise money for purchasing and renovating the space. Over $3,000 has been raised since.
Chaney was introduced to herbalism and holistic health care in 2015, and began making her own tea blends soon after, which were a hit among her friends and local gatherings.
Emeli Chaney, Sol’s mother, also helped in creating the menu through her background in nutritional health coaching.
The cafe will also offer a sliding -scale monthly community brunch, cooking and juicing classes, and live music shows in the upcoming months.
Sol Sips is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m daily.