Meet Francesca Avitto and Kate Wnek | Owners, Lady and the Shallot

We had the good fortune of connecting with Francesca Avitto and Kate Wnek and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Francesca and Kate, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Our business started pretty organically. Francesca had a lot of experience in business, as she had created and ran multiple businesses of her own previously, and Kate had worked her entire life in the food industry. We decided we wanted a change in our lives due to the people in our families getting sick as well as Francesca dealing with auto-immune disease since the age of 24. Kate’s mother was diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimer’s which was an eye-opener for both of us. Taking care of her and watching her decline really made us look at ourselves and how we treat our bodies. We started to research the correlation between food and disease, and that’s how our plant-based eatery, Lady and the Shallot was born.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We are a Produce Forward, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free & Plant Based Eatery inside of The Trenton Farmers Market. We use local produce from all the farms located inside of our market to create a seasonal, farm – to – table experience. We have a focus on healthy, elevated plant based foods. We take whole, simple ingredients and create delicious, well-rounded dishes that become everyone’s favorites. We didn’t want to be another fancy salad bar, we wanted to create dishes that were memorable yet familiar. We truly believe in the gift of what the Earth has to give us, so we try to play on the flavor profiles that are already there and take them to an entirely new level.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First and foremost, we’d take them to The Trenton Farmers Market! Not only is it the home of LATS, but home to many different creative businesses and outlets. From coffee and tea shops, to bakeries and novelty gift shops – this place is a good time. The farms here sell some of the best produce (we should know!) and we are all a big happy family.

Other than the market, we’d suggest visiting Grounds For Sculpture which is down the street as well as checking out downtown Trenton for its history and tons of small local businesses. Trenton is also right near the Delaware, and the views are exquisite! There are also multiple Universities in the area which are nice to visit for their beautiful campuses. Princeton University, Rider, TCNJ just to name a few.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Our customers and our employees! Since day one, we were very nervous to open an entirely plant-based eatery in a farmers market where perogies and smoked brisket are most popular. Also, in a town where fried foods, sub shops and pizzerias were the “go-to” – we weren’t sure how we would be received. What we did know, was that this town needed this. We took a risk, and people just started coming out and supporting us. Regulars (mostly meat eaters!) at the market became our loyal customers, as well as people coming in from Philly and NYC to check us out. Insane! We were also lucky to have the immediate support of local online vegan groups such as Vegan in NJ, NJVeg as well as write-ups in local publications as well as large vegan communities like VegNews. We didn’t really know where all the love was coming from, but we quickly realized that the vegan community is one big family.

Secondly, our employees are our heart and soul. We couldn’t do this without them and all of their dedication and hard work. Kara and Ashley are two of the hardest working people we know. They love our business and our customers as much as we do and we thank our lucky stars they walked into our business. (By chance, all of our employees were once customers!) We also have a joke, that if you ever become a baby shallot, you stay a baby shallot – for life! Former employees who have moved onto their careers still come in for lunch, but also make sure to ring some customers up before they leave. We are grateful everyday and love our work family.

Website: www.ladyandtheshallot.com

Instagram: instagram.com/ladyandtheshallot

Facebook: facebook.com/ladyandtheshallot

Image Credits
All photos taken by Lady and the Shallot