Vegetarians take be aware: Bethlehem has a brand new home-style brunch spot

BETHLEHEM, PA – Trying to take pleasure in a scrumptious brunch with out worrying about meat, eggs, or dairy?

Mattress Head Vegan Brunch Home in Bethlehem may need precisely what you are in search of.

Simply be ready for some tasty, savory, candy, filling meals—”we’re not a wicked well being meals retailer,” Mattress Head’s web site states.

• Mattress Head Vegan Brunch Home opened its doorways at 310 East Goepp Avenue in Bethlehem
• The cruelty-free restaurant serves vegan brunch choices together with rooster and waffles, biscuits and gravy, and sourdough cinnamon rolls.
• Mattress Head might be celebrating its grand opening from 8am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday July twenty first and twenty second.

From the traditional breakfast burrito or biscuits and gravy to the Mattress Head Hash full of greens and deceptively easy vegan cheese, this new meat-, dairy- and egg-free restaurant at 310 East Goepp Avenue in Bethlehem has a bit one thing for everybody.

Chadwick Aufderhar, proprietor and operator of Mattress Head, has years of expertise within the vegan group, and a rising ardour for going cruelty-free when it is time to take pleasure in a hearty brunch. He stated he hopes to unfold this love of vegan meals throughout the Lehigh Valley.

Raised as a vegetarian, Aufderhar has constructed a stable data of staple meat options like grains and greens.

Spokane Roots

In 2015, Aufderhar helped launch Allie’s Vegan Pizzeria & Café in Spokane, Washington, the place he lived on the time along with his spouse, Lauren Gilmore.

“I believe we have been the primary vegan restaurant [in town]. There was once a bit vegan bakery, however we have been the primary all-vegan restaurant on the town, and most of the people did not actually know the place it was. We opened as a café and pizzeria, and we did not actually know what to anticipate, , like if individuals have been going to take to it or not.”

The concept turned out to be successful. Biscuits and gravy, cruelty-free rooster (made with seitan) and waffles—a part of Aufderhar’s weekly brunch—typically outweigh the common menu objects.

A couple of years later, Aufderhar and Gilmore moved to Bethlehem in order that Gilmore may pursue graduate research at Lehigh College. Unfamiliar with the realm, Aufderhar was pleasantly stunned to search out an already established fan base for high quality vegan meals.

“I have been actually happy to see so many truly thriving firms. I imply, having an organization like Vegan Timber on the town with such an amazing repute, and making such wonderful merchandise for therefore lengthy, I believe has helped individuals perceive,” stated Aufderhar.

So, why would you select to create a restaurant that focuses completely on a vegetarian brunch?

“Properly, I have been obsessive about breakfast burritos my entire life. However I believe it in all probability began after I was in faculty, and I simply, effectively, that is my favourite… I believe it is the ‘meal’ of the day. However the principle factor is, I used to work at Allie’s Vegan Pizzeria & Café in Spokane, and once we first opened, we had a full brunch service that I made the menu,” stated Aufderhar.

seize and go

Sadly, the pandemic has hit eating places exhausting, imposing limits on seating capability and eating choices. Allie pivoted with the occasions, and Aufderhar launched the Seize and Go choice, serving breakfast burritos and scorching cinnamon buns to an keen crowd.

“I began doing it each week, as soon as per week, and I actually loved the quick tempo. I actually loved the early hours, and I actually loved the menu. I imply, I really like pizza. I am certain in the event you’ve had supernatural pizza, they do an amazing job,” stated Aufderhar.

“And, , I actually loved a few of our different menus, however brunch was sort of like my wheelhouse. So once we moved right here, I used to be nonetheless going forwards and backwards. Truly as soon as a month, I might seize a fast lunch in Spokane, WA as a result of it was so well-liked. It simply made sense to me to maintain doing that.”

For brand new pioneers of the vegan brunch scene, there are many choices to discover at Mattress Head. However it doesn’t matter what, you positively wish to have a facet of hash browns, Aufderhar stated, which is a straightforward however scrumptious menu staple.

“That is a kind of issues the place it is actually easy. However when you make them contemporary by hand daily, they’re surprisingly good. It isn’t simply one thing you get out of the freezer, or one thing like that,” stated Aufderhar, including that tots are a centerpiece of the Mattress Head Hash and breakfast burrito.

Different tasty dishes embrace biscuits and gravy with scramble and hash-tots, fried rooster biscuit sandwiches and Goepp avenue salad.

Feeling sweeter? Attempt the lemon or tiramisu waffles, or perhaps the Amore waffles—which has strawberry compote, darkish chocolate ganache, and white chocolate drizzle.

And remember to get a cinnamon roll — or perhaps six or 12 — to go.

It is all within the dough

Aufderhar is critical about his dough. He had despatched his authentic sourdough starter out of Spokane to proceed baking the fan-favorite cinnamon roll when he and Gilmore made the transfer. It is the identical one he is been utilizing since 2015, and it is served as the idea for each baked good he is produced since.

“That is sort of near my coronary heart, as a result of it is sort of my favourite a part of the day, simply on my own, , early morning getting the dough and rolling it out. After which it is put within the fridge for a day or two in order that it ferments on the chilly and turns into like a extra complicated taste. And I imply, you may’t beat a cinnamon roll, and it appears to make everybody pleased. It is the one ingredient that anybody can actually establish with and recognize,” Overhaar stated.

And people actually tasty dishes hit the spot, Nishi Everett and Jake Roth stated whereas tasting biscuits and gravy and rooster and waffles Thursday morning.

“That is actually good…the seasoning on the fried rooster is ideal,” stated Roth.

“It jogs my memory of Florida biscuits and gravy, true Southern biscuits and gravy,” Everett stated.

Aufderhar stated he hopes that Mattress Head’s close by proximity to different notable vegan eating places — VegOut, Vegan Treats and, hopefully quickly, the return of Paranormal Pizza — will create an aisle for vegans — and everybody else — to take pleasure in quite a lot of scrumptious desserts and candy treats.

As he contemplates tempting palates in Bethlehem and past along with his new brunch spot, Aufderhar stated all of it goes again to these “veggie heads,” the individuals who as soon as grabbed him and his Washington brunch menu.

“They’re a few of the finest individuals I’ve ever met, they usually’ve made it potential for me to have a job and do one thing I really like, and that is one thing I need for everybody,” Overhar stated.