Strata smoking fines tossed
Seeking a wildfire 'hero'
BC firm's materials in space
UN workers charged 
Trudeau in Saskatoon 
Doctors protest tax change
$620 million for Ukraine 
5 die crossing channel
Jury finds railway at fault 
Tourism operators struggle 
Nude Beverages sells line
Wealth gap widening
Leafs even series
Cristall gets pro look
Warriors even series in OT
Hozier surprised by #1
Trainor to replace Perry?
Swift breaks Spotify record
Their name implies otherwise, but the owners of Penticton's Angry Vegan cafe aren't pissed off at all — in fact, they are thrilled to have moved to a new location in the downtown area and to meet all the new customers that transition brings.
Daren and Yesenia McWhinney used to operate out of a storefront on Skaha Lake Road, but when a spot opened up on Westminster Ave. late last year, they jumped at the chance. They spent months renovating the new location and reopened this summer.
"All the old guys that knew us from Skaha have been finding us, people from out of town that come through in the summertime," Daren said, adding their popularity is proof of a local desire for more vegan-friendly options. "For many reasons, health reasons, cruelty to animals, pollution of the Earth, there's a lot of things out there that they say a vegan diet can help."
Daren came up with the plan for running his own vegan cafe after working at the former Penticton Whole Foods Market and listening to people coming in sharing stories about how plant-based options changed their life. He aims to puncture holes in the common myth that eating vegan means eating bland, repetitive meals.
"They think they're just going to eat a salad. They think vegan food is sprouted hippie stuff," he said. "They don't think they can enjoy food."
Their menu focuses on their beverage bar, with popular items including the Banana Iced Coffee. They also offer plant-based meals like vegan burgers and wraps, with all their patties made by hand in-house.
"We get little kids in, they get the Latin Burger, which is a black bean patty with a piece of melted vegan cheese on top and they say 'This is good!'" Daren said.
He and is wife are excited to be part of a burgeoning downtown food scene that includes new restaurants and breweries popping up monthly.
The Angry Vegan can be found at 248 Westminster Avenue from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
