Portrait by Rachel Pressley
A developing friendship between animal activist Lisa McDonald, the owner of Sanctuary Brewing Company, and Christine Kozlik, owner of the former Garlik Vegan Pizza and Dining in Horse Shoe, led to a natural collaboration in the new Inconceivable Café, open last month inside Sanctuary’s space in downtown Hendersonville. Kozlik, the new restaurant’s head chef, designed a menu of approachable comfort food — chips and vegan queso, “Chik’n” nuggets, pizza burgers, chocolate cupcakes, and more.
“I am honestly a little obsessed with anything made with Christine’s queso [potato nutritional yeast and secret ingredients] — queso is the staple of our people,” says McDonald. “Before, I was just planning on opening a kitchen. When I brought up the idea of Christine being the chef, she jumped at the opportunity. It’s simply divine intervention.
Photo by Rachel Pressley
“The goal of the café is to serve pub food that is good,” adds McDonald. “We have super healthy, crunchy food like burgers, fries, and cheese — it all just happens to be vegan. I don’t think people realize how easy it can be.” Inconceivably, even meat eaters are reported to be gobbling it up.
Inconceivable Café, located inside Sanctuary Brewing Company (147 1st Ave. East, Hendersonville). For more information, visit sanctuarybrewco.com. 828-595-9956.
