Firestorm Cafe Firestorm Café and Books is a new collectively-run vegetarian restaurant in downtown Asheville. VegNC.com caught up with Kila and Alex, members of the collective, who shared with us a bit about their scrumptious menu and business philosophy.

What made you all decide to open a vegan cafe?

Kila: The need for a deliciously affordable vegan restaurant and a sustainable radical community space in downtown Asheville inspired the creation of Firestorm Cafe & Books. As part of the collective's commitment to minimizing environmental impact and human/animal suffering, we do not purchase or serve animal products, aside from organic milk from a farm cooperative available on request for espresso drinks.

	What items do you sell?
	Alex: Currently, we have an all vegan menu of panini, wraps, soups and vegan takes on classic omnivorous items, such as a tempeh gyro and tempeh, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. We also sell light fare, such as bagels and homemade sun dried tomato hummus. We also bake muffins, including gluten-free and maple-sweetened varieties, cookies, brownies, and cupcakes, in house.

	Are there any favorites?
	Alex: Our tempeh gyro with homemade vegan tzatziki sauce and thinly sliced marinated tempeh is out of this world.

	Is there anything special about your business you want everyone to know?
	Alex: We are a worker-owned, collectively operated cafe, bookstore and community events space. We have created a sustainable, non-hierarchical, not-for-profit business that differs from the typical capitalist structure employed by most vegetarian restaurants. Veganism within the cafe fits under our mission to create a positive environment for as many community members as possible.

Since you have multiple owners, how does your business run? Are all of you vegan?

Kila: All of the workers you encounter in the cafe are either owners of the business or interns on the path to ownership. Some of us are vegan. Management responsibilities have been divided up and shared among the entire ownership. So, we are all managers and we are all owners. We make decisions by consensus at our weekly general meetings. In addition to performing shift work and management tasks, each owner is required to participate in working groups which craft proposals aimed at creatively & energetically improving the business and the community resource aspect of the space. We feel our self-managing organizational structure has proven incredibly effective. We currently hold a 101 sanitation score, so something must be working!

What are some reasons you went vegan?

Kila: I finally went vegetarian after seeing a slide show eight years ago in New York City by artist Sue Coe. While viewing her paintings of slaughterhouses and factory farms, she told stories of her experiences and brilliantly linked the oppressive and dehumanizing treatment among the peoples of the world to our culturally ingrained objectification and exploitation of animals. Her simple, emotional, yet rational delivery of these realities (and the inevitable acknowledgement of my participation in perpetuating the horrors) changed my life forever. My going vegan was made easy by having a vegan partner who is an incredible cook! We hope Firestorm Cafe & Books will make it easy for many more to eat vegan by alluring unsuspecting by-passers in with our scrumptious array of savory delights! We don't advertise the fact that we are a vegan cafe much because we'd like people to judge and enjoy the food without preconceptions.

What are the future plans for Firestorm Cafe?

Kila: Firestorm Cafe & Books is already establishing itself as a community crossroads rich in diversity, a hub of open dialogue about cultural & political institutions, and a support for individuals and community groups in need of meeting and event space. We also serve as a resource center, providing free internet terminals and literature. In the future, we anticipate supporting the creation & maintenance of alternative infrastructure to aid in the self-sustainability of the region in this time of economic & political uncertainty. We also hope to inspire and aid in the proliferation of cooperative business models.

On Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010, 10% of all food and book sales at Firestorm Cafe and Books will be donated to Mercy For Animals, a nonprofit that promotes a vegetarian diet based on its health, environmental, and humane benefits. What could be better than enjoying a delicious meal with friends while supporting a local, veg-friendly business and the important work of Mercy For Animals? We hope to see you there.

Firestorm Café is located at 48 Commerce Street (behind and below the big purple building at the corner of Patton Ave. & Coxe Ave.) in Downtown Asheville. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.