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Southland Cafe chef Catherine Frye veganized the entire regular menu. Yes, the whole menu. And I love that the sandwiches are all named after famous women. I confess to ordering a sandwich simply because of my love for Dolly Parton.
Catherine’s Story
Catherine has been vegan for six years. She started her journey when she was experiencing joint pain, and a doctor advised her to get joint replacement surgery. But before she took that giant step, she decided to try a vegan diet. It worked. Six months later, she had no pain and did not require surgery anymore.
Southland Cafe’s vibe is a casual atmosphere with comfort food. Catherine loves that vegans have a place with a vegan menu. She spends a great deal of time veganizing her favorite dishes. Since she works and eats there regularly, she wants delicious food, too. Her philosophy is to keep the food as simple and healthy as possible, at a reasonable price.
What’s On The Southland Menu
Southland offers great variety for vegans. Sandwiches include variations on grilled cheese, chickpea salad, tofu, and BLTs. Catherine’s current favorite menu item is the vegan pimiento cheese.
All coffee syrups are vegan. And she always has a vegan cookie or brownie available.
Catherine gets most of her ingredients locally and uses Benevolent Bacon, Just Egg, Daiya Provolone, Simple Truth Cheddar (Kroger), and Violife Feta Cheese.
Southland Cafe is open Monday – Friday 10am – 4pm, and Saturday 10am -3pm.
Upstairs, Downstairs
If an entirely vegan menu isn’t enough, Catherine also offers vegan options at her restaurant below Southland Cafe, The Bird and the Book.
The Bird and the Book is open Wednesday through Saturday evenings and has an eclectic vibe with a bar and beer on tap. The vegan food here is higher-end and includes ramen bowls, panini sandwiches, and potato smashers.
Catherine says customers like the hempseed encrusted tofu and the fig and goat cheese panini.
A Vegan Gathering Place
Southland and The Bird and the Book offer something rare in Blount County, a welcoming atmosphere and many vegan options.
Although she is delighted that restaurants are adding vegan items to their menus, she hopes they are making the changes in the right way. For example, in her restaurants, she keeps a separate vegan grill.
Catherine loves to make vegans happy and emphasizes that you can always call in and let her know your specific wishes and needs. She will be glad to create a lovely meal based on your requirements.
