Kim Schortinghuis’s passion for baking vegan desserts was born out of necessity.
Schortinghuis’ 3-year-old son Camden, suffers from severe allergies to both eggs and dairy products, so she needed a way to serve him treats that don’t include those ingredients. “I couldn’t get him a cake pop from Starbucks or cupcakes from a bakery,” says Schortinghuis. “I began reevaluating food in general.” Using her experience baking for him, she launched her own vegan and allergy-friendly bakery, The Vegan Turtle, on Sunday, Jan. 30 and quickly received her first order for a dozen assorted sugar cookies.
Turtle is the nickname Schortinghuis’ husband Chris gave Camden, when he was a baby because he refused to roll over. Besides his food allergies, “He’s fine with everything else,” she states. Of course, the couple rarely take him out to eat, but some restaurants are careful to ensure Camden doesn’t eat anything containing the wrong ingredients.
Schortinghuis uses healthier alternatives to common baking ingredients. For example, she substitutes almond milk for regular milk and vegan butter for regular butter. The Vegan Turtle’s Valentine’s Day menu includes cupcakes (see photo above story), cookies, and cake pops. Schortinghuis launched the business out of her home in Evans. “Hopefully as we grow, a storefront will be in the future,” she explains. Schortinghuis says she has always enjoyed baking. “It’s kind of been a long journey in the making,” she adds.
For more information, visit The Vegan Turtle’s Facebook page. To place an order, email Schortinghuis at the veganturtlebakery@gmail.com or send her a Facebook message.
