If you live in Los Angeles or love celebrity news then you know Craig’s in West Hollywood is THE hot spot. Opened in 2011, this iconic restaurant boasts a sophisticated warm atmosphere, celeb sightings, and delicious comfort food. When Craig’s created their own vegan ice cream, they embraced Spread The Love®’s NAKED Organic Peanut Butter and added it into their landmark flavor.
We interviewed Spread The Love® partner, Craig’s about their LA roots and yummy vegan ice cream. We’re seriously so hungry now!
Spread The Love: For almost a decade, Craig’s restaurant has been a Hollywood hotspot. When did vegan ice cream first hit the menu and when did you know you had something special?
Craig's: Craig's Vegan is an organic extension of Craig's Restaurant. As we opened in 2011, our clientele began to ask for vegan items. We began with one and it grew into an entire section on our menu. The popularity of the vegan items made us realize we needed to offer a complete experience – dessert. We started making cashew-based vegan ice cream. We noticed people taking it to go and Craig's Vegan the product was born.
STL: Craig’s Vegan flavor names are an ode to Los Angeles. How else does LA inspire Craig’s Vegan?
C: Many people say Los Angeles is not a place but a state of mind - it is both. Los Angeles is an eclectic diverse city that demands healthy delicious food that matches our healthy on the go lifestyle. Whether you are in front of the camera or not we all want to look good and feel good. LA directly inspires Craig's Vegan because our clients demand healthy options without sacrificing taste.
STL: Our (potentially biased) favorite flavor is Kursten’s PB Krunch. Who’s Kursten and how did you develop the flavor?
C: As the plant-based menu at Craig's became more and more popular, we realized we need to offer a complete experience. What better way to finish off dinner than with a plant-based ice cream. We looked into the most popular flavors of ice cream - Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip was one of them and I love anything with Peanut Butter in it. Our Chef Kursten spent six months coming out with bowls of ice cream until we got the right taste. Kursten's Krunch sounds good and it was the perfect way to honor the Chef Kursten.
STL: We’re super excited to see Craig’s Vegan grow. What’s next for Craig’s Vegan?
C: Our goals for the future are to develop additional flavors for everyone to enjoy. We plan to expand our reach to other regions of the country so that everyone can experience the incredible taste of our vegan ice cream.