Offering friendly service and a neighborhood feel, Wayward Café has a truly extensive menu of veganized versions of classic diner food.
Interview with Tami Blanchette
Is this your first restaurant?
No. I previously owned Pizza Pi Vegan Pizzeria from December of 2007 until November of 2011.
When did Wayward Café open?
Wayward was a workers’ collective before we purchased it in November of 2008. It was going out of business and we brought it back to life! It’s no longer a collective, but we do like our employees to have a voice.
Do you want to have more than one restaurant?
It’s always been a dream to have more locations, but we’re so hands-on that we’re just doing our best to keep up with how much we’re expanding in our single location.
What’s your favorite dish on the menu?
I’m a big fan of our lasagna and country fried “steak”—oh, and the “filet mignon” cannot be beat!
What’s your most popular appetizer?
It’s a tie between the fried “mozzarella” wedges and the smoky “bacon” fries!
What’s the most popular entrée on the menu?
Probably the club sandwich, though it’s tough to narrow it down to just one!
What’s your most popular dessert?
Chocolate peanut butter cheesecake—house-made, of course!
What do you feel is special about your restaurant?
We’re one-hundred-percent vegan; we’re vegan owned and operated, and we make the food many people miss when going vegan.
How often do you change your menu items? Do you have daily or weekly specials?
We try to do a new menu every six to eight months. We have weekly specials that start every Saturday.
Do you have gluten-free, soy-free, and sugar-free options on your menu?
We have an extensive gluten-free menu, including gluten-free pancakes, French toast, club sandwich, and wraps, just to name a few items! We have a very limited soy-free selection, though it’s definitely possible to eat soy-free at Wayward.
What do you do to reduce your environmental impact?
In addition to composting and recycling, we’ve installed a low-flow toilet in our restroom and we try very hard to minimize waste by making orders correctly the first time and paying attention to the cooking practices in our kitchen.
What are the most important lessons you’ve learned as owner or chef of this restaurant?
As an owner the lessons are numerous, quite different from the lessons I’ve learned as a chef. Most important, I’ve learned that you can’t please everyone and not to take it personally. I’ve also learned that we’re part of a community that wants to support us and will go to great lengths to do so.
What led you to want to open a vegan restaurant, and/or what led you to the vegan diet yourself?
I’ve worked in restaurants all my life so it seemed like a natural transition to own them. Going vegan is what really made it possible, though. I went vegan for my cats, honestly; I knew I would never eat them, so why would I eat any other animal?
In the time since your restaurant first opened, how has the plant-based food movement changed? Do you find more demand now for vegan food?
I think that the plant-based food movement has changed to include many more health-food vegans rather than ethics-based vegans. When we first opened both our pizzeria and then Wayward, it seemed like the climate was much more activist-centered rather than those who are primarily health-focused. I definitely think the demand has gone up in the last few years as is evident by our continued growth.
Since your restaurant first opened, has your view of what constitutes healthy or delicious foods changed? Have you changed the types of foods you offer?
Our food choices have not changed all that much since we first opened—but we’ve changed how many options we offer. We’ve included many more gluten-free choices since the beginning.
Where do you see the plant-based food movement going in coming years?
I see it expanding greatly, but unfortunately I think it will have less to do with the animals as time goes on and more to do with health issues. I feel like activism in my community has already started to die down, which is disheartening to me. After all, why do this if not for the lives we save? 
Nutloaf
Serves 6
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup slivered almonds
1 large white onion, diced small
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 12-ounce block medium-firm tofu
½ cup textured vegetable protein (TVP) granules
¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon ground sage
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ tablespoon vegan chicken broth powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
2 tablespoons vegan margarine, softened
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor grind the walnuts and almonds until they resemble a meal. Place all ingredients, including the processed nuts, in a large mixing bowl. Using clean hands, mash everything together into a paste. Mix very well. Spray a small cookie sheet with nonstick oil. Put the nutloaf dough onto the cookie sheet and spread evenly, filling all sides to the edge of the cookie sheet. Smooth the top to make sure the dough is level. Place the cookie sheet in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly before cutting.
Served as we do at our restaurant: either in a cold sandwich on toasted French bread with vegan mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato, or in an open-faced hot sandwich on grilled sourdough topped with mushroom gravy and a side of garlic steamed kale.