VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Kahiau’s Bakery and Café, which started out selling cookies and cakes at the Virginia Beach Farmers Market, is now celebrating its four-year anniversary at its current location: 3712 S. Plaza Trail. It’s just over five minutes away from Lynnhaven Mall.
Owner Victoria Sgro explains where the bakery gets its name.
“Our name is Kahiau’s, which means, 'to give generously from the heart' in Hawaiian.”
Sgro lived in Hawaii for a while after moving there from Philadelphia. She says it’s still very special to her and she loves sharing the vibe and the food in Virginia Beach.
“I love Hawaii. It’s definitely in my heart and soul,” Sgro said. “I come from a big Italian family. I was trained under French chefs and from Hawaii, so it’s a fusion of all three. I use a lot of tropical fruit, a lot of macadamia nuts.”
One unique thing about Kahiau’s is that it’s all vegan.
“So, I’ve been vegan eight years now. I just celebrated my eighth vegan anniversary,” said Sgro. “I do it because I want to save animals. I love animals, all of them. So, there’s a big need for vegan food here. The vegan community is very large and popular. There are also people who have allergies: dairy allergies, egg allergies, especially little kids. And they deserve to have a birthday cake and sweets.”
One of those kids is Westwynd Novak, who comes to the restaurant often with his mom.
“I’ve had all of his birthday cakes made here,” explained Julia Novak. "The food is incredible – everything from breakfast to lunch to the pastries. This salad that I’m eating is Caesar dressing, parmesan, croutons and of course, everything is animal-free. There’s no anchovies or dairy, and you would never be able to tell.”
In addition to brownies, cakes, and other pastries, Kahiau’s also has savory dishes like Chipotle macaroni, soups, salads and pasta.
Related: Vegan restaurant in Virginia Beach featured on 'Shark Tank'
Kahiau's also has a full bar with several signature drinks that change seasonally.
The owner says they’ve had to cut back on hours, but their indoor seating is now open, as well as outdoor seating.
On Saturday and Sunday, May 8 and 9, they’ll have some drawings for gift cards to the bakery. They also plan to give away free slices of birthday cake at noon on Saturday.
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