SPRINGFIELD — Nina Ortiz and Khesahn Reid ran into a problem when they first started their vegan alkaline journey together several years ago: they could not find a restaurant in the area that reflected their newfound diet.
Feeling that void, the duo decided to take matters into their own hands.
“We forced ourselves to learn how to cook [vegan alkaline] food because we couldn’t really find a restaurant around us,” Reid said. “We thought, maybe this is something the people in the community need.”
What first started as cooking vegan dinners in their home for themselves and for others has now morphed into a fully-fledged alkaline/vegan/plant-based family restaurant called “Flame On Vegan.”
“We found our first location in Chicopee right before COVID-19, and we never looked back,” Reid told Reminder Publishing in an interview over the phone. “Chicopee was a big spark for us.”
After spending time running their restaurant there, Ortiz and Reid — who partner as the cooks, owners and founders of Flame On Vegan — eventually moved to a bigger location in Agawam, and formed a nice community there.
But their dream of the last five years was to move their restaurant to the heart of Springfield, and now, that dream is finally coming true for the vegan enthusiasts.
On Feb. 1 from 1 to 7 p.m., Reid and Ortiz will celebrate a grand reopening of Flame On Vegan at their new location of 1244 Main St. in downtown Springfield.
“It took us a good five years to find a spot in downtown Springfield because everything was taken in that part of the city,” Ortiz said. “We finally got this one, and we’re right where we need to be … right across from the MassMutual Center.”
Moving their restaurant to Springfield is a momentous occasion for a variety of reasons, according to the partners. For one, Reid said they are filling a niche in Springfield because there is currently not a restaurant in the city that only specializes in vegan and plant-based food.
“Vegans have a hard time finding food no matter where they go nowadays,” Reid said. “So having a nice vegan restaurant right by MGM and the MassMutual Center is good for the city and the community.”
Ortiz and Reid said the menu will be very similar to what they served when they operated out of Agawam and Chicopee. Aside from some Chinese and Italian food, the duo will have their highly popular vegan hot dogs and beefless burgers; their vegan Philly cheese steak grinder, chopped cheese grinder and their “Flame On vicken (vegan chicken) sandwich.”
“We want everyone to know that the food we serve is 100% plant-based,” Reid said. “I want people to be eating healthier but still having that guilty pleasure.”
Reid and Ortiz said they are not those “angry vegans” that want to force people to change their diet, but they do want to show customers that vegan food can taste as good as recipes that use meat.
At their grand reopening on Feb. 1, they will offer some samples of their food and answer any questions customers may have. For Reid and Ortiz, the hope that more people will be willing to expand their food palette and maybe start their own vegan journeys like they did.
“This is a family business, so I want to bring that vegan cuisine and help families become healthier,” Reid said.
Ortiz echoed that sentiment: “We’re just trying to get the non-vegans to come on board and see that it’s no difference in food,” she said.
“They can still have the same taste buds, but they won’t feel so heavy or bad after eating it.”
Readers can learn more about Flame On Vegan at facebook.com/flameonevegan.
According to Ortiz and Reid, the restaurant will be available for dine-in, takeout, and delivery on services like Grubhub and DoorDash.
