Vegan cheesemaker Ella Clarke has realised her dream of owning a cafe after finally flinging open the doors of Culture Cafe and Deli in Inverness.
The entrepreneur, who has run online cheese emporium Left Coast Culture for years, longed for her own place in the Highland capital.
And, following months of building work and a few false starts thanks to a recent run-in with a seasonal virus, Ella is now happy to be welcoming customers into Culture on Chapel Street for the first time.
“It feels really good,” says Ella. “I’ve been wanting to open a cafe for probably the better part of 20 years. It’s had various incarnations in my head, but the place feels really positive.”
The 42-year-old mentions a recent visitor who described the cafe as making her feel “really zen”.
“That’s just what I want,” says Ella. “So it feels really nice to finally have it open.”
As shown in our exclusive pictures, Culture has a seating area where customers can tuck into food from Ella’s vegan and plant-based delicatessen.
A range of vegan cheeses are on offer, along with sandwiches, burritos and salad dishes.
Culture also carries vegan cakes and brownies to go with its extensive coffee list.
‘You’ve changed my mind on vegan food’
Ella says the reception from her customers has been fantastic.
Best of all, she’s been able to recruit a few new customers that didn’t immediately realise they were in a 100% plant-based cafe.
“I had one guy come in and say, he clearly didn’t know he was in a vegan cafe at all,” says Ella.
“He put [the food] into his mouth just so reluctantly. And then he goes, ‘Oh, my God, you’ve changed my mind on vegan food’.”
Ella adds: “That’s what it’s about, right? I want people to know you can eat healthy, and it still tastes really good.”
Culture Cafe & Deli is on 11 Chapel Street, Inverness IV1 1NA. Opening hours will eventually be Wednesday to Sunday.
