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Makini Howell is transforming her tiny 15th Ave. Plum Cafe into Sugar Plum, a vegan ice creamery and sweet shop. The chef just launched a campaign with Community Sourced Capital (CSC) to find backers to help open the dessert concept. (For reference: Mike Easton wrapped up a campaign with CSC to help open Pizzeria Gabbiano, same goes for Nu:flours.) Howell, who operates a mini-vegan empire of Plum projects, including a burger truck and the five-year-old, Ben and Casey Affleck-approved Plum restaurant, launched The Cafe by Hillside Quickies in 2005 on 15th Ave.; the space that will house Sugar Plum has since morphed into various vegan concepts, including Sage Cafe.
It's a race to see who can claim the title of "first vegan sweet shop" in Seattle, with Violette Sweet Shoppe hard at work to open an all-vegan candy store in the former Mae's space on Phinney Ridge. Either way, vegans win.
