When COVID 19 Miami-Dade guidelines required all businesses to close down mid-March, L’Artisane Creative Bakery Chef/Owner Carolina Molea was forced to lay off all of her employees and close the doors to her French-inspired Vegan Bakery and café on Collins Ave in North Beach.

As a Food Rescue US Miami donor, we had recovered pastries and croissants from L’Artisane a few times and delivered to the appreciative women and children residents at Lotus House Shelter, where the chef team focuses on a vegan and vegetarian meal program.

Using the Food Rescue app, food donors can request a food pickup, and volunteers claim the rescue and take to a designated social service agency, all in under an hour.

That terrible week in March, like many other closing restaurants and hotels, she contacted Food Rescue US-Miami to donate whatever was perishable and could not be frozen for future use.

“When restaurants were first announced to close, I was scared. I was scared for my employees, my business, and most importantly: for my family. Life had taken a rapid turn, and it was not necessarily clear of what the outcome would be”, says Chef Carolina.

But, L’Artisane and Carolina did not give up. The Venezuelan born and Le Cordon Bleu-trained and American Culinary Federation Certified chef, was connected by one of her best customers with a small business consultancy, Keep Small Strong, who pointed her in the right direction to set up an online presence and Nationwide shipping platform through Shopify.

And business has been so good, that she was able to rehire her staff and continue to do what she loves which is bake amazing pastries, croissants and savory items without using butter or any animal products.

She has been averaging 100 daily orders shipped nationwide. The menu features five-piece croissant boxes in plain, pecan, nocciolata, and guava and cream cheese flavors accompanied by baking instructions. They also ship 15-piece macaroon boxes and gourmet cookies, vegan brownies and madeleines boxed by the dozen.

Local customers can also take out All Day Brunch items, potato-curry empanadas and savory croissant selections like Buffalo Chicken and an Impossible Burger Croissant with vegan cheese and sriracha aioli and decadent French-inspired desserts.

And, once again she is donating her unused/unsold bakery items to Food Rescue US-Miami. When we asked how she found out about our program, she mentioned she learned about our food recovery initiative from Charly’s Vegan Tacos in Wynwood, another loyal donor.

Thank you, Carolina, for making the commitment to reduce food waste, help the environment by keeping decomposing food from landfills and working to help feed those less fortunate.

Please support L’Artisane as they continue to navigate this new normal in Miami.

Order takeout, order online and ship to family and friends across the country and show some love to a local vegan baker and her team.

L’Artisane Creative Bakery.

7423 Collins Ave,

Miami Beach

FL, 33141, USA

(786) 502-8595