Kandai Cakery combines the peaceful Buddhist tradition of cruelty-free food with voluptuous contemporary vegan sweetcraft. From matcha cupcakes to dorayaki to handmade anko (made the old-fashioned way), the Cakery turns out delicious confections in the great city of Atlanta.
Look for Kandai Cakery treats at Nakato Restaurant. Stay tuned for more locations, special events, and online shopping.
"Kandai" is a Japanese word variously translated as generosity, kindness, broad-mindedness, an appreciation for varying perspectives.
As owner of Kandai Cakery, I find my purpose in this translation: magnanimity — big-heartedness.
Over the years I've learned that the best way to encourage mindful eating among non-vegetarians is through kindness. The old adage is true: we catch more flies with agave nectar* (ahem) than vinegar! I simply don't believe that guilting others about what they eat gets anyone anywhere. Yes, we all need to see Mercy for Animals footage, read Carol J. Adams, and support our local no-kill shelters. But no animals are saved when you piss someone off with your message.
I am, and always will be, inherently impatient for our shared vegan utopia - for the time when we beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks. Because of this, it's helpful for me to recognise that we all have a process of growth towards veganism, and that it's selfish and potentially hazardous to attempt to rush someone else's. No one rushed my process (12 years strong!) and I dearly hope no one pressured you to become vegan. Guilt is a laughably unsustainable motive.
Veganism is our goal; Kandai Cakery helps move others towards
gentler, more humane choices by serving incredible food from a place of love.
This big heart has room for you!
With love,
adrienne
*a frequent vegan substitute for honey (and I'm not calling folks flies!)
Ever wonder what folks mean when they say they use "the finest,
all-natural ingredients" to make your treats? And yet these same companies
include things like artificial food colorings, eggs from battery cages, and
high-fructose corn syrup in their ingredient list. Kandai Cakery
insists that ingredients like these should never be called
"fine"–far from it!
Instead, we use:
...and so much more!
Our kitchen is entirely vegan–we don't use meat, eggs, dairy, honey or animal by-products of any kind. Even our food preparation items (bowls, utensils, etc) are vegan!
matcha cake, rich chocolate mint frosting, candied mint
ginger-vanilla cake, creamy matcha frosting, candied ginger
Veganism is not simply a dietary choice: it is a way of looking at the world. It is a worldview that is thoroughly relational, founded in the realization that the wellbeing of any one creature--human or otherwise--is connected to the wellbeing of every other creature.
At Kandai Cakery, ingredients are chosen that reflect this worldview. Organic ingredients leave a smaller footprint on our earth and by avoiding all animal-derived products the Cakery is helping to contribute to the number one best way to mitigate climate change.
There is a strong connection between vegan food like the Cakery's and the peaceful, nonviolent ways of Buddhism (see Ahimsa).