Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Strokes.
Hi Danielle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
At first the idea of opening a business seemed so overwhelming. I had no idea where to start or who to talk to about it. I thrived working in food service as a teenager and I was always told I could run something of my own one day. At the time that dream seemed too far away. There was tons of ideas I dreamed of, some still in my back pocket. In the midst of the chaotic year that was 2020 I developed adult onset food allergies. Milk and egg were part of that, I was completely lost on what to eat. After 20 something years of the same foods I had to do hours of research and I landed on vegan food. Vegan eateries were a safe space for me to eat and after becoming involved in the community I grew so fond of its culture. Eventually leading to me changing up my diet even more so. My food allergies were ultimately the best thing that’s ever happened to me because it led to me finding myself and my passion. I truly enjoy being in a kitchen and providing this option for the community, feeding people and doing something I love is a priviledge that I don’t take for granted.My Husband and Sisters have played a huge part in getting me where I need to be. In this journey I’ve learned that none of my dreams are too big and if I’m ever overwhelmed by them I just break it down and take it one step at a time, the process is half of the fun.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting up Beyond The Bun was anything but smooth. At first I just saw this mountain of tasks with some seeming impossible to figure out. I had a lot of help and support from the people around me and I just took it step by step. There were many nights I stayed up until the early hours of the morning finishing each task. It took a lot of discipline and delegating two virtues that served me well during the process. I had to allow the process teach me patience, a virtue that did not come to me naturally. While this time period was high stress I was thankful for the life lessons I learned along the way, especially thankful for the friends and family that were willing to lend me their time. Part of what kept me going was seeing how many people believed in my dreams.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Beyond The Bun is a vegan sandwich kitchen that’s been coined as a hidden gem. Our location is a bit untraditional as we are hidden in the back of The Antique Gallery of Lewisville. Our kitchen previously belonged to the tea room that was there for a few years. Most antique malls have a tea room which is why there’s even a kitchen in there. I’ve had a lot of confused customers ask me how I found this spot, I have my sister Kristen to thank for that. She’s been operating her baking business in this kitchen for a couple years and graciously offered me half of it to start my business. We hope to have a storefront someday and when that day comes I’ll look back and talk about my unconventional beginning that was a stepping stone into my dreams.
My sister Gaby also came into the picture with her culinary talent and she bakes all of our breads. My husband Mason is the face you see when you pickup your food and I’m usually back there turning out sandwiches. Most days it is just him I running the kitchen. We are a small team but we put our whole hearts into every aspect of it.
Our breads, sauces, desserts and even our lemonade syrups are made in house. We put so much thought and planning into this menu and are committed to serving the freshest ingredients possible. We are incredibly proud of these sandwiches.
Like our location, our ordering process and pick up are a bit untraditional as well. You can either order in store at our self serve kiosk or online. We have pickup cubbies you grab your order from, since we are not a storefront it is all takeout/to-go only. Like many of our customers we look forward to the day we can offer sit down dining. This is only just the beginning for us and we are grateful beyond words to every single customer we have, whether they know it or not they are supporting this dream. We are so fond of our regulars and we strive to make sure everyone is taken care of. From the start we’ve taken every suggestion, every modification and every criticism into consideration. We’ve had a loyal customer order no mustard on “The Dill” sandwich so much that we put a button in the menu just for him so he didn’t have to worry about asking us every time he ordered. We are committed to making sure their voice is heard because we value them.
Since we are such a small business we have eyes on everything that leaves the kitchen and we are able to put so much love into our craft. Beyond The Bun is my love letter to sandwiches, veganism and community.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The industry I’m in is a bit niche as I consider us part of the vegan dining industry. What I hope for is vegan food to not be so taboo. It is never my intention to attack anyones views when it comes to veganism because I believe we should love each
other for our differences rather than what we have in common. I hope for more non vegans to be open minded when it comes to trying vegan food though, I know being in Texas makes it a huge ask but it could help propel the vegan industry forward if we had more open minded folks coming to dine in our establishments. It is not an easy job to own a vegan eatery in Texas and it breaks my heart every time one closes. I’d love for the day to come that these places can stick around for more than a couple years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beyondthebun.toast.site
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondthebunveg
Image Credits
Oseli Baeza
