Bloom restaurant owner Justin Bilancieri, 31, poses holding a tomato, one of the various vegetables that will be cooked into the vegan entrées served at Bloom, while sitting in the restaurant Wednesday afternoon. Bilancieri said he expects Bloom to have a café-type feel with food, loose-leaf tea and frequent live music. Photo by Hailey Tucker

Bloom, which opens Oct. 13 at 1320 Cornwall Ave., will not only be vegan, but will be 100 percent organic and will feature local and gluten-free food.

Restaurant owner Justin Bilancieri, 31, said he has been a vegan for approximately seven years and wanted to help increase the number of vegan options in Bellingham.

“I had the desire to open the public’s mind to vegan ideas," Bilancieri said. "I wanted to give them the option because the town doesn’t have the option right now.”

Unlike Seattle, where there are more than 16 all-vegan restaurants, Bellingham has not had a restaurant that caters directly to the vegan lifestyle.

“Washington is a very vegan-friendly state,” said Western senior Rebekah Kraft, president of Western’s Animal Rights Network. “I’m shocked that Bellingham doesn’t have [a vegan restaurant] already.”

Kraft said she hopes Bloom will help spread vegan awareness and open the doors for more vegan businesses.

Natalie Washington, a Bellingham resident and vegetarian who works at Western, said Bellingham could be more vegan- and vegetarian-friendly.

“I would like to see more restaurants embrace vegan foods,” Washington said.

Bellingham resident and 10-year vegan Clarissa Mansfield, who writes an online blog about vegan-friendly restaurants in Bellingham, said she was excited to hear about the prospect of a vegan restaurant. She said Bellingham is a vegan-friendly community for those willing to ask questions about the food offered in restaurants.

“It’ll be kind of nice not to have to ask all the questions I usually have to ask when I go out,” she said.

Mansfield's blog, Vegan in Bellingham, offers local restaurant reviews and vegan restaurant suggestions.

Western junior Todd Hunt said he agrees Bellingham is accommodating to vegans. He said it was the only city other than Seattle where he has been able to get pizza with soy cheese. Rudy’s Pizzeria in downtown Bellingham offers a pizza with “Vegan Rella” as a soy cheese alternative.

More than 27 Bellingham restaurants offer at least one vegan choice on their menus. Mansfield said the Old Town Café offers a tofu scramble for breakfast, and Pastazza, located in Barkley Village, always has a vegan soup available as well as fresh, vegan focaccia bread.

Bilancieri said Bloom will not serve tofu or “mock meats” on the menu, but there may be a grain-seed veggie burger offered. Almost everything on the menu will be made fresh, including hummus, guacamole and nut milks.

When Bloom opens next week, it will offer only a limited menu, but when things get into full swing, Bloom's menu will change based on the season, depending on what is fresh and organic at the time, Bilancieri said.  But this does not mean the menu will be limited. Bilancieri said he plans to serve soups, salads, wraps, quinoa (a type of grain) bowls, rice and bean bowls, smoothies, desserts and other finger foods.

Bilancieri said he hopes to eventually offer a limited selection of beer and wine, all of which would be vegan and locally sourced. If he does serve alcohol, Bilancieri said the restaurant will remain all-ages.

“I want to provide something beneficial to the community,” Bilancieri said.

Bloom will serve breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Friday, closing around 2 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, the restaurant will be open until 3 a.m. He said these late-night hours will feature music, improv shows and other performances and activities, such as game or movie nights.

Bilancieri said he is considering not having a trash can in the restaurant and only offering recycling and compost bins.

For those who want take-out, Bilancieri said he will use recycled paper and biodegradable corn plastic.

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