Cafe dishes out no-guilt gormet

October 26, 2006

Hey Fraggle no clues like zip codes or phone numbers, but I think this one is in Iota? sorry Ohio? “A lot of people think it’s a gay bar,“ says worker Sarah Wooding, but don’t let the name fool you. The Flaming Ice Cube is way more unique and, thankfully, lacks the bad techno and dancing drag queens. Sitting unassumingly inside a building behind the Boardman Rockne’s, this café and gift shop holds treasures one would never guess to find. Upon entering this high-end hippie’s dream store you may find yourself wondering where The Flaming Ice Cube has been all your life. The atmosphere is calming, no blinding lights, no bustling crowds to fight, and most likely some of the friendliest workers to ever spawn from Youngstown. Walking into the Flaming Ice Cube, you must make an immediate choice to either enter the café or follow your temptation towards the gift shop brimming with sparkling gems and jewelry. Let’s forego the

gleaming goodies for now and start out in the café. The dining area is adorned with billows of fabric near the wide windows, bamboo, tables with simple wooden chairs and soothing music. The only startling thing in the café is the menu. No matter how many double takes you perform, you’ll still never find meat or cheese as a selection, and only minimal amounts of milk and honey. Instead you’ll find items such as the Eggless Salad Sandwich, Tofu and Cranberry Spinach Salad, the BBQ Chicken-free Sandwich (which is highly recommended by all the employees I spoke with), and smoothies made with vanilla soy milk.You have just entered the only vegan restaurant around (the word vegan meaning they not only cut out meat from their diet like a vegetarian, but also milk, cheese, fish, honey and eggs usually for the reason to help limit the amount of suffering animals must endure in the slaughter houses and farms). I asked the owner, Michele

Stratton, what her expectations were, knowing that Youngstown is a meat eater’s area. “Not very high,” she said. “When I was doing research on the industry, other vegetarian restaurant owners in bigger cities thought I was crazy limiting the options on the menu to vegan.” Knowing that difficult is an understatement when trying to eat out and stay clear of all animal by-products, Stratton decided it was time to show the people how it’s done. The gift shop was born in 1997 inside the old house next to Sheetz on Rt. 224 and Tippecanoe Rd. When it finally settled in its current location only four years ago, The Flaming Ice Cube grew into a café as well. Stratton said that her goal is “quality food that just happens to be vegan,” and was never looking to only attract vegans to her café. “Most people think we live on carrots and celery sticks, but it’s not true, we love to eat. I just want others to come in, try the food and consider veganism,” she adds. Although only one of the workers was vegetarian, they all say they love the food and would recommend it to anyone. Sarah Wooding said that even her parents, who make fun of her vegetarian lifestyle, come there to eat. One employee who is leaving soon to pursue another job says even after she leaves, she’ll still eat there. “I’ll get smoothies everyday and the Asian Vegetable Wrap because it controls my heart.” The Asian Vegetable Wrap, which includes sautéed vegetables inside a garlic herb wrap with a side of their homemade plum sauce, is now The Flaming Ice Cube’s top seller. Close behind is their homemade Vegan Burgers topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard and vegan mayonnaise. Now, I know what your thinking. Your vegetarian girlfriend once made you try a fake burger and you had to pretend to take a drink after every bite so you could spit it into your cup, but these aren’t your store-bought-flatter-than-a-pancake vegan burgers; they

have the texture of a real burger but without the torture of a slaughterhouse. This vegan café also carries a variety of homemade soups such as black bean chili, split pea barley, and sweet potato peanut butter bisque. For dessert, they also offer freshly baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, pina colada muffins, and mouthwatering peanut butter crunch bars. In the way of drinks, they have a seemingly endless lineup of teas and fruit drinks to satisfy all of your antioxidant needs. The café always has freshly brewed iced and hot tea as well as their own special blend of coffees and new holiday lattes. While your waiting for your order, it would be wise to wander into the gift shop. Let the smell of smoking incense tickle your nose while you look for meditation music. Give your eyes something interesting to gaze upon when you discover the unique art by local artists, and listen to the peaceful sounds of the water fountains on display while you fill

all of your holistic needs as you search for the sweetest smelling essential oils and candles. When you finally decide to leave, your preconceived notions on veganism may be crushed and you may even realize that The Flaming Ice Cube is more than just “some hippie store,” it’s a place for, literally, everyone; no one would feel uncomfortable in this abode. I don’t think anyone could put it better than employee, Liz Crew, when she proclaimed, “This vegan joint’s here to stay!” Peter H

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October 26, 2006

it sez Youngstown, so yes, i would assume Ohio

peter VV Oct 26, 2006 1:36 PM Re: Cafe dishes out no-guilt gormet

Hey Fraggle no clues like zip codes or phone numbers, but I think this one is in Iota? sorry Ohio?

A lot of people think its a gay bar, says worker Sarah Wooding, but dont let the name fool you. The Flaming Ice Cube is way more unique and, thankfully, lacks the bad techno and dancing drag queens. Sitting unassumingly inside a building behind the Boardman Rocknes, this café and gift shop holds treasures one would never guess to find. Upon entering this high-end hippies dream store you may find yourself wondering where The Flaming Ice Cube has been all your life. The atmosphere is calming, no blinding lights, no bustling crowds to fight, and most likely some of the friendliest workers to ever spawn from Youngstown.

Walking into the Flaming Ice Cube, you must make an immediate choice to either enter the café or follow your temptation towards the gift shop brimming with sparkling gems and jewelry. Lets forego the gleaming goodies for now and start out in the café. The dining area is adorned with billows of fabric near the wide windows, bamboo, tables with simple wooden chairs and soothing music. The only startling thing in the café is the menu. No matter how many double takes you perform, youll still never find meat or cheese as a selection, and only minimal amounts of milk and honey. Instead youll find items such as the Eggless Salad Sandwich, Tofu and Cranberry Spinach Salad, the BBQ Chicken-free Sandwich (which is highly recommended by all the employees I spoke with), and smoothies made with vanilla soy milk.You have just entered the only vegan restaurant around (the word vegan meaning they not only cut out meat from their diet like a vegetarian, but also milk, cheese, fish, honey and eggs usually for the reason to help limit the amount of suffering animals must endure in the slaughter houses and farms).

I asked the owner, Michele Stratton, what her expectations were, knowing that Youngstown is a meat eaters area. Not very high, she said. When I was doing research on the industry, other vegetarian restaurant owners in bigger cities thought I was crazy limiting the options on the menu to vegan. Knowing that difficult is an understatement when trying to eat out and stay clear of all animal by-products, Stratton decided it was time to show the people how its done.

The gift shop was born in 1997 inside the old house next to Sheetz on Rt. 224 and Tippecanoe Rd. When it finally settled in its current location only four years ago, The Flaming Ice Cube grew into a café as well. Stratton said that her goal is quality food that just happens to be vegan, and was never looking to only attract vegans to her café. Most people think we live on carrots and celery sticks, but its not true, we love to eat. I just want others to come in, try the food and consider veganism, she adds.

Although only one of the workers was vegetarian, they all say they love the food and would recommend it to anyone. Sarah Wooding said that even her parents, who make fun of her vegetarian lifestyle, come there to eat. One employee who is leaving soon to pursue another job says even after she leaves, shell still eat there. Ill get smoothies everyday and the Asian Vegetable Wrap because it controls my heart.

The Asian Vegetable Wrap, which includes sautéed vegetables inside a garlic herb wrap with a side of their homemade plum sauce, is now The Flaming Ice Cubes top seller. Close behind is their homemade Vegan Burgers topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard and vegan mayonnaise.

Now, I know what your thinking. Your vegetarian girlfriend once made you try a fake burger and you had to pretend to take a drink after every bite so you could spit it into your cup, but these arent your store-bought-flatter-than-a-pancake vegan burgers; they have the texture of a real burger but without the torture of a slaughterhouse.

This vegan café also carries a variety of homemade soups such as black bean chili, split pea barley, and sweet potato peanut butter bisque. For dessert, they also offer freshly baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, pina colada muffins, and mouthwatering peanut butter crunch bars. In the way of drinks, they have a seemingly endless lineup of teas and fruit drinks to satisfy all of your antioxidant needs. The café always has freshly brewed iced and hot tea as well as their own special blend of coffees and new holiday lattes.

While your waiting for your order, it would be wise to wander into the gift shop. Let the smell of smoking incense tickle your nose while you look for meditation music. Give your eyes something interesting to gaze upon when you discover the unique art by local artists, and listen to the peaceful sounds of the water fountains on display while you fill all of your holistic needs as you search for the sweetest smelling essential oils and candles.

When you finally decide to leave, your preconceived notions on veganism may be crushed and you may even realize that The Flaming Ice Cube is more than just some hippie store, its a place for, literally, everyone; no one would feel uncomfortable in this abode. I dont think anyone could put it better than employee, Liz Crew, when she proclaimed, This vegan joints here to stay!

Peter H

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.

As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness. William O. Douglas