IN 1998, A CHEF TOLD 23-year-old Danielle Konya that there was “no such thing as a vegan dessert.” The chef, someone she barely knew, probably had little clue of the decades-long legacy of world-class vegan desserts his comment would spark. Konya had no idea, either.
Back then, she says, you might find a dry, disappointing vegan brownie at your local health food store, or worse, carob chip granola. “But legitimate vegan bakeries did not exist,” she recalls. So, armed with nothing but determination, a passion for animals, and a raging sweet tooth, Konya opened Vegan Treats, the world’s first vegan bakery. All from a then-two-year vegan with no formal culinary training, no previous interest in being a pastry chef, and no capital? No problem.
Over two decades later, throngs of customers still line up daily for Vegan Treats’ dazzling array of desserts. “Vegan Treats is legendary,” says renowned vegan pastry chef and cooking instructor Fran Costigan. “I am astonished by the breadth of products they have—buttercreamy fondant cakes, beautiful bonbons, a gorgeous line of chocolates.” And Konya’s signature Peanut Butter Bomb—a chubby pyramid of Dutch chocolate
