LesbiVeggies, a popular plant-based, gluten-free restaurant, has found a home in Camden.
It received a warm welcome when it opened its doors in Audubon in 2021. But owner Brennah Lambert, a self-taught chef, soon outgrew that cozy café space.
She closed the doors in Audubon in 2024 and intended to move to a larger space in Woodbury, but that never came to fruition.
Now Camden will host her restaurant, and she said she feels the location at 39 N. Fourth St., which was previously Nylah’s Flowers & Gifts, will be a perfect fit. She hopes to open her doors by the end of March and is currently hiring.
“It’s a fantastic spot,” Lambert said in a recent interview with the Courier-Post. “It really was a just a hidden gem, honestly. And getting into this new location, I feel like, just the town itself, the city, really just aligns with everything I’m trying to do with the business as far as community and culture, incorporating more than just food into it and a restaurant style.
“I don’t just want to be just a plain restaurant. I want to do something for the community that I’m in and I want it to really support myself. It’s nice to be around Black and brown people and to have that be like the center of the community as well and just have a lot of opportunities to give back as well.”
Lambert’s introduction to plant-based food came early on
LesbiVeggies, a Black-owned, plant-based, gluten-free restaurant that had operated in Audubon for several years before closing, is set to open in Camden.
Lambert grew up in Lindenwold, although she graduated from Sterling High School (2015) in Somerdale where she played basketball and volleyball.
She later played basketball at Rowan College at Gloucester County — she averaged 13.7 points in the 43 games she appeared in — before transferring to Rutgers-Camden, where she competed for the Scarlet Raptors women’s basketball team as well and graduated from the business school.
LesbiVeggies started as a meal-prep service out of her grandmother’s kitchen approximately eight years ago and grew into more. She said it was initially her college “side hustle.”
She still does the catering aspect, which is what she leaned into when her Audubon café closed, and she also offers cooking classes.
Lambert personally found a plant-based diet after experiencing some stomach problems years ago. She said these health problems ended soon after her diet switch, so it became a lifestyle.
“Plant-based food has given me kind of almost a love for just quality good food,” Lambert said in a previous Courier-Post interview.
“I think at first I was kind like — obviously I didn’t grow up this way — so I was like, ‘Well, what do I eat,’ so I really had to rethink my whole way of doing things.”
About LesbiVeggies
LesbiVeggies, a plant-based, gluten-free space, is opening its doors in Camden. Some of the food is shown. Owner/chef Brennah Lambert prepares the food.
Lambert also felt that being a Black-owned vegan food service and café would inspire other members of the Black community to try vegan foods.
The name LesbiVeggies pays homage to Lambert’s queer identity and veganism, a previous Courier-Post story stated.
“I feel like me throwing that out there … promotes inclusivity,” Lambert had said. “I want people to feel that this is a very open environment, a very welcoming environment.”
One of her favorite recipes is her vegan Birria Tacos with Consommé́. Birria is a Mexican classic and typically is made with meats like beef, goat and pork. Lambert’s version is made with jackfruit.
Other menu entrée items include: penne Alfredo, coconut curry noodles, blackened Cajun cauli sliders and Cipollini risotto. Appetizer choices include cauliflower wings, maple Dijon Brussels, firecracker lettuce wraps and more.
A few small-plate items are fried oyster mushroom and zucchini corn fritters.
LesbiVeggies, a Black-owned, plant-based, gluten-free restaurant that had operated in Audubon for several years before closing, is set to open in Camden.
LesbiVeggies new location
In the end, Lambert said, she feels she ended up right where she was supposed to be.
“We were going to move because I received a rent grant from Woodbury to move my business to their main street. And it happened to be good timing because I was really looking for a larger space,” she said. “They just never followed through on the construction of the building and my communication with the landlord wasn’t great at all … so we had to pivot and find a new location.
“It really worked out for the better. I’m really happy that we found this new spot in Camden.”
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: LesbiVeggies, formerly in Audubon, is coming to Camden, owner says
