INDIANAPOLIS — It all started as an idea to bring healthy food to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There was no food options available that were fresh and organic, especially on the west side," Taria Slack said.
Taria and her husband, Derrick, started a food truck called Black Leaf Vegan.
WRTV visited their food truck in the Riverside neighborhood in 2021.
"We have all plant based burgers, tacos, nachos," Derrick said.
They weren't alone in running the food truck. Their children were involved with taking orders and completing transactions.
"I definitely want our kids to learn about entrepreneurship, but not only that, about different cultures," Taria said.
For two years, the Slack's focused on building up their clientele, even serving food at the Indiana State Fair.
"In the very beginning, it was hard to get people to try the food, but once we convinced them to try the food, word of mouth started to spread," Taria said.
Now, they have their own cafe in downtown Indy off West 9th Street near Senate Avenue.
Black Leaf Vegan Cafe celebrated one year open in October 2023 and just expanded their hours to be open seven days a week.
"It's good food. I like healthy food and it's vegan style," Dennis Lewis said.
WRTV met Lewis on his second visit to the cafe. He began a plant based diet many years ago. It's a decision he made to improve his health.
"I believe in taking care of yourself," Lewis said. "I like to give my body the best opportunity to live functionally."
Black Leaf Vegan received support from a huge celebrity in 2023.
They were one of 50 small businesses to get a $10,000 grant from comedian Kevin Hart and the Coramino Fund, which aims to help small Black or Latinx business.
"That $10,000 helped us to really be able to shop our cafe and hire new employees," Taria said. "For us to be able to hire really quality workers that really care about our people and mission is really critical for us."
Taria has her eye on the future. Their goal is to expand in Indiana. She says the success Black Leaf Vegan has received so far is motivation to keep going.
"It means keep going, keep your foot on the gas and never break," Taria said. "I think that the more that we expand the more impact that we can bring."
