Dedicated to freshly sourced produce and ingredients, Veeta’s Vegan is the first plant-based cafe ever to open its doors in Fountain Hills.

After a successful soft opening that cleared her shelves within the first four hours, Cafe Owner and Airforce Veteran Veeta Rose is doubling and tripling her recipes for the upcoming grand opening on Friday, Oct. 7, starting at 7 a.m.

Veeta’s Vegan, 16751 E. Parkview Ave., Suite 1, is open Wednesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or until the food runs out.

Veeta’s Vegan is a non-GMO, organic, soy-free and gluten-free cafe. It offers a fully vegan menu including soup, curry, chip snacks and fresh juices made daily. Rose sources her ingredients as close to home as possible, ensuring her dishes are without any hidden ingredients or unnatural processing.

Now entering its second month of opening, Veeta’s Vegan is in growth mode, strictly a cold kitchen with complimentary reheating available upon request. They provide comfortable indoor, online ordering and curbside pickup.

Rose believes in a whole-food, plant-rich diet and runs her business with an “if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it” philosophy.

Rose planned to open her café in 2020, but with businesses closing and costs rising, she was forced to weather the storm padlocked.

Despite the setbacks, Rose stayed busy renovating her kitchen; knocking down walls, adding underground and above-ground plumbing and building up an inventory to hit the ground running. With skills in woodworking, Rose built butcher block dining tables, shelves, front desk and using reclaimed wood, created the wooden art that covers an entire wall of her cafe.

Veeta’s Vegan is a labor of love for Rose and her passion for food began as a little girl in the kitchen at her grandmother’s side.

During Thanksgiving, Rose’s grandmother would cool her blueberry and apple pies in the window, filling the home with an aroma of comfort and fresh spices. Everything was made from scratch, a custom that Rose has kept to this day.

“We’d be in the kitchen all day,” she recalled. “I’d be in there doing the gravy, as I got older, I got more duties, but I just loved being in the kitchen. It’s like a passion for me.”

Rose obtained her certification in square foot gardening and integrated freshly picked fruits and vegetables into her cooking. She went on to serve 12 years in the Air Force where her love for cooking only grew. After the military, Rose attended the Delaware Technical Culinary Arts program in Stanton, Del. where she elevated her cooking skills.

One day in culinary school, Rose’s class was asked to make pancakes. Her head chef well-knew of her keen interest in making vegan dishes and told her that only if her dishes looked and tasted good could she continue to cook vegan food in class.

Plates of hot, fluffy pancakes were presented before the class for taste testing. Rose watched closely as her pancakes made their way around the room. When it came time to crown the best dish, Rose’s cakes came out on top.

Rose cruised through culinary school, graduating at the top of her class, knowing that she wanted to do this for the rest of her life.

“What I found is that when you go to these vegan places, the food is like fake meat, fake this, fake that. I’m like, ‘Why would you go vegan and then still eat the fried chicken, but it’s a fried piece of fake flour?” Rose said.

Instead of trying to emulate the taste of meat, Rose experimented with the natural flavors present in a plump mushroom or a ripe tomato, fresh from the garden.

“You could go and pull the stuff out of the ground and bring it into your house and you have the best, precious food,” she said. “I’m still fascinated by the process, and that’s what I want to do here.”

Rose has quickly made friends in Fountain Hills who stop in to offer services from painting, window cleaning and even bringing her fresh herbs from the Community Garden and wheatgrass for juicing.

“There’s so many good people in Fountain Hills,” she said.

After knocking down a few walls, Veeta’s Vegan has an open-kitchen concept, allowing Rose to chat with customers while she cooks.

“I like being able to see people, talk to people, communicate,” Rose said. “I’m a people person.”

To order online or for more information, visit veetasvegan.com, or visit their Instagram @veetasvegan.

“Sometimes people think healthy food is fast,” Rose added. “We’re not a fast food [cafe]….It really is a place where you get a healthy meal that’s made from scratch.”