Vegan News

Best vegan grocer in Denton relocates to market-deli space

Mashup has an excellent selection of vegan cheese.

Photo courtesy of Mashup Market

An acclaimed market in Denton specializing in all things vegan is making a move: Mashup Market, the plant-based specialty grocer that debuted at 316 Oak St. in 2020, is closing that original location and making its new headquarters at 1302 W. Hickory St., its second location that opened in 2021.

Owner Cherie Reed says that the new location offers a better platform and resources for the kinds of expansion she wants to undertake.

"We are moving all our products and resources to 1302 W. Hickory to focus on continued product additions and a new deli we have in the works," she says. "We've loved developing a following with our original location at 316 E. Oak but that will be closed after Sunday, September 25."

She anticipates that all of the products currently carried at Oak Street will be available at the Hickory location by Wednesday, September 28.

Reed opened Mashup Market as a place to stock vegan provisions from local, Texas, and small U.S. businesses, including jerky by It's Jerky Y'all, Spread Happiness Nut Butters by UNT grad Yesika Horton, and delectable vegan meats by vendors such as ribs by Dallas-based The Boneless Butcher and a vegan stuffed turkey by acclaimed The Herbivorous Butcher based in Minneapolis.

She's one of two DFW vendors, along with Lucky Mouth Grocery in Oak Cliff, who's stocking the wildly popular vegan cheeses by Rebel Cheese, an artisanal maker in Austin. Her vegan cheese selection is broad, with vendors from across the U.S.

The store sells dry goods, snacks, cooking kits, dressings, vegan caramel sauce, great wines, and a big selection of gluten-free goods.

It's also become a destination for vegan pop-ups such as Vuture Foods, and exciting product introductions such as the recent demo of vegan bacon by Thrilling Foods. When the store started serving deli sandwiches last year, they saw a robust response.

The new location is close to Pepita's, the family-owned vegan Mexican restaurant at 1115 W. Hickory St. that opened in 2021 — with the proximity creating yet more vegan synergy.

In fact, Pepitas is allowing Mashup customers to park in their lot, behind the restaurant.

"Great opportunity to grab something from Pepitas and shop!," Reed says.

vegan shopping

Breakfast News

White Rock Cafe in North Richland Hills is a breakfast & lunch gem

White Rock Cafe

A family-owned cafe is serving Mexican eats and coffee in North Richland Hills: Called White Rock Cafe, it's located at 7640 NE Loop 820 #110, in North Hills Village, in a former event space called Eventfully Yours, where it opened in May.

Not to be confused with White Rock Coffee or White Rock Lake, White Rock Cafe is named after a location in Oaxaca, Mexico — Rosa Blanca — and the ancestral hometown of sisters Jenny and Stephanie Pantoja, who own the restaurant with their cousin Kevin Nazario.

"It's where my father grew up," Jenny says. But she and her sister and her cousin all grew up in NRH.

“We decided to open in North Richland Hills because even though we live on the edge of Fort Worth, we kind of grew up here and are familiar with the people," Jenny says. “That’s why we decided this would be the perfect community to open a breakfast place.”

Their menu ranges from Mexican breakfast to comfort food to burgers and chicken-fried steak. There are all your bacon-and-egg-and-pancake combos with choice of potatoes or grits, but there are also crepes, topped with berries, and a Mexican Benedict, featuring an English muffin topped with grilled red onions, green peppers, seasoned chorizo, poached eggs, avocado, and Hollandaise sauce.

They also have a coffee program including brewed coffee, espresso, white coffee, hot chocolate, and hot teas.

White Rock CafeWhite Rock Cafe

Lunch has a homey home-cooking vibe, including a daily special with dishes like chicken fried steak and pot roast with two sides and Texas toast for only $8. There's a perfect California club with crisp bacon, red tomato slices, and fresh Romaine on toast, neatly trimmed, for $10; and that DFW classic combo of grilled cheese sandwich served with tomato-basil soup.

Prices are low, topping out at $14 for chilaquiles. They're open every day from 7 am-3 pm.

Jenny works in a surgery program most days when she’s not at the restaurant. She got her start working at a breakfast restaurant and grew to appreciate the hours and the culture, inspiring her and her family to open this breakfast cafe of their own.

It's a friendly, tidy place, with black vinyl booths and a lovely mural on the wall that summons the Mexican area for which it is named.

“My father used to work at a Cracker Barrel and other breakfast places, then he had the dream of opening his own place,” Jenny says. “That was the same for me too."

breakfast openings