Vegan Mexican pop-up, Sphynx Teahouse, is set to open a new, permanent, café in Houston next year.
The café, which is the first minority-owned café in Texas, will host cat adoption events once opened. “All adoptions will go through the shelter, but through our café, we will be able to facilitate that process,” co-owner Ashleigh Boyd told Eater. “Even if every interaction with the cats does not end in an adoption, we’re still proving customers with low-cost animal therapy and socializing shelter cats.”
The Cookout, which consists of BBQ jackfruit with cabbage-cilantro slaw and sweet pickled onions; La Mera Mera, which is torta with marinated jackfruit carnitas, black bean spread, cabbage-cilantro slaw, and jalapeno pickles; and Family Business, a roll filled with sweet potato, maple collard greens, and pickled red onion, are some of the current vegan menu options served at the pop-up. The Soul Food and Mexican fusion dishes are a taste of what is to come from the Teahouse’s new location in the Third Ward.
“We know we will definitely be located in Third Ward, and we won’t consider any other neighborhood,” co-owner Lauren Sevilla said. “We love Third Ward and want to use our business to help end the neighborhood’s food desert and spur economic growth for our Black & Latinx community, as well as our Third Ward business partners.”
Boyd and Sevilla want their new permanent location to be about more than just food and cats; they also want it to be a pillar of the community that draws people together.
“Yes, we bring you adorable & adoptable H-Town kitties, but as a company owned by two women of color, we want to do more than serve animals,” the pair explain on the Sphynx Teahouse website. “We want to serve our people.”
“It might be vegan, but it tastes so good it’ll still make your grandpoppy proud and your abuelitos smile,” Boyd and Sevilla add. “Beyond our food, we empower fellow Black and Latinx owned companies through our business partnerships: from our furniture to our merchandise to bulk ingredients used to create our menu…we’re here to make our chill vibes, cool cats, and hot tea accessible to all members of our neighborhood.”
Image Credit: Sphynx Teahouse
