Sprout and Lentil is the only mom-and-pop vegan cafe on Aquidneck Island. Founded in 2019 by the husband and wife team of Carmen Foy and Matt Sole, Sprout and Lentil has grown from being a booth at a farmers’ market to having its own independent retail business located in the center of Middletown, RI. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Foy – who was born in Spain – trained at the Cordon Bleu in France and then worked for twelve years as a chef aboard yachts.
Foy and Sole have stayed true to their business mantra of “Food with a Mission” by serving only plant-based foods. For instance, Foy ordered granola and then returned it to the producer it contained honey. She and her husband are dedicated to a purely vegan business. Additionally, the owners have created a special niche serving their community for people who are vegan, vegetarians, and kosher. Foy and Sole know their target customers very well and have seen that there is a high demand for quality vegan products. Some may ask, “Who would ever want to pay for a $16 burger?” or “Why isn’t the 50 cent spicy ketchup included with my fries?” Without doubt, the prices are high and sauces are not included with fries, burgers, nor cauliflower nuggets. A gourmet truffle oil dressing retails for eleven dollars. Perhaps it is hard to believe here in western Pennsylvania, but their local customers – hard core vegan regulars, and tourists – do buy and enjoy the expensive truffle oil dressing as well as the $16 burgers. The customers believe that the high prices are worth the money for what they receive. Foy and Sole have created a demand for specialty vegan food.
Please take a look at Sprout and Lentil’s website:
http://sproutandlentil.com/
Throughout this semester in ENTR 101, Dr. Sweet has talked about the different ways to integrate our faith into what we are passionate about. Whether it’s sports, music, art, etc., there are plenty of ways to combine the Christian faith with a business. Dr. Melody is an inspiring young entrepreneur who did just that. Originally, Dr. Melody was a doctor of physical therapy and then acquired skills in coaching and mentoring as a health and life coach. She was inspired to combine these skills with her passion for her faith to encourage physical, mental, and spiritual health. 
One morning in 1993 an 8-year-old girl named Abbey Fleck and her dad were cooking bacon for breakfast. as she saw her dad’s struggle with all the bacon fat juice and cleaning it up with paper toils, she thought of an idea. What if there was a way to cook the bacon hanging as a dish of some sort collects the fat? That’s when Abbey and her father began to design what would eventually become the Makin’ Bacon dish. It’s a square, inch-deep skillet made of microwave-safe plastic. It has 3 T-shaped supports rising up from its center. The bacon cooks while draped over the crossbars of the central supports and the fat drips down into the dish.
