Green Street Eatery Is First LI Vegan And Gluten-Free Restaurant

LEVITTOWN, NY—Vegan and gluten-free dining options have expanded on Long Island in recent years, but the Island didn't have a dedicated fully vegan and gluten-free restaurant until now. The owners of Green Street Food Truck, based in Levittown, opened a brick-and-mortar location this month at 7 Emerson Avenue in Levittown three years after launching the food truck.

Caroline Weaver partnered with husband-and-wife team Matt and Lauren Korsky to renovate what she told Patch was a "dilapidated Subway location" with promising outdoor space just off Hempstead Turnpike.

All three of the owners came to a vegan lifestyle in different ways—Weaver began exploring the diet while caring for her mother with cancer in her native England, while Matt found vegan food helped fuel his Ironman triathlon training. Lauren discovered she had Celiac disease after a pregnancy, and when the couple met Weaver by chance at a yoga class, their shared interest in self-taught vegan recipes coalesced into the idea for Green Street Eatery.

The Korsky's food truck's vegan food was popular with vegans and non-vegans alike, and the food truck won several best-of-Long Island awards. The restaurant allows the trio to expand on the menu and offer more menu items.

The restaurant isn't all healthy, all the time, Weaver explains. Lauren bakes the vegan and gluten-free desserts and there are items like a grilled macaroni and cheese sandwich.

"But a lot of people come to us to check out vegan food, which can be intimidating," Weaver says.

"They come to try it and see what they think."

The menu puts a vegan spin on classics, even brunch fare like French toast and breakfast empanadas. There's a peach cobbler smoothie, and roasted vegetables in a variety of preparations.

The Green Street Food Truck will continue being available for private events and catering.

So far, Weaver says the community has been welcoming and business has been booming.

"The food truck had gotten so popular," she explained, "that it was now or never."