Profile: Gigi's Vegan Cafe
There’s more than meets the eye at this little Westport vegan joint. Gigi Jones is your partner in health as she helps nurture a connection to your food and supports you on your wellness journey.
Photo courtesy of Gigi Jones
When you walk into Gigi’s Vegan Café, you’ll find a small market filled with detox teas, cold press juices, and homemade kale chips. There’s a small library with health and wellness books ready for you to flip through at your leisure and at the counter you can order a ginger wellness shot or a protein smoothie blended topped with bits of cocoa. It’s quaint, calming, and has a familiar feeling to it. That’s because the café’s namesake, Gigi Jones, has put her touch on everything this Westport gem has to offer. It’s not only a food establishment, but a communal space that provides guidance for those who are pursuing a wellness journey of any kind.
Photos by Anna Petrow
After having been diagnosed with colon cancer in 2015, Gigi searched for an alternative treatment to the surgery that the doctors were advocating for. Eventually, she healed herself by not only switching to a vegan diet but also undergoing a lifestyle overhaul that involved daily therapeutic techniques like meditation and words of affirmation. The amazing recovery catapulted Gigi on a journey to educate herself even further on the power of food as medicine in the hopes to enlighten others. She has studied across the world, in Hawaii to become a nutritionist and holistic herbalist, and then in New York to become a raw food chef.
Gigi opened her Westport café in 2020. Referring to the cancer survivor as a business owner or vegan chef doesn’t seem to do her work justice. It’s more accurate to refer to her as a food activist, especially with her incredibly influential work here in Kansas City. Not only does she regularly host cooking demonstrations, but she also manages community gardens in economically depressed neighborhoods, founded the Midwest Soul Vegfest festival and is a founding member of the KC Health initiative, a nonprofit organization that brings affordable food to low-income communities. She has been a catalyst in her community, encouraging people to connect with their food and exposing them to the benefits of using food as medicine.
What makes the vegan café stand out among others is the support that Gigi offers those looking to begin their wellness journey of any kind. Her calm and joyful demeanor is enough to put any hesitant customers at ease as she truly comes from a place of love and nonjudgement.
“I don’t push people into this lifestyle of veganism. I think that even if you eat meat, try to eat it as clean as possible,” says the chef. “I just want to help and support as much as I can. My goal in life right now is…if you need my support, I’m here for you.”
Gigi’s Café offers more than food, it’s a welcoming space that provides tools for those looking to explore a deeper relationship with their food and, just maybe, themselves. Healing of any kind is offered and supported here. The upstairs offers an infrared sauna, yoga and meditation classes, and among the racks of vegan seasonings and jars of teas, you can find Gigi’s cookbook (yes, she truly is a powerhouse of a woman), The V-Code, which offers an amazing variety of vegan eats and treats. Everything served in the eatery is organic and non-GMO. Delicious crunchy homemade kale chips are available to purchase as a snack and juices that resemble all colors of the rainbow support gut health while providing essential vitamins and nutrients.
While the cozy Westport café offers healthy quick bites to eat, Gigi encourages her patrons to stick around a little longer and explore. It’s advised to take advantage of the unique opportunity her café provides to indulge in her wealth of knowledge and passion for sharing and educating.
“It’s not just about food here,” maintains the food activist. “Our foods are living foods. Everything is organic. What that means is all the enzymes are intact, the nutrients are intact, and we just want people to leave happy and fulfilled. And that’s what it’s all about for us.”
