Williston Park bakery and market Sweet to Lick is offering Long Islanders a vegan option for Thanksgiving this year, owner Michael Sabet said.
North Shore residents interested in having vegan treats this Thanksgiving have until Nov. 24 to place their orders at the bakery for pick up the night before, Sabet said.
Customers can order organic pumpkin pie, apple or blueberry cobbler, a vegan pastry box, a box of a dozen cookies, a dozen gluten-free cookies, a box of assorted gluten-free goods, gluten-free blueberry cobbler, gluten-free apple cobbler or a quart of pumpkin horchata this Thanksgiving.
Sabet said the idea to order vegan Thanksgiving treats ahead of time came after noticing having people wait online for hours for service on Thanksgiving Eve. Customers have to order from the Thanksgiving menu either by phone or in person at the bakery.
“A couple of years ago we had a line passing Grasshopper Comics for several hours,” Sabet said.
The vegan spot has grown considerably from its humble beginnings selling vegan products at Farmer’s Markets traveling throughout Long Island starting in 2010.
Sweet to Lick found a permanent home in Williston Park in August 2013, he said. Sweet to Lick also expanded into a separate vegan market and a grocery store a few doors down on Hillside Avenue in 2017.
“We are a bakery, we do lunches, we have a small cafe and a market and grocery store,” he said.
On top of being a Vegan space, Sabet said, what makes the bakery special is the staff’s relationship with the customers.
“We love them very much. They pay our bills. They feed my family,” Sabet said. “This isn’t a business that we started with somebody’s trust fund or anything like that. We started at the farmer’s market with no money.”
The bakery was welcomed with “open arms” the moment they arrived in Williston Park six years ago, Sabet said. A lot of the first few years of the bakery opening involved educating local people about veganism, Sabet said.
“We feel like a part of Williston Park like the town I live in,” Sabet said. “We’ve been here six and a half years and we’re not going anywhere.”
Sabet said the bakery is a “real vegan space” where they use no products deriving from animals or animal-tested products.
The bakery also has books and games customers can check out while enjoying Sweet To Lick’s deserts and lunch options, Sabet said.
“Why use animal products when you don’t have to,” Sabet asked.
Lunch menu options include the “Tempeh BLT” using thinly sliced soybeans seasoned like bacon in lieu of bacon.
The market place includes items supporting a vegan lifestyle including snacks, metal straws, stickers, and hygiene products, Sabet said.
Menus and more information on Sweet to Lick can be found at sweettolick.com/#sweettolick
