MJ's Café
On the healing power of meatless meals
It was a flyer crinkled in her Garden District mailbox that brought Mary-Brennan Faucheux to MJ’s Café six years ago. Then just four tables and a bar, the serene lunch spot in Mid City Baton Rouge was newly opened by Maureen Joyce, whose regal treatment of vegetables on a mostly vegetarian menu drew relieved devotees, including Faucheux, to the café. Faucheux soon became Joyce’s sole employee. In June 2017, with a few more tables and employees acquired over the years, Joyce passed her protégé the reins. And not two months later, Domini Bradford, a first-time guest at MJ’s, said to its new owner, “This is what I’m all about.” She wondered if Faucheux might want her help.
A chef with over two decades of kitchen experience, Bradford has catered to a wild variety of diets and clients in California and Jackson, Mississippi, particularly at Jackson’s High Noon Café, where as head chef she presided over a probiotic menu. She’s a fixture of MJ’s tiny kitchen now; she, Faucheux, and the rest of the enthusiastic crew hope to help a fondness for plant-based diets flourish in Baton Rouge. I sat down with Faucheux and Bradford recently to talk about vegan plate lunches, camaraderie in the kitchen, and growing organically. Find excerpts below.
On plant-based plate lunches
F: We’ve been taking dishes that are predominantly a meat-centered dish and flipping it into a vegan dish. The Vegan Bolognese [pasta] is one dish that we’ve done.
B: We’ve been through a few different recipes with that. We did “meatballs” first. Then broke it down to a deconstructed meatball. The ingredients are still in there that would be in a meatball, but we were trying to leave the food more whole. So it was whole lentils, whole mushrooms that we had grilled. So when you look at it, it doesn’t look so “messed with.”
F: We’re flipping things so we’re going to get it to where we’re running a vegan dish every day. Right now it’s just Thursday and Friday because we’re operating in a small space. We’re getting bigger ovens so we can get food out there. Right now we’re working with very limited equipment.
B: The Blue Plate vegan special every day, that’s what we’re aiming for first. Plus vegan sandwiches …
F: We’ll have a sweet potato falafel burger on the menu. A cauliflower BBQ wrap, vegan nachos …
B: And we’re talking about a muffuletta and a banh mi, all vegan. That won’t happen all in one day. We’ll be adding them to the menu over the next few months.
F: We see the need for more vegan options. We see more people who are trying to maybe not become completely vegan but a couple of days a week, follow that diet. I think that’s beautiful. We always have soups, a couple of salads, and a sandwich that are vegan, but moving forward we’d like to have more variety.
...you’ve got diehards for everything on the menu.
On misconceptions about vegan food
F: People think they’re not going to get full. That it’s going to taste disgusting. That they’ll just be eating raw spinach all day. We do get people who walk in here and say, “Wait, I can’t put meat on this?” and they freak out. But other people are more open-minded: “OK, I’ll try this.” I’ve not had one person who hasn’t been like, “Wow, this is so surprisingly good! I thought I always had to have meat.” We’re just trying to show you that you don’t have to have meat for every single meal.
B: That alone—even if they just did one night at their home, saying “We’re going to have vegan food tonight”—what an impact that would be.
People think they’re not going to get full. That it’s going to taste disgusting. That they’ll just be eating raw spinach all day.
On changes in Baton Rouge
F: I see Baton Rouge changing right now. I’m super excited. There’s more music now. Government Street is getting built up. Downtown’s getting built up. More and more people are hopefully staying. For so long, people left the city because they want to be in a more creative city. Now more people are staying and you’re interacting with different types of people that you don’t necessarily see all the time.
B: Here [at MJ’s] we have a hub for artists, musicians …
F: And health-conscious people!
B: Education about what food can do to your body has been slow to get to some communities who are struggling with real economic hardships every day. They’re not thinking so much about “Well, I’m going to eat vegan food,” but now they’re understanding that they can adjust their diets just slightly and really affect their whole bodies.
On taking over
F: Maureen [Joyce] was ready to do the next thing in her life. I always joked, “If I could just make a living, I would stay here forever.” I loved the people who came in here, I loved what we were all about. So I developed a business plan, and we worked out an agreement. She’s been still so supportive to me. I love her dearly and think that she has really given me a great opportunity that I wouldn’t necessarily have had the courage to do myself. I still sometimes think I’m crazy, but it’s worth it.
"I still sometimes think I’m crazy, but it’s worth it.
Right away when I took over, I was like, “I’m opening up for brunch! I’m doing it all!” Then once I took the reins, I had coolers break, the pipes burst, the air conditioner went out. The people that work here have taken more than they necessarily need to on their hands to help me out. I’m so appreciative. I thank God every day for the people who work here.
B: Well, I think we all want to be here. We like each other’s company. We have tons in common. We have the same ideals in so many ways about the food and running a business.
F: I’m not trying to make this place different. I want the feeling there that Maureen established. But I see the need for more vegan options. That’s all I’m trying to do. I’m not trying to take things away that people really love.
B: No, because you’ve got diehards for everything on the menu.
On community
B: We’re very accessible. If guests want to stop one of us, we’re always right behind the bar. We try not to be closed off from people so that if they just want to talk quietly about what we do or what would be possible for them and their own lives at home, we can help them with that.
[You might also like: Cultured Guru]
F: People tell us a lot that it’s a very peaceful and calming spot. I don’t necessarily feel that way all the time! But I’m glad we’re giving that to everyone else as much as we can. It’s very welcoming. Other regulars start knowing other regulars—people who you don’t necessarily go and hang out with, but you look forward to seeing them here. You’ve developed a nice camaraderie with them here, because y’all eat at the same spots. There’s always positive, thought-provoking conversations happening here.
B: People can walk in and be greeted and remembered and welcomed. We’ll do our best.
Click here to try MJ Café's recipe for a flavorful vegan Bolognese.