As a vegetarian, it is hard to find healthy and plant-based sweets and pastries. I love to shop locally, so The Black Fig Bakery, owned and operated by Heidi Cruz, was the perfect fit for my sweet tooth. 

The choices change constantly as the owner is always experimenting with new recipes, from cake to pastries, and the commonly known treats like brownies, oatmeal cream pies, etc. All ingredients are vegan, vegetarian and naturally derived.

Cruz works remotely as a pastry chef  and operates through pop-ups and assorted pastry-boxes. She started The Black Fig Bakery in 2021. I had the pleasure of visiting WAVE to buy treats from her pop-up on Sept. 9.

I chose a vegan Oreo peanut butter chocolate brownie and a vegan cream pie for $12 plus tax. You definitely get what you pay for with Cruz’s large portions, and she was kind enough to give me the largest of the pastries.

I could tell the peanut butter was raw and natural and that Cruz used dark chocolate. The creme pie was absolutely delicious and probably my favorite of the two I chose to buy — way better than Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies. 

At the pop-up at WAVE, Cruz also had homemade and vegan/vegetarian pop-tarts, zucchini bread, cookies and juice. It feels guilt-free to munch on treats that I feel confident fit with my vegetarian lifestyle.

The only downside to her shop is the lack of a storefront and getting in contact to order something, as she is often busy, even more so around the holidays. 

Overall, if you can find Cruz and her traveling/remote shop, it is so worth it to try her delicious treats. It is a beautiful thing to support small businesses locally owned in Wichita. You can count on her treats being perfect for breakfast, desserts or as a Saturday pick-me-up.