local restaurant feature: Lockwood Cafe By: Morrgan Zmolek Lockwood Cafe has an entirely vegetarian menu— one that even non-vegetarians will love. Lockwood Café began as a desire to create an inclusive community space that promoted the arts. Sharon Stewart, owner and manager of Lockwood, said that she and her team decided on the idea for a café because of the inclusive nature of coffee shops. “Everyone feels welcome at a café,” Stewart said. “You kind of know your role. Not everyone feels welcome walking into a gallery space. By having a café that’s connected to the gallery, we’re kind of encouraging people to access and use the space and it’s been really amazing to see all the amazing things that have happened.” Lockwood started as a seasonal pushcart serving crepes and coffee. It wasn’t until Oct. 1, 2019, that the physical brick-and-mortar building opened. The name Lockwood originated from the original business that was on the property: Lockwood Grain and Coal. The name paid homage to what grain elevators were in a community: a gathering place. On Thursdays, Lockwood hosts a “Kitchen Takeover.” This event gives Rama Sridhar, a vegetarian chef from India, the space to make Indian-inspired vegetarian dishes. In a new event series in partnership with The Bean Palace, customers are served an eight-course fine dining experience based around legumes. The idea behind this experience is to bring emphasis to a food that is often seen as a side dish. Lockwood’s menu is completely vegetarian. “We built the menu with the idea that you come in and the menu doesn’t say ‘it’s all vegetarian,’” Stewart said. “Instead, it promotes the idea that you won’t miss it. We’ll make the food so good and have so many options that you won’t even think about it.” Lockwood also has vegan and no gluten added options as well.
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