Pawtucket-based Barrett’s Garden’s Solution to Vegan Lasagna

When asked why she set out to create a plant-based cheese company, Liz Barrett’s answer is simple: “I missed lasagna!” After going vegan in 2012, the avid homecook realized how essential an ingredient cheese was in her life, sharing, “I especially missed ricotta and parmesan. How could I live without stuffed shells, manicotti, and lasagna?” When her quest to find substitutes yielded only products with ingredients that didn’t align with her pursuit of eating clean, healthy foods without chemicals and fillers, she decided to make her own.

Barrett’s Garden, which has become known for Sassy Cashew Spreads in a range of flavors – along with dairy-free iterations of cream cheese, mozzarella, and even an IPA cheddar (a collaboration with Revival Brewing in Providence) – was born out of Barrett’s graduation from the Warren-based Hope & Main incubator program’s 2017 summer cohort. She got her business license in 2018 and took off running.

“I would pack my car with all of my gear to do lots of farmers markets to get the word out,” Barrett says. “I went to all of the vegan food festivals I could find, drove around to stores and gave demos, and participated in food shows. The Rhode Island food community is beautiful! I am very grateful to have a solid customer base that validates Barrett’s Garden year after year.”

Her two original products are also two of her most popular: Farmesan and Fauxcotta. “Of course, you need those to make your lasagna!” Find Barrett’s Garden products in shops across the state, as well as online at BarrettsGardenFoods.com.