Little Bean, the vegan ice cream chop from Portland food magnate Micah Camden, is officially opening its doors next Monday, April 1. Besides the “ice cream” made from chickpea milk, the shop will serve a menu of coffee drinks, pastries, and toasts, all of which are entirely gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free.
The project started with the chickpea ice cream that quickly gained local, then national attention for its brand new take on creamy vegan ice cream with inventive flavors like cherry chai and Sichuan strawberry. After rigorous R&D and sampling last year, Camden and his team are ready to open its first real-deal scoop shop and bakery. To start, it will only be available at the shop, alongside other cafe treats, including cookies made with chickpea pulp, pastries, and toasts. “The bread turned out amazing,” says Camden. “It tastes exactly like bread, not cardboard like a lot of other gluten-free breads do.”
The shop will offer four different types of toasts, with toppings like roasted cauliflower and romesco, roasted beets and vegan cream cheese, and chickpea butter and bananas; the last arrives on a brioche with eggs in the bread, as the shop isn’t attempting to be entirely vegan.
Little Bean will also serve coffee from the local Terrain Coffee Project, run by Marty Lopes. All the milk for lattes and cappuccinos is similarly made from chickpeas, essentially the same as the base for the ice cream.
The shop will be Camden’s 40th restaurant opening when it opens at 7 a.m. at 1241 NW Johnson Street. “We’re going to play it by ear,” says Camden about the hours and general business. “When you’re creating something that has never been produced before there’s just no roadmap.”
Correction, March 29, 12:23 p.m.: Marty Lopes did not found Extracto Coffee
- Little Bean [Official]
- Terrain Coffee Project [Official]
- This New Chickpea Ice Cream Company May Revolutionize the Dairy-Free Dessert Game [EPDX]
- The Golden Age of Vegan Ice Cream Is Here [Eater]
- All Previous Little Bean Coverage [EPDX]