Vegan chef: ‘We just make good food so the choice or change to a healthier lifestyle is easy’

Stacey Dougan says switching to a vegan lifestyle almost 15 years ago cured several health problems, such as eczema and candida. It inspired her to teach others how to change their diets and to create dishes that she proudly says are satisfying to meat-eaters as well as vegetarians.

Describe your business.

Simply Pure is a gourmet vegan and raw food cafe. Our commitment to flavor and health has created a dining experience that not only will satisfy your appetite but will energize, revitalize and refresh from the inside out. We also cater, provide private chef services and deliver packaged meals twice a week.

Who are your customers?

Diners at Simply Pure are interested in living a healthier lifestyle. That change may have been prompted by a health scare to themselves or someone they love, or they just like waking up with energy and a happy mood. Nutrition has a huge effect on our health. We just make good food so the choice or change to a healthier lifestyle is easy.

You started your restaurant with a seed loan from the Downtown Project. How did you secure that funding?

Hard work. I catered several DTP events and built a reputation downtown of having great food that everyone enjoyed, not just vegans. That led me on the path to meeting with the Small Business Fund team and having several meetings with them about my desire to open a restaurant. Knowing my product and work ethic, they offered me a seed loan.

What advice do you have for beginning restaurateurs?

Be sure you seek advice on every aspect of your business first. This will save you tons of time and money. Start small. Have a simple menu with a system that can be easily duplicated. Most importantly, trust the process.

Yes, you may want to think about the next five or 50 locations for your business. I get it; we have those aspirations, too. The key is to focus on right now and be sure you tighten up processes so you aren’t building on a shaky foundation.

There are going to be ups and downs. Just ride them out and trust the process.

How did you transition from catering to a brick-and-mortar location?

Simply Pure actually is not my first cafe. I opened my first restaurant about 13 years ago in Atlanta. After a bad business breakup, I traveled and lived in Ghana for a couple of years, then moved back to Las Vegas to be close to my family.

I met Shane Stuart, who owns GrassRoots Juice Bar, and we started catering together. We started catering for DTP dinners at Tony Hsieh’s apartment in the Ogden. The DTP approached us about opening our own brick-and-mortar eateries. The rest is history.

What’s your favorite vegan ingredient?

When I was transitioning to vegan 15 years ago, I had a difficult time letting go of cheese. Really, who doesn’t love cheese? I soon discovered the amazingness of nutritional yeast and how it is used to make vegan cheese.

We prepare our own cheeses from scratch at Simply Pure. Our customers always are amazed because it tastes like dairy cheese sauce. I like to quote my friend who also is a chef in Ghana; he calls nutritional yeast “the magic.” Yes, it is magic.

What’s the most important part of your job?

The ability to e​mploy people and inspire others.

On our team, we have a fiction writer, a fashion designer and an artist. They are all remarkable, creative people, and we all share a common bond of wanting to live a healthier lifestyle and make delicious cuisine to aid in that mission.

We’ve had team members come in not yet fully introduced into the vegan lifestyle and change their lives through food. Now they can share that experience the rest of their lives.

What is the hardest part about doing business in Las Vegas?

Las Vegas has no reverence for “old” things, and when I say old, I mean two years or more. This means as a business owner, you have to keep on your toes and keep up with the transition that constantly happens here.

For example, when Container Park opened in 2013, we were rocking and rolling. People were coming out in droves. It’s not like that anymore. Don’t get me wrong, business is coming in, but it’s not the same. Container Park is old news now to Las Vegas, even though it’s a cool spot.

We love our local customers, so we launched a loyalty card program to incentivize them to eat local and eat well often. We’re always looking for ways to connect with our community.

What is the best part about doing business here?

It’s so easy to make a name for yourself. Las Vegas is an open market for almost every entity except gaming. Almost every arena is untapped. Someone can come here, create a niche and clean up shop. That’s what we’re doing.

We have people come into the restaurant, then book us to cater boxed lunches for their meetings. If you have the drive, the vision and the partners to do so, you can make whatever life you want in Las Vegas.

What obstacles has your business overcome?

We still are overcoming obstacles. The biggest one recently was making the decision to move our location from the second floor to the first floor of Container Park. I knew we had to do it if we wanted to continue to grow and thrive, but the decision came with challenges. We changed the menu and the concept. It cost us a lot of money, and we are still paying for it. But that is what happens in business: You spend money to make money. You change. You grow. You learn. Like I said, trust the process.

How can Nevada improve its business climate?

I am a believer that improvement lies in the hands of the individual. You have to be the one to improve, personally, spiritually, emotionally, and then the business will improve.

If you are a business owner, that may mean examining your business to ensure it’s delivering excellence to your customers. If you are a customer, that may mean sharing feedback with a business, especially a small business, so it can deliver you excellence.

The state is doing what it needs to do to make money and flourish. We have to do the same.