Vegan Bakery and 'To-Go' Dining Spot The Southern V Coming to Midtown

A new vegan option is headed for the Midtown area, as locally owned and operated vegan company The Southern V is opening up its first brick and mortar in the Watkins Park neighborhood bordering Charlotte Avenue.

Located at 513B Fisk Street directly behind Delores' Beauty Saloon and across from Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet Pearl High School, husband and wife team Clifton and Tiffany Hancock are aiming for a late May opening for what Clifton calls their "vegan shack," which will offer fresh pastries, desserts and to-go breakfast and dinner options. Describing the new venture "as a food truck with no wheels," it will be window order service only, with very limited outdoor seating.

Clifton tells Eater that they started The Southern V after taking note of what they felt was an underserved segment of the local vegan market:

We noticed that Nashville had some vegan meal options, but yeast doughnuts and a diverse selection of sweets were limited. So Tiffany decided to create desserts that she and her family grew up eating, but in vegan form to support her lifestyle choice and to appeal to her family and friends who weren't vegan. After an overwhelming response, we decided to share her desserts with the public. And not only to give the vegan community more options, but to spark the interest of those non-vegans who may have little knowledge of it.

The vegan start-up debuted just this past fall at the Southeast Nashville Farmers' Market in Antioch and has participated in various events around town, as well as taking special orders on a regular basis.

Clifton says that they are first and foremost a bakery, best known for their yeast doughnuts, but are taking advantage of having the permanent location to expand their menu and represent Southern culture with their take on 'vegan soul food.' New items featured will include 'hot chick 'n' biscuits,' barbecue 'ribz' and greens. Other desserts and pastries that will be available include vegan ice cream cake, caramel apple pie and seasonal specialties like peach cobbler.