Cafe with plant-based menu, self-care items opening in Lake Norman
When Heather Krengel and her family adopted a holistic lifestyle, she found herself going to five or six places a week to practice meditation and yoga, pick up kombucha and supplements, and to generally find all the resources to support her new healthy living journey. She longed for a place to meet all her needs.
When she shared her vision with her friend, Sheila Tierney, a business partnership for Lotus Soul Café was born. “We created the Lotus Soul Café to be a destination where customers want to eat, shop, work and socialize because they love being in the space,” Tierney said.
Lotus Soul Café also offers home, gift and self-care items focused on wellness and sustainability. Customers can attend wellness workshops, take meditation classes, join a wellness support group and receive alternative healing from local practitioners.
The menu
The plant-based menu filled with light bites such as toasts, hummus and salads was developed by Krengel, who is certified in holistic nutrition. Items are sourced organic whenever possible and prepared by hand in the café. The menu even correlates foods to specific chakras and indicates which areas of the body are best supported by the individual food selection.
For example, a snack of chocolate protein balls is marked as benefiting the root, sacral, solar plexus and heart chakras. The cafe’s nutrition guide includes explanations of which body parts are associated with those chakras and what they manage.
When sourcing vendors, working with socially conscious companies was important to the owners. The café serves Sweetwater organic coffee, which works with fair-trade and small-scale farmers, and Divine Organics tea, which works with sustainable and family-owned farms.
Buchi brand Fire and Water kombucha is offered, along with popular local favorite Lenny Boy in sweet potato and strawberry flavors. All are available by glass or growler.
Holistic resources
Central to the concept of one-stop holistic resources, Lotus Soul Café offers a healing room for classes and workshops. Currently, Monday Meditation is offered at 7 p.m., and Saturday Sunrise Yoga and Coffee is at 7 a.m.
After the first of the year, there will be opportunities for local practitioners to use the space, as well. The owners hope to offer certified healing arts practices such as Reiki, sound and light healing, and crystal therapies.
“We hope each customer leaves feeling lighter and happier than when they entered. We want to help lead this community into a more conscious and mindful way of eating, living and learning,” Krengel said.
Lotus Soul Café’s grand opening is on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. There will be food and beverage samples, giveaways, raffles, henna body art and live music.
Lotus Soul Café
704-997-8481
Instagram: @lotussoulcafe