Why Brooklyn Is Already Obsessed With This New Black-Owned Vegan Focaccia Café

From vegnews.com

Crown Heights’ newest vegan outpost, Nacha Focaccia, is already a hit, selling 400 sandwiches opening weekend and serving creative drinks and plant-based focaccia creations

Focaccia has some serious staying power. Research suggests the bread—synonymous with Italy and beloved for its pillowy interior and crispy golden crust—may have been eaten in Neolithic Mesopotamia thousands of years ago. And yet, in 2026, it’s still popular enough to inspire an entire café concept.

In Brooklyn, vegan chef Charlise Rookwood—the force behind The Black Vegan Cooking Show and the James Beard Award-nominated cookbook Vegan Soulicious—has teamed up with barista Naima Coleman to open Nacha Focaccia, a new plant-based cafe serving specialty lattes, classic coffees, and an array of focaccia-based sandwiches and sweet treats.

                                                                                                                               Nacha Focaccia

Menu options include Morning Munch, a focaccia breakfast sandwich layered with vegan bacon, egg, harissa, and seeded oil crunch mayo; Shikko’s Katsu, featuring a crispy fried cutlet with tonkatsu sauce, cabbage slaw, and fresh cucumber salad; and Chocolate & Co., a double chocolate chunk focaccia topped with nut butter and strawberry jam.

Unsurprisingly, with a menu like that, Nacha Focaccia is already proving to be a hit despite only being officially open for a few days. According to Rookwood, the eatery sold no fewer than 400 sandwiches during its opening weekend.

Building a vegan empire

Rookwood has plans to expand the vegan reach in her space and beyond, including a speakeasy set to open in the basement. Onn the same street, Rookwood is also planning to launch Vegan Soulicious Cafe. Like the chef’s cookbook, the plant-based fast-casual concept will celebrate Mauritian and Caribbean cuisine. 

Right now, Rookwood is focused on attracting investors for the project, which she hopes to eventually scale into a larger chain. “The flagship Brooklyn location is designed as a proof of concept for an ambitious expansion plan targeting urban centres with high demand for plant-based, nutrient-dense cuisine,” the Vegan Soulicious Cafe website reads.

For now, though, customers can sample Rookwood’s expertly crafted vegan fare at Nacha Focaccia.

“Nacha Focaccia is my first restaurant ever,” Rookwood told BK Mag. “I’m speechless at the community and how they’ve come out. The way they’ve embraced us. Because you never really know. You work on something for so long, and you get so attached to it, but it’s been amazing. I don’t know what the future is going to bring, but it’s crazier than I anticipated.”

The opening also comes as some much-needed good news for Brooklyn’s vegan dining scene. In recent months, the borough has seen several closures, including the sudden shuttering of Toad Style in April, the loss of Red Bamboo in February, and the end of Modern Love in 2025.

https://vegnews.com/brooklyns-new-black-owned-nacha-focaccia