{"id":1534,"date":"2018-02-01T09:00:44","date_gmt":"2018-02-01T14:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1534"},"modified":"2018-02-13T14:42:23","modified_gmt":"2018-02-13T19:42:23","slug":"strong-hearts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1534","title":{"rendered":"Strong Hearts Cafe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Serving Food with a Purpose\u00a0<\/em><\/h1>\n

By Megan Stevens | Photography by Steven J. Pallone<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Almost 10 years ago, on a car ride from New York City, Nick Ryan and Joel Capolongo imagined what it would be like to open up their own vegan caf\u00e9. Little did they know, their thoughts would begin to transform into reality only a half-year later.<\/p>\n

They were headed home from a concert in the city when they decided to stop at a small caf\u00e9, which ultimately fueled their inspiration. On the ride back to Syracuse, they began to brainstorm and envision what their own vegan caf\u00e9 could entail.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted a place where we not only could serve the vegan population, but also be customers,\u201d Joel said.<\/p>\n

A month later, Joel\u2019s girlfriend walked into the brick building at 719 E. Genesee St. and saw a vacant spot that looked promising. She came back, reported the news to Joel and the next day, Nick and Joel spoke with the landlord. Things began to take off from there, and six months later, they served their first customer at Strong Hearts Caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\u201c[It was] being in the right place at the right time,\u201d Joel said.<\/p>\n

They decided they didn\u2019t want to appeal to exclusively vegans, and would make their target audience simple: omnivores. Being the only vegan spot in town at the time, they knew it would be a \u201cno brainer\u201d to bring in the business of vegans. So, they decided to make their food taste so good that it would also appeal to those who weren\u2019t vegetarian or vegan, making sure everyone felt comfortable with the menu choices.<\/p>\n

Nick and Joel agree that only about 10 percent of the Strong Hearts Caf\u00e9 customer base is vegan. The duo takes pride in serving the dishes their customers like best, offering monthly specials, pizza Fridays and even vegan cupcakes. Some of their famous dishes are the Reuben sandwich and the chicken salad sandwich \u2014 all vegan, of course.<\/p>\n

As their success continued, the strong foundation and booming customer base\u00a0led to the opening of a second location in December 2013 at 720 University Ave., in the former Syra-Juice Juice Bar & Eatery space. When they learned the owner was selling the business, Nick and Joel jumped to make an offer.<\/p>\n

The new eatery had some built-in perks, coming with its own frequent customer base. The duo preserved some of its value by keeping a few of the items on the menu.<\/p>\n

As one can imagine, running two locations can present challenges. However, Nick and Joel have a system that makes it work. Nick oversees one location, while Joel oversees the other, which makes it all come together.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are fortunate to be two owners with two locations,\u201d Joel said.<\/p>\n

Strong Hearts Caf\u00e9 was founded with vegan beliefs, but that\u2019s not the only passion Nick and Joel share. They also fight for social justice, aiming to raise awareness and make a difference. They wanted to do something positive with their business by giving back to the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur vision and mission include everyone,\u201d Joel said.<\/p>\n

Last year, the duo ran a monthly Social Justice Charity campaign day. One day each month, they donated half of all proceeds from the day\u2019s sales to a local charity, totaling more than $6,000 given to local nonprofits organizations in 2017. The charities included Vera House, InterFaith Works and Cuse Pit Crew.<\/p>\n

The theme of social justice extends to the Strong Hearts Caf\u00e9 menu, too. Some of the most popular sellers are the milkshakes, which the duo named after some of their favorite heroes, including Harriet Tubman, Malcolm X and Caesar Chavez.<\/p>\n

Naming the milkshakes after their heroes was \u201cpushing the vegan agenda, but also a look at these great people who took a stand,\u201d Nick said. And that\u2019s what Strong Hearts Caf\u00e9 is all about. SWM<\/em><\/p>\n

Visit Strong Hearts Caf\u00e9 at 719 E. Genesee St., Syracuse, and Strong Hearts on the Hill at 720 University Ave., Syracuse. For menus, specials, hours, merchandise and more, visit strongheartscafe.com<\/a>, strongheartsoth.com<\/a>, facebook.com\/StrongHeartsCafe<\/a> or facebook.com\/strongheartsonthehill<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Serving Food with a Purpose\u00a0 By Megan Stevens | Photography by Steven J. Pallone Almost 10 years ago, on a car ride from New York City, Nick Ryan and Joel Capolongo imagined what it would be like to open up their own vegan caf\u00e9. Little did they know, their thoughts would begin to transform into…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[517,526,134,522,525,523,524,516],"class_list":["post-1534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-february-2018","tag-megan-stevens","tag-steven-j-pallone","tag-steven-j-pallone-photography","tag-strong-hearts","tag-strong-hearts-cafe","tag-strong-hearts-on-the-hill","tag-the-go-red-edition"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/IMG_0164CORRECTED-2.jpg?fit=5200%2C3474&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2502,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2502","url_meta":{"origin":1534,"position":0},"title":"SYRACUSE EATS: Hope Cafe and Tea House pair unique international fare with a mission","author":"Staff","date":"August 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By Christine Dunne Photos by Steven J. Pallone \u00a0 In late 2017, Matthew Cullipher opened the Hope Cafe and Tea House in the village of Liverpool not only to provide customers with delicious food from countries like Peru and Columbia, but also to give hope people in need. Money from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=101"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_8190.jpg?fit=1200%2C853&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_8190.jpg?fit=1200%2C853&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_8190.jpg?fit=1200%2C853&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_8190.jpg?fit=1200%2C853&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG_8190.jpg?fit=1200%2C853&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2561,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2561","url_meta":{"origin":1534,"position":1},"title":"SYRACUSE EATS: Salt City Coffee: Making a Difference, One Cup at a Time","author":"Staff","date":"September 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By Becca Taurisano Photos by Steven J. Pallone \u00a0 Maria Metthe is all about relationships. \u00a0 \u201cCoffee is a gateway to have conversations, and that builds relationships,\u201d said Maria. \u00a0 She and her husband, Aaron, opened Salt City Coffee two years ago in its Near West Side location. Maria deals\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/IMG_8305.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/IMG_8305.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/IMG_8305.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/IMG_8305.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/IMG_8305.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2037,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2037","url_meta":{"origin":1534,"position":2},"title":"The Palace Commons","author":"Staff","date":"September 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Eastwood\u2019s Anchor By Jamie Jenson | Photography by Steven J. Pallone\u00a0 When Gia Palermo was growing up in Eastwood, she and her friends would go to the movies at The Palace Theatre all the time. \u201cEveryone seems to have a story about The Palace Theatre,\u201d Gia said. Most of those\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_8759.jpg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_8759.jpg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_8759.jpg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_8759.jpg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_8759.jpg?fit=1200%2C806&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2453,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2453","url_meta":{"origin":1534,"position":3},"title":"Syracuse Eats: Barado\u2019s on the Water","author":"Staff","date":"July 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By Megan Sheehan Photos by Steven J. Pallone \u00a0 Ahoy! Load the family in the car or better yet, pack everyone up in the boat! Let\u2019s head on up north! Oneida Lake has a spectacular way to make you feel worlds away from home. A short drive transports you to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Food"","block_context":{"text":"Food","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=102"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_7144.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_7144.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_7144.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_7144.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_7144.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":524,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=524","url_meta":{"origin":1534,"position":4},"title":"Bailiwick Market & Cafe","author":"Staff","date":"February 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"One-Stop Local Shop By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Steven J. Pallone\u00a0 Bailiwick Market & Cafe \u2014 the expansive, high-ceilinged barn boasting everything from Caf\u00e9 Kubal coffee to locally-sourced meals to locally-crafted goods and artisan works \u2014 started out as a simple dream of an ice cream shop. Nancy Hourigan\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Food"","block_context":{"text":"Food","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=102"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_Food_Bailiwick_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C796&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_Food_Bailiwick_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C796&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_Food_Bailiwick_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C796&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_Food_Bailiwick_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C796&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_Food_Bailiwick_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C796&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1587,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1587","url_meta":{"origin":1534,"position":5},"title":"Soleil Caf\u00e9","author":"Staff","date":"March 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Serving Sunny Coffee\u00a0 By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Steven J. Pallone\u00a0 Coffee means a lot to Shem and Taylor Doup\u00e9, the husband-and-wife team behind Soleil Caf\u00e9. They met when Taylor was working at Caf\u00e9 Kubal\u2019s Eastwood location. Shem worked nearby and began frequenting the small caf\u00e9 after he met\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_1992.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_1992.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_1992.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_1992.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_1992.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1534"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1580,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1534\/revisions\/1580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}