Founder Spotlight: Stacie Van Cleave (Veg.Edible)
Meet Stacie Van Cleave:
Company:
Veg.Edible
Veg.Edible is a vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free take-out eatery + bakery in Omaha, Nebraska, creating nostalgic comfort food that’s safe for more people. With a focus on allergen-friendly, high-quality ingredients and full transparency, Veg.Edible serves fresh, flavorful meals and baked goods that everyone can enjoy — whether they have dietary restrictions or not.
Location:
Omaha, Nebraska, USA
When did you launch the business?
April 2021
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Startup Stage?
Brick and mortar
What led you to where you are today?
I founded Veg.Edible to make delicious, nostalgic comfort food safe and accessible for people with dietary restrictions — something I know firsthand is nearly impossible to find outside of your home kitchen. After years in the food industry and managing my own health through diet, I saw a need for a place that takes allergen safety and ingredient transparency seriously.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
I wish I had fully grasped just how much money it takes to start and sustain a food business — not just for equipment and build-out, but for the constant costs of ingredients, packaging, staffing, permits, and unexpected repairs. Even with careful planning, the cash flow demands are relentless, and every decision feels like a balance between protecting quality and keeping the lights on. It’s an expensive, high-stakes game that requires far more capital than I imagined at the start.
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
One of the most difficult decisions I've faced so far has been balancing customer requests with the limitations needed to keep the food truly safe and consistent — like saying no to custom designs or certain menu changes that could compromise allergen safety or overwhelm my small team. I've also had to make tough calls about pricing in the face of rising ingredient costs, knowing that raising prices could be hard for customers but necessary to sustain the business.
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
I can help the VEGPRENEUR community by sharing my firsthand experience running a fully vegan, gluten-free, and allergen-friendly restaurant in the beef state — from navigating strict food safety protocols to building a loyal customer base. Through our socials, I offer recipes, tips, and product reviews, as well as candid insights from my own health journey, showing that safe, inclusive food can still be exciting and full of flavor. My goal is to inspire and equip others to create with intention, transparency, and care.
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
The VEGPRENEUR community can help by following along on our journey, engaging with our content, and sharing it with others who value inclusive, allergen-friendly dining. And if you’re ever in Omaha, make Veg.Edible a must-visit destination — every visit and every share helps us keep creating safe, delicious food for more people.
Fun fact about you:
A couple of fun facts about me: I ran an ice cream shop for 12 years. I have 3 tortie cats (Sophie, Ruby, and Kai), and they all have a menu item named after them. My partner Matt and I always make time to have a work-life balance by traveling to music festivals.
Anything else you would like to share?
Veg.Edible has become the go-to spot in Omaha for touring artists looking for safe, delicious food — we've fed famous mouths from Billie Eilish and Ringo Starr to Fall Out Boy, The Mars Volta, David Burke, and Bullet for My Valentine (just to name a few).
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