BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A standout vegan restaurant will return to Bethlehem in May, according to a social media post by the owner, who is overcoming a major medical journey.
VegOut owner and operator Mary Lopresti on Wednesday announced on Instagram the reopening of her plant-based eatery.
It received an enthusiastic reply, accruing nearly 1,200 reactions to the news by just after noon.
Lopresti temporarily closed her shop in fall 2023 as she underwent treatment for a rare form of cancer.
“As the owner and lead employee of a four member staff, my absence has a large impact on keeping us up and running, so we will need to temporarily close,” she told the community.
“Once I kind of started being a little bit more active, it helped me, it empowered me, thinking that it is something that I could do."VegOut owner and operator Mary Lopresti
At the time, Lopresti said she already had undergone multiple invasive surgeries, and anticipated even more.
Despite the stress and strain of dealing with substantial medical issues while caring for her family, Lopresti said she planned to reopen as soon as she was back on her feet.
“This journey has been a long, painful, draining few months," Lopresti said in her Instagram post. "But I am ecstatic to announce beating my cancer. I am currently in remission and working on regaining my physical and mental health.
"I am so fortunate to have all of your support and was able to take the time I needed for recovery from my surgeries. I truly feel ready to come back to VegOut and start my new life.
“I look forward to the reopening and rejoining this beautiful community.”
An official return date has not been announced, though the restaurant’s social media page encouraged fans to stay tuned for an official update.
Lopresti said she was told the stitches and incisions from surgery and treatment had healed a few weeks ago, and she has been rebuilding her strength in anticipation of the reopening.
“Once I kind of started being a little bit more active, it helped me, it empowered me, thinking that it is something that I could do, so it's been on my mind for a few weeks now,” Lopresti said Wednesday.
“And I just kind of woke up yesterday, and it just felt right. So I made that decision, and now I'm just kind of running with it. It was pretty quick that I said, ‘OK, I'm ready, I could do this.’
"And now I'm just putting everything in motion as fast as I can to make it happen.”
Love, support and fundraisers
While she said she felt a bit nervous about returning to VegOut, Lopresti said she is “really excited” to open up again.
“I missed being at work and being social, and it was such a personal experience for me to share my story," she said.
"So for me to go back and have the support and have other people be excited, and they can come back and start enjoying my food, it definitely helps with the process."
According to Lopresti, there may be a few small changes to the menu and the restaurant’s hours at the start, and it may take a bit of time before her beloved weekly burger specials return.
But she said fans can be assured that all their favorite items will be there.
“I hope one day I can repay everyone with the same love and support you have shown to me. Truly with all my heart, thank you.”VegOut owner and operator Mary Lopresti in an Instagram post
During her time off, Lopresti shared the story of her treatment. She said the experience had “left me feeling hopeless and defeated after constantly receiving bad news."
"It’s been mentally draining and physically painful,” she said.
In a December Instagram post, Lopresti said, “sharing the story about my ongoing battle and how it has impacted my life and business wasn’t easy for me. I was scared, nervous, and felt very exposed.
“But I’m glad I did and I want to thank everyone who has reached out!
“The outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming. I have been reminded how beautiful this world is, and kind the people in it can be. I appreciate how people have come together to help me through my darkest moment.”
Multiple fundraisers were held to help Lopresti and her family navigate their difficult time, which she said helped “alleviate an enormous amount of pressure and stress that was very difficult for me to handle.”
“I hope one day I can repay everyone with the same love and support you have shown to me," Lopresti said in the Instagram post. "Truly with all my heart, thank you.”
One such fundraiser, held on GoFundMe by Lopresti’s mother, Debi Dienstman, raised $19,195 with a goal of $2,500.
More than 250 contributions from individuals and businesses — including a $1,000 donation from Aman's Artisan Indian Cuisine in Easton, with a message of “Much love and support to you Mary” — helped Lopresti pay rent on the restaurant in addition to her medical bills while she underwent treatment.
'Happy to be able to give back'
Another fundraiser from Animal Defenders Greater Lehigh Valley on Facebook raised $1,720.
“We heard the news from Mary Lopresti owner @vegoutbethlehem, who had announced the temporary closure of VegOut due to her fight against a rare form of cancer," the post said.
"Let's rally for her and raise $$$ so it's one less thing she has to worry about. #vegan community let's do this! 100% donations will go directly to Mary. Share this post far and wide.”
“It helped keep me positive and hopeful, and people sharing their stories with me, and just knowing that it will be a safe space for me to reopen and still continue to get that support.”VegOut owner and operator Mary Lopresti
Lopresti said, “If it wasn't for people's generosity in setting up the GoFundMe, I definitely would have been nervous about losing my business, between the rent that I still have to pay, the bills associated with it, personal bills, and then medical bills as well.
"I was super grateful and appreciative, and I don't know if I could have even mentally survived, with all that worry on my mind.”
VegOut has been a staple of the Lehigh Valley’s vegan cuisine scene since Lopresti launched a pop-up restaurant inside of Roasted in December 2018.
By December 2019, the operation had outgrown its home and relocated to its current location of 1 East Church St.
With more than 20 years of experience in the food service industry, Lopresti focused on producing hearty comfort foods with a plant-based focus.
That let vegans, vegetarians and adventurous eaters enjoy dishes such as the Cheddar Jalapeno Ranch Burger, Loaded Pierogies, weekly specialty shakes and its celebrated Mac and Cheese — winner of the Lehigh Valley Vegan s'Mac Down.
That's no easy task, especially for a vegan cheese-based dish.
Lopresti made a strong point to thank everyone who shared messages of support and contributed to fundraisers while she fought through her treatment.
She said she looks forward to interacting with the community she loves so much.
“It helped keep me positive and hopeful, and people sharing their stories with me, and just knowing that it will be a safe space for me to reopen and still continue to get that support,” Lopresti said.
“So I think to be honest, I'm more excited to get back and serve my community after all their support than even going in it and cooking. I'm just happy to be able to give back.”
