Couple Opens Magical Vegan Deli on Montana Avenue, Just in Time for Valentine's Day

By David Ganezer, Observer Staff Writer

You may have noticed the new vegan Deli in the 900 block of Montana Avenue. By opening the Deli, Brittany and Terrence Caldwell are completing their heroes' journey, and beginning where they started.

"The hero's journey is to end up where you started," says Caldwell. "I never thought I would come back to this, but at the same time, I thought opening a small restaurant was what I was meant to do."

B&T's Deli offers vegetarian sandwiches and other fares to those who want a sustainable diet, but miss the New York Delicatessen. Even the decor reminds one of the NY Deli, but hold the meat.

The couple have a marketing background for a technology company. "During the pandemic we decided to shift to a plant based diet," says Brittany Caldwell. "Over time, we realized that we were kind of excluding ourselves from some of the food that we loved."

"It seemed like a natural pivot to open a deli. I'm Jewish, so delis are in my blood," says Caldwell, who describes herself as "90% vegan." When I travel I sample the local cuisine, but other wise I'm vegan.

B&T's has a drawing of Wanda the dog on the wall. "She is my only daughter" says Caldwell.

Our vision is to start small and grow sustainably. Deli's are often pillars of their community. They bring a family element to their community. I'm just really happy with what we've done so far. We'll keep making magic happen every day."

"We were working at the same company when we met, for an Australian software company in San Francisco," says Caldwell.

"I grew up cooking with my dad. I went to culinary school part time at UCSB. I got an internship in software and marketing, loved it. But there was always something pulling at the heart strings when I saw places like B&T Deli popup. And it felt like time to start a deli," she says.

"There's something magical about a Deli. We're going to start out small and build from here, and just keep making magic everyday."