Growing up in Ripley, Tennessee, Don Gaines always had an affection for Memphis. After college in Searcy, Arkansas, and stints in Arkansas and Springfield, Missouri, he moved to Memphis about 10 years ago. “I fell in love with the community and the culture here. Memphis has a creative and supportive energy that keeps you going,” he says.
That spirit runs through Lulu’s Cafe & Bakery, the vegan shop Don co-owns with Stephanie Blanda and Alexa Zabella. What started as a small farmers’ market stand grew into a beloved Memphis business focused on local sourcing and sustainability. The idea of working in the food industry took root when Don was working from home in a desk job that left him seeking a change. He took part-time restaurant jobs, learned about cottage baking laws, and began experimenting with sourdough bread in his kitchen. “I’ve always been drawn to bread because it is a balance of technique, intuition, and creativity,” Don says.
After several months of home baking and time crafting pizza at Fuel Cafe in Midtown, Don teamed up with Stephanie, a former restaurant coworker who shared his culinary vision. Together, they co-founded Lulu’s and sold their products at local farmers’ markets for years before opening their brick-and-mortar cafe over two years ago. “Stephanie brought so much knowledge and experience that I didn’t have,” Don says. “Working with Stephanie and Alexa has brought Lulu’s to life.”
At Lulu’s, their vegan menu isn’t about imitation food trends. “When we think about what to make, it’s not about recreating burgers,” he explains. “It’s about foods people already love that just happen to be vegan. We focus on ancient, plant-based traditions that people know and are familiar with.”
Outside the kitchen, Don’s other passion is cycling, not just as a sport, but as a way of life. “I’ve been riding bikes for over a decade now,” he says. “I ride everywhere to commute, exercise, and hang out with friends. I even have a cargo bike I use to haul stuff around. I spend a huge portion of my life on my bike.”
That lifestyle nearly came to a halt last July, when a driver blew through a stop sign at the intersection of Vance and Walnut. Don was headed out for a training ride, feeling especially good after recently winning a bike race in Conway, Arkansas. “I saw the car and thought, ‘They’re not stopping,’” he recalls. “I turned as sharply as I could, but they hit my front wheel. I was on the ground, and the car was driving away.” Don was left injured in the street with five broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung. He spent 36 hours at Regional One and weeks at home recovering, barely mobile. “Thankfully, the bike was less damaged,” Don laughs.
Now, Don is back in the kitchen at Lulu’s, riding his bike everywhere, including Thursday nights with the Memphis Social Bicycle Club and Tuesday GPAC rides, and hopes to try racing again. “The cycling community here is incredible,” he says.
Help advocate for safer streets and a more bike-friendly Memphis at the Second Annual Memphis Social Bike Club Critical Mass on Sunday, November 9, at noon at Wiseacre Downtown.
Learn more about Lulu’s Café and Bakery at their website Luluscafeandbakery.com.
By Zoe Harrison
Photo by Tindall Stephens
