Riverdel

Taken aback by the lack of quality cheese alternatives, devoted vegan Michaela Grob decided to take matters into her own hands. The then sales executive enrolled in training under raw-food chef Matthew Kenney, getting schooled on how to replicate the spectrum of tangy and sharp flavors present in cow’s-milk cheeses using only nuts and nut milks. At her Prospect Heights walk-in, Grob offers homespun wares, including a macadamia-based “brie” and cashew-built “mozzarella.” The dairy-free curds form the base for sandwiches (grilled cheese, pesto caprese), which can be taken out or enjoyed at stools along a butcher-block counter.