About Us

The Hearty Hooligan was started in 2017 by Staicha Kidd. She wanted to make vegan food fun, messy, and totally accessible. Not everything had to be healthy. Not everything had to be perfect. She loved vegan food, but she also loved indulgent, nostalgic comfort food, the kind of stuff people already craved. Her goal was simple: show that vegan food can be rowdy, indulgent, and delicious, without making people feel like they had to completely change their lives to go vegan. She built a space where everyone could feel welcome, try something new, and maybe even have a little fun at the same time. And she did it so well that it became more than a restaurant, it became a community.

We are Jesse and Mackenzie, and we feel so lucky to carry the Hooligan into its next chapter. We’ve always loved small business and creating spaces that bring people together. We’ve owned Kicks for Kids in Milton for several years. Owning a restaurant has always been on our “one day” list. When Mackenzie’s sister sent her an Instagram post saying The Hooligan was for sale, the only thing we could think was “We need to message her right now.” Staicha replied, we hit it off instantly, and it felt like everything just clicked. Why start from scratch when there’s already an amazing business that aligns with our values?

Mackenzie has been vegetarian since she was twelve and started cooking because she was the first veg in her family. Over the years, cooking became something she really loved. When she and Jesse moved in together, she started making her plant based meals for him and for Bella, our stepdaughter. They loved them. What started as just feeding people became a creative obsession: taste testing, tweaking, trying new things, making everything better. Most of our meals are now fully plant based, and that love for experimenting and sharing good food is what we bring to the Hooligan every day.

What we love most is being in the room when the Hooligan is busy. We’ll be behind the counter or in the kitchen, and when we look up, we see families, couples, friends, and regulars laughing, chatting, and enjoying food together. The staff are hustling too, but they’re joking, laughing, and making the space feel warm and alive. That energy, that community, that connection, it’s why we do what we do.

Being a safe space is huge for us. Everyone should be able to walk through the door as they are and feel comfortable, welcome, and supported. We are proud to keep The Hearty Hooligan as a woman owned, LGBTQ2SIA+ positive, all vegan restaurant committed to local sourcing and from scratch food.

We are beyond grateful to be part of this story and can’t wait to keep building on everything that makes this place so special. Thank you all so much for being apart of our story!