Drive the District

The idea for a fully vegetarian bed and breakfast was first planted nine years ago for Laura and Scott Slayton, the proud new owners of North Texas’ first ever vegetarian bed and breakfast.

It was after their son was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease that this health-conscious couple decided to make a few changes in their lives and start living a fuller and healthier lifestyle by pursuing their dreams.

After a bit of schooling and a lot of dreaming, this recently empty-nested New Jersey couple uprooted their East Coast lives and headed down south to open up a fully vegetarian bed and breakfast and cooking school.

The Slaytons took over Fort Worth’s charming Hattie May Inn Bed and Breakfast in June, but quickly found that opening a vegetarian B&B in a city known as Cowtown would be no small feat.

“Most people didn’t think a vegetarian B&B could work but I had to be true to myself,” said Laura Slayton. “I’ve seen firsthand the incredible change an unprocessed, vegetarian diet can do for someone. This is the perfect venue to showcase how delicious as well as nutritious it can be.”

Although the Inn is touted as completely vegetarian, Laura also serves vegan breakfasts and makes some killer vegan cookies and muffins that have had guests raving and begging for her recipes. Not one to shy away from demand, her culinary prowess hit new heights last month when she officially launched her cooking school (Laura’s Natural Kitchen), where she uses her holistic nutrition background to teach hands-on cooking classes at the Inn.

Aside from the occasional “where’s the bacon” comment, the Slayton’s roaring success and continually booked out status has proven that this meat-centric city was hungry for something more.

“People seem to love the food and we have gotten comments from devoted meateaters that they were skeptical as to whether they would like the food but how much they enjoyed it,” Laura said. “Several times guests have said how good they feel after breakfast. They feel energized instead of lethargic.”

The Slayton’s have planted something truly unique in Fort Worth’s hospitality scene, and it seems their vision is only going to grow as both Scott and Laura look to the future for new opportunities to expand and spread their mission of promoting whole health.

“I envision a place where people could come for a weekend or longer and become fully immersed in learning how to truly nourish their bodies in a fun and supportive atmosphere,” Laura said. “That fits my personality and my approach to life. We’re very comfortable being with new people all the time. There aren’t many other businesses where every day is filled with getting to know people from all over the world and in different stages of life.”