LUHV at First Bite: Audrey & Facundo’s Love Story

Since LUHV Food is a family-run business, we love weaving stories of the family members into business affairs. As many of you may know, Facundo Lucci is the son of Silvia and Daniel, the Co-Founders of LUHV. Facundo had been living in New York establishing himself in the music industry, but returned home to Philadelphia to help his parents get LUHV on its feet. He was surrounded by veganism at work and at home (since his parents had recently converted to veganism for health reasons), which inspired him to finally commit to veganism himself in 2015. To Facundo, being vegan means “Being mindful of the life he lives on this planet and being mindful of his role in the environment.” Although Facundo had planned on returning to New York, Facundo felt compelled to stick with LUHV and spearheaded opening our Vegan Deli at the Reading Terminal Market (RTM). Little did he know, LUHV would not only lead him to a new career and new lifestyle, but also to the love of his life!

Meanwhile, Audrey was born and raised in Iowa. In college she majored in Environmental Studies, so she ended up taking a class about Animal and Environmental Ethics of Meat Consumption, which got her thinking about how to detach herself from that system. Upon returning to her parents’ house during the summer of 2012, she noticed that her parents had become vegan due to health reasons, so Audrey ended up joining them (she had been vegetarian for two years already). Since her family went vegan together, it made it an easier transition. Audrey said “Having community support is super important in a vegan lifestyle.” Since there’s not a prevalent vegan scene in Iowa, her family ended up cooking a lot of beans, legumes, and lentils at home. She works at University of Northern Iowa in the Center for Energy and Environmental Education, which has given her an extensive background in public health and environmentalism.

So fate had it that Facundo was working away at the Vegan Deli on a busy Saturday. Since the RTM is a National Historic Landmark and neighbors the Convention Center, hoards of people visit the RTM. Audrey took a flight from Iowa to Philadelphia for the first time to attend the American Public Health Association (APHA) Conference. Before coming, Audrey had researched places near the Convention Center to grab vegan food, and LUHV at the top of her list. The first day Audrey came to the RTM she wandered down the aisles looking for the Vegan Deli, but to no avail. However, something inside her told her to try again, so she returned the next day and a few employees helped her find the Vegan Deli (shoutout to the girls at the flower stand!). After waiting in the long line, Audrey approached the deli employee, our very own Facundo, and asked him, “What’s for sale?” Out of exhaustion, Facundo retorted “It’s all for sale.” Audrey then decided to order a reuben. While waiting for her reuben, Audrey saw some fellow APHA Conference attendees and started chatting them up about the conference. Facundo overheard what they were talking about, so he decided to chime in saying what they were doing was cool, that Veganism and environmentalism go hand in hand, and asked them which other vegan restaurants they planned to visit. When Audrey’s reuben was finally ready, Facundo felt a sort of pull to ask her out, but was worried that hitting on customers at work wasn't professional, so Audrey walked away with her reuben. After eating the reuben, Audrey felt compelled to return to the Vegan Deli to tell Facundo how much she enjoyed it, which gave Facundo the courage to ask her to join him at a vegan restaurant for dinner.

Later that night, they met up at Bar Bombón for dinner and then they went on a walk through Philadelphia that lasted four hours. Facundo said, “I started falling in love with the city when I started falling in love with Audrey.” However, Audrey was returning to Iowa the next day. They met up once more the morning before her flight giving each other a kiss and promising to keep in touch. They ended up FaceTiming everyday until December 2020 when Facundo moved to Iowa. On a trip to Joshua Tree in June 2021, Facundo proposed and Audrey happily accepted! Silvia, the Owner of LUHV and mother to Facundo, has said how Audrey now acts as an Environmental Consultant to her, and even guided Silvia through the process of LUHV becoming plastic negative.

So on a literal level, Veganism was really the force that brought Audrey and Facundo together— all thanks to our Reuben! I guess it was love at first bite! However, on a deeper level the shared values of Veganism (such as health, animal rights, and environmentalism) keep them together. Everyday, they get to cook and enjoy plant-based food together. When Audrey wants coffee, Facundo knows to grab her oat milk without her having to say anything— it really is the little things! Up next for Audrey and Facundo is planning their vegan and alcohol-free wedding!