LAKELAND, Fla. — Mike Mitchell is a natural artist. But these days, he is using his artwork to sell his cupcakes at Publix Greenwise Market.

“I’m blessed because it’s so hard to get in Publix,” Mike said.

Mike, the artist, is also Mike the entrepreneur. He’s one of the names behind Mike & Mike’s Desserts. It’s not your ordinary dessert. The cupcakes from his company are vegan.

Being a health nut himself, he wanted to provide a healthy option for families.

“Health is wealth at the end of the day,” Mike said. “You may have all the money in the world, but if you don’t have a healthy lifestyle, it’s bad at the end of the day.”

Mike is one of the founders of Mike & Mike’s Desserts. Viviana Henrich, a pastry chef by trade, is another. Starting off in a Miami apartment, they created the plant-based cupcakes. They were eventually able to get the desserts on the shelves at Chamberlins and other health specialty stores.

Now, the demand has been overwhelming.

“It’s really nice just being able to see it and grab it,” Viviana said. “Knowing it took so much hard work, and here it is.”

For Mike, who grew up in Lakeland, it’s almost surreal. He used to work at Publix. Now, he’s designing new Publix packaging to attract a younger generation to their healthier options.

Getting an assortment of vegan cupcakes into all of Publix Greenwise Markets is a dream come true.