Local chefs will be competing for locals ratings and reviews of their plant-based menu options.
MARIN COUNTY, CA — A local competition among chefs to create the most delicious plant-based menu items is starting Oct. 1 in Marin County.
The inaugural Marin County Vegan Chef Challenge, organized by Vegan Outreach and Vegan Marin, will pit chefs against each other to compete for locals ratings and reviews of their vegan menu options.
From Oct. 1 to Oct. 31 locals can visit veganchefchallenge.org/Marin to rate the items.
“Our Challenge is for restaurants to add more creative and appealing vegan items to their menus, without compromising flavor or lacking protein,” Aurora Doyon, a volunteer Vegan Chef Challenge organizer, told Patch. “It allows vegans to eat out easily with family and friends, without asking for accommodations, but mostly, it encourages omnivores to explore delicious plant-based options, whether they are driven by concern for animals, climate change or health reasons.”
Flores Kitchen and Bar, Uchiwa Ramen, Bakery 6, Squared Pizza, Palmetto Superfoods and Humbowl have already signed up. But organizers are currently seeking more restaurants, cafes, bakeries, delis, ice cream shops, food trucks, catering services and other food service businesses to join the event. Any business open to new vegan options is welcome.
“Currently, there is no fully vegan restaurant in all of Marin,” Doyon told Patch. “There is a tremendous opportunity here in our county, as many local restaurants could easily expand their menus with simple substitutions. We’d love to see complete, satisfying plant-based dishes at all the popular restaurants in Marin.”
Vegan Outreach is an international nonprofit dedicated to reducing animal suffering by promoting a vegan lifestyle through education and increased accessibility to vegan options. Similarly, Vegan Marin is a Facebook community focused on fostering the growth and support of the plant-based community in Marin and beyond, encouraging individuals to make more conscious choices.
“Interest in pursuing vegan lifestyles is growing in our community, and our motivation in bringing it to Marin is to inspire local chefs and diners alike to discover how delicious and satisfying vegan food is,” Doyon told Patch. “Very often, restaurants decide to keep the new vegan items on their menus after the event, and we would love that.”