When Sadrah Schadel and Mike Woliansky rolled up to a farmers market in Asheville, NC, with a cooler full of plant-based meat in 2014, they never imagined how far their wares would take them.
They started with a vision: to make plant-based meats from healthy, whole- food, environmentally friendly ingredients that had the taste and texture to satisfy the average meat eater. Today, their No Evil Foods products are in more than 5,000 retailers nationwide.
It’s no secret that Asheville is a popular destination for plant-based eaters — the city has long made headlines with its vegan-friendly food scene. But Hendersonville, Asheville’s smaller neighbor to the south, is becoming a serious competitor when it comes to vegan eats.
The small, close-knit town — population 13,840 — has seen a slew of vegan and vegan-friendly spots and options come to the table in the last several years. This could arguably be a domino effect started by the all-vegan Sanctuary Brewing Co., which opened in 2015.
Why is gut health so important? And what are the best foods for gut health? Get answers so you can heal your gut, stay regular, and achieve good health.
When someone suggests you should “go with your gut” — they’re more right than you probably realize.
Thanks to a whopping 40 trillion bacteria perpetually hard at work, your gut helps power your entire body.
In the past few years, the mellifluous moniker of chef Chloe Coscarelli has become synonymous with crowd-pleasing vegan eats. After winning Food Network’s Cupcake Wars in 2010, the pretty chef with an infectious smile went on to write three popular cookbooks before opening her groundbreaking NYC eatery, By Chloe, in 2015.
The cheerful spot sells vegan burgers, shakes, air-baked fries, mac ‘n’ cheese, cupcakes, and other nutritious twists on familiar foods. Coscarelli’s menu items even won over self-proclaimed vegan skeptic, Iron Chef Michael Symon.
In the space of just two years, Miyoko Schinner’s nut-based, cultured cheesemaking company, Miyoko’s Kitchen, has exploded in popularity, evolving from a small, online-only operation to a successful business with 40 employees and an international reputation. With a lease signed for a massive new space, expansion into food service, and increased focus on placement in mainstream retailers, Miyoko’s Kitchen is rapidly moving up — and changing the definition of cheese in the process.
Often invisible to those not directly affected, food insecurity nonetheless touches nearly 1 in 7 people in the U.S. In Western North Carolina alone, about 108,000 residents lack consistent access to three meals a day, according to the 2014 “Map the Meal Gap” report.
Thanks to dozens of nonprofit organizations, however, WNC residents needing nutritional support have places to turn — and thousands of dedicated volunteers play a crucial role in helping these groups carry out their various missions.
At the forefront of the local hunger relief movement stands MANNA FoodBank. The large-scale, collaborative network comprises 248 philanthropic groups in 16 counties across the region. In 2014, the nonprofit distributed 15 million pounds of food, enough for 34,000 meals per day.
Come Christmas, Venezuelans the world over will be indulging in the undeniably delicious tradition known as pan de jamón. The ham and olive bread is a sweet and savory holiday staple.
But why should vegans or folks with food allergies be deprived of this meaty treat?
Thanks to Bunnie Cakes, the bread has been veganized (and your guests won’t know the difference).
For the most part, Miami is a wasteful place. What goes into the garbage bins of South Beach restaurants in one night could probably feed the city’s entire homeless population for a week. This problem hasn’t gone unnoticed, however, and Rescuing Leftover Cuisine is setting up shop in the Magic City to help reduce, reuse and recycle.
The New York-based organization is launching its Miami arm with volunteer Matilde Suescun at the helm. With the direction of the company’s CEO, Robert Lee, Suescun and other volunteers will help coordinate the donation of food from restaurants and stores with dropoffs at local homeless shelters.
“The concept is really beautiful. It helps everyone,” says Suescun. “On one hand we have all this wasted food that’s a problem—you need to transport it, it occupies a lot of space and it doesn’t serve anyone, it’s bad for the environment. And on other hand you have a lot of people that are hungry. It’s a very basic concept — it’s just uniting those two ends.”
While academia may be known for its progressive attitude, colleges and universities aren’t particularly quick to jump on the plant-based bandwagon — despite the fact that increasing numbers of students are transitioning to a veg diet.
But at Johnson & Wales University’s North Miami campus, veganism is thriving. This is thanks to teaching assistant Kelsey Carter, director of culinary operations Chris Wagner, and other dedicated campus educators and students. The school’s interim campus president, Larry Rice, also happens to be vegan.
Two years ago, Carter became a vegetarian. She has been transitioning to veganism for the past couple of years. Wagner has a similar tale. And the two aren’t alone. Plant-based eating is growing increasingly popular, and JWU is looking to get ahead of the game.
As Homestead’s oasis of rainbow-hued produce and pastoral charm, Paradise Farms more than lives up to its moniker. For more than a decade, the certified-organic outpost has been growing and selling a bounty of fruits and vegetables, from microgreens to oyster mushrooms.
So who better to host a plant-based edition of Dinner in Paradise? This Sunday, March 1, notable local chefs will whip up vegan eats at the Homestead oasis.