The second annual Vegan Chef Challenge will feature vegan dishes from Springfield restaurants and vendors for diners to vote on throughout the month of October.
Beginning on October 1, diners can visit any participating restaurant or vendor to try their plant-based dish options. Votes can be cast at any time during or after the meal through a QR code.
Austin Simmons is an organizer of the challenge with Vegan Outreach. He said the challenge will help expose those new to veganism to what plant-based food has to offer.
“A lot of people hear the word vegan and in their mind they're thinking like garden salads or, you know, something that might not be very satisfying,” he said. “So what we're trying to do with the vegan chef challenge is show people it can be delicious too and it can be hearty, it can be filling.”
Simmons also said one of the main difficulties in becoming vegan is getting enough protein and other nutrients found in animal products.
“There's a lot of substitutes on the market like Beyond Meat and Impossible Meat,” he said. “Those are usually the dishes that do very well in the vegan chef challenges when they incorporate those.”
The Vegan Chef Challenge is open to any chef interested in incorporating vegan dishes into their menu. Restaurants and farmers market vendors will have a QR code provided by Vegan Outreach that will allow diners to cast their vote for the dishes they try.
Simmons said last year’s challenge had 19 restaurants and around 400 diners participating.
“We got a lot of attention for it and really the biggest thing that I like to see is a lot of non-vegans were really into it too. Springfield does have a growing vegan community,” he said.
The challenge is open for voting from Oct. 1-31 and the overall winner of the best vegan dish will be revealed in November. The official deadline for chefs to register is Sept. 20.
For information on how to participate visit veganchefchallenge.org/springfield
