In an effort to get more people to try vegan eating, a national competition lands in Wilmington this August. The Vegan Chef Challenge asks local restaurants to add some plant-based dishes to their menu and diners get to vote for their favorite. There are about 19 upcoming challenges set to take place around the United States through the end of the year. Here’s more to know about the Wilmington challenge.
What local restaurants are participating?
Right now, six Wilmington businesses are a part of the challenge, according to the Vegan Outreach website.
- Castle Street Kitchen at 509 Castle St., Wilmington. This downtown-adjacent restaurant has always offered a separate vegetarian and vegan menu, which includes a brunch-time French Toast and an Impossible burger.
- Seaside Bagels at 6400 Carolina Beach Road, Wilmington. This bagel shop has a large vegan menu, which includes more than a dozen bagel flavors and sandwiches made with a signature egg substitute called Megg.
- Little Dipper Fondue at 138 S. Front St, Wilmington. The plant-based options at this downtown spot include vegan mozzarella fondue, and a vegan chocolate dessert. There there’s also a vegetable stock option for entrees.
- Nautical Bowls at 32 Harnett St., Wilmington and 116 Charlie Medlin Drive, Surf City. The superfood bowls available at this chain are plant-based, gluten, soy and dairy free, and made with organic ingredients.
- The Half at 510 1/2 Red Cross St., Wilmington. This sandwich shop always has a selection of vegan options, like the Tofu Bahn Mi and the Clara with chickpea salad.
- Well-Fed Ed , Wilmington-based food truck. The Ed in the name isn't a person but stands for education. Owner Lucas McLawhorn considers it part of his mission to educate diners about the benefits of plant-based eating.
The restaurants are asked to showcase new vegan menu items for the event. By the way, these challenges typically include at least 10 restaurants, so organizers are looking to add eateries. Diners can try the dishes and then vote for their favorites. The restaurants are provided with a QR code, or people can vote on the Vegan Chef Challenge website. Both tasting and voting are open Aug. 1-31. Winning dishes will be announced on social media in September.
What’s the background?
The Vegan Chef Challenge was born in Durham in 2010, with the idea of encouraging both diners and restaurants to try more vegan options with a contest. It then grew to other locations. It’s hosted by the international Vegan Outreach nonprofit organization, which also offers the “10 Weeks to Vegan” program where participants are asked to replace one animal product with a vegan version.
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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington restaurants compete in new chef challenge to find best plant-based dishes
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