By Lucía Rivera, VRG Intern

There was not a single part of my meal at Native Foods (Point Loma) in San Diego, CA that was not extremely enjoyable! From my flavorful Peri Peri “Chicken” Sandwich, to my lightly spiced side of sweet potato fries, or the vegan blueberry muffin to top of the meal, I was all smiles.

Part of a nationwide chain, Native Foods is a vegan restaurant that offers a variety of dishes in different forms, inspired by different cultures. When I first walked into one of their San Diego locations, I was comforted by the positive messages painted on their walls. After taking my time to browse the menu, I ordered one of their year-round sandwiches.

The dish arrived quickly and was presented nicely, with the colors of sweet potato fries and green lettuce complementing each other nicely. The food had the right amount of flavor and spice, along with a pleasant texture combination provided by the soft bun and the sauce covered soy chicken. Native Foods often includes crispy potato chips in their sandwiches, soups, or tacos to add a unique textural element, although my meal from this visit did not include this feature.

After I happily devoured my food, I got a chance to speak with the manager of the restaurant. He described to us the high standards he keeps his kitchen in, stating he makes sure to only serve a dish he would feed to his own family. An insider tip was for us to try the Korean BBQ Sliders, which were his current favorite thing on the menu. Getting closer to the human side of the restaurant significantly added to my dinner experience at Native Foods that night.

Although everyone might not get this unexpected insight into Native Foods on their visit, they can easily sign up for the restaurant’s newsletter to receive information about sales and specials. For example, to spice things up, they have a monthly special order available to customers at every one of their locations. Another fun feature they have is a monthly Native Pals Day. On this day, Native Foods gives a portion of their proceeds to their “Native Pals,” which is currently the Farm Sanctuary, which in turn help prevent animal cruelty at multiple sanctuaries nation-wide.

Another feature I found engaging was Native Food’s free smartphone app. It begins meals off on an amazing note when it automatically grants any new customers five dollars off their purchase for downloading the app onto their phones! Furthermore, the app awards points for every purchase, motivating customers to come back until reaching another five dollar prize. At the end of my meal I had earned five dollars in points and was able to purchase a blueberry muffin for free, ending my meal with a fresh and sweet addition.

All in all, I know I will be returning to Native Foods, hopefully in the near future, partially because of their great food, but also for what they stand for. It always feels good to help oneself, the planet, and animals through food, especially when food is as delicious as the offerings of Native Foods.

For more information on Native Foods, see: https://www.nativefoods.com/our-menu/

To see information on other veg restaurants in the USA and Canada, see: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

Once you see the photos on VRG’s Instagram page you’ll be quite hungry and ready to do veggie outreach!

See: https://www.instagram.com/vegetarianresourcegroup/

An analysis of more than 94,000 college cafeteria food meals found when vegetarian options were increased, purchases of meat-based meals decreased.

For more information, see:
https://www.pnas.org/content/116/42/20923.short?rss=1

Due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, The Vegetarian Resource Group each year will award $20,000 in college scholarship money to graduating U.S. high school students who have promoted veganism/vegetarianism in their schools and/or communities. Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or fowl. Vegans are vegetarians who do not use other animal products such as dairy or eggs.

One award of $10,000 and two awards of $5,000 will be given. Entries may only be sent by students graduating from high school in spring 2019. Deadline is February 20, 2020. We will accept applications postmarked on or before February 20, 2020. Early submission is encouraged!

Applicants will be judged on having shown compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegan/vegetarian diet/lifestyle. Payment will be made to the student’s college (U.S. based only). Winners of the scholarships give permission to release their names to the media. Applications and essays become property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. We may ask finalists for more information. Scholarship winners are contacted by e-mail or telephone. Please look at your e-mail.

For details on the contest, see: http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Here are some recent vegan restaurant additions. The entire guide can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at: www.vrg.org/donate

Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide:

Fresh

8768 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90069

Fresh offers gourmet salads, rice bowls, veggie burgers, sandwiches, fresh juices, and more in a casual environment.

Juuuicy Vegan Restaurant & Bar

538 Northwood Rd., West Palm Beach, FL 33407

Come for the delicious and nutritious authentic Dominican flavors, stay for the fresh juice, smoothies, acai bowls, desserts, and vegan wines! The menu is vegetable forward, featuring jackfruit, breadfruit, mushrooms, cauliflower, and Beyond Meat products on top of tacos, rice bowls, sandwiches, and salads. For a real Caribbean experience, try the vegan chicharrones, or mofongo plates! Juuuicy is vegan, gluten, and soy-free. They also use organic and non-GMO ingredients as much as possible.

Ladurée

311 N. Beverly Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90210

Ladurée has been making macarons since 1871, but it took until 2019 for them to make vegan ones. Better late than never, we say! In fact, at their Beverly Hills location Matthew Kenney has made an entirely vegan menu, from avocado toasts to vegan omelets and sandwiches. All the pastries are vegan as well, from the framboise to the meringuée. Reservations are recommended.

LOV

620 King St. W., Ste. 102, Toronto, ON M5V 1M6 Canada

Enjoy a wide range of food including granola, Soup of the Day, burgers, salads, and main dishes such as gnocchi, rissoto, Thai tempeh, kale mac’n cheese, and more.

Love Earth

4916 Arthur Kill Rd., Staten Island, NY 10309

Love Earth is a vegan café and bakery that strives to be allergen-friendly too! There are about a dozen different sandwiches, wraps, and burgers to choose from, including a Middle Eastern burger, a Sweet Potato Burger, a hummus wrap, and an Eggplant-Lettuce tomato sandwich. And of course they have a variety of house-made juices and smoothies. All baked sweets are gluten, soy, and peanut free, in addition to vegan!

Planted Café

333 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY 11231

Planted Café may have small servings, but that doesn’t stop customers from stopping by to enjoy the large variety of vegan, gluten free, and natural menu items. The plant-based menu rotates with the seasons to offer food when it’s at its prime, and the chefs create different pastries and desserts daily. The next time you’re in the area, stop by to relax and try their popular red quinoa bowl along with what is arguably some of the best coffee in Brooklyn.

Rutabagas

230 N. 12th St., Lincoln, NE 68508

Named after an earthy root vegetable because the restaurant is rooted deep in its community. Rutabagas is focused on making delicious vegan comfort food from scratch. Some of their creative dishes include their Ruta-bangin’ Nachos and their Rutaburger which can be topped off with an order of Rutti’s Special Sauce. If vegan catering is needed, Rutabagas is happy to comply as well!

Vegan Mob

500 Lake Park Ave., Oakland, CA 94610

On their opening day, over 1000 people showed up, and Vegan Mob sold out. They’re that good. Vegan gumbo. vegan nachos, vegan BBQ burritos. What’s not to love? And if that doesn’t get your mouth watering, follow them on Instagram at @Officialveganmob, and that should do it.

Veggie Grill

57 John F. Kennedy St., Cambridge, MA 02138

The Veggie Grill serves classic American fast food that is completely vegan. There are so many delicious items to choose from including All Hail Kale Salad, Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ Sandwich, Papa’s Portobello, and “Bean Me Up” Chili. At the Veggie Grill, enjoy hearty fare at inexpensive prices.

Woodhouse Vegan

851 N. Fourth St., Columbus, OH 43215

Dishes include pretzel bites, nachos, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, and more! They’re open a little later, if you’re not the sort of person who has to eat at 6pm. There’s also a back patio, for when the weather’s nice.

Nothing beats a simple graphic to get the vegan message out! The Vegetarian Resource Group created My Vegan Plate to display on outreach tables at various events. If you live in the United States, you can request copies of this handout to distribute by emailing us at [email protected]

You can view the handout here: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/MyVeganPlate.pdf

This same handout can also be read in Spanish here: https://www.vrg.org/images/miplatovegano.jpg

We also have a version you can print out for kids to color on: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/MyVeganPlateCP.pdf

Donations towards this outreach are always appreciated: www.vrg.org/donate

Benicia School District in California added daily vegan options, which include meals such as Buffalo Calzone, Vegan Burger, Bean and Chili Tamale, Vegan Meatball Pocket, and Black Bean Corn Salad. See: http://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/index.php?sid=2202112119524356&page=menus

For more information on school lunches, go to:
https://www.vrg.org/fsupdate/index.htm#School
https://www.vrg.org/teen/#food

VRG volunteer Marcia Schveibinz reported, “Dietitians working in health care communities visited the VRG table at their annual practice group conference in Maryland. Dietitians are seeing more patients in long term care who follow vegetarian diets than in the past.” 

Dharshan Varia stated: I am interested in vegetarianism because of the overwhelming health benefits I have seen associated with this diet. Additionally, morally, it does not sit well with me that we must kill animals and let them suffer from personal satisfaction when there are other plant-based options available. In the past few years, I have been really interested in vegetarian restaurants and cooking. I have learned how to effectively substitute plant-based proteins for meats while still maintaining the overall flavor of a meal. I believe that vegetarianism is a growing trend and I hope that my interest in vegetarianism will allow people to learn about environmental, health, and moral benefits associated with vegetarianism.

To see VRG 2019 video contest winners and rules for 2020, go to https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

The deadline for the next video contest is July 15, 2020.
See: http://www.vrg.org/videoscholarship.php

For information about VRG’s College Scholarship Contest (One $10,000, two $5,000 awards), see http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group scholarships and internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate
or The Vegetarian Resource Group, Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203

Video scholarships have been given in honor of W.M. Zahn, who was a great mentor.

·  Howard Community College Sustainability Day
Thursday, October 24th, 2019
HCC’s Burrill Galleria
Columbia, MD

·  World Veg Fest
Saturday, October 26th, 2019
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA

·  VRG Vegan Chinese Dinner
Sunday, October 27, 2019, 6PM
Philadelphia, PA

·  Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics FNCE
Sunday to Tuesday, October 27-29, 2019
Philadelphia, PA