By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

Founded in 1995 by Zoë Cassimus using many of her original recipes from growing up in the South surrounded by her family’s Mediterranean traditions, Zoës Kitchen features Mediterranean-inspired food in over 150 locations in seventeen states mostly throughout the southern, south central and southeastern United States. Visit http://zoeskitchen.com/Location.aspx for a restaurant locator.

A menu page on Zoës website http://zoeskitchen.com/nutritional-info.aspx states: Click here to view our Gluten Free and Vegetarian and Vegan menu items. An icon consisting of a small circle with a “V” inside it appears next to a few menu options. On the website, the circle appears black. Nowhere on Zoës website could we find vegan or vegetarian definitions.

The VRG asked Zoës whether the black icon represented “vegetarian” or “vegan” and how those terms were used. We received this response:

A “V” laid in an orange circle denotes vegan and a “V” in a green square denotes vegetarian.

A Zoës website page with links to local menus shows the orange and green icons but does not define the terms. For example (at the bottom): http://goo.gl/MOzX04

In order to be more helpful to readers we followed up with Zoës by asking again how they define “vegan” and “vegetarian.” The Content and Community Coordinator at Zoës Kitchen stated: After further research and collaboration with our Food & Beverage team, we unfortunately do not have the resources to answer the additional follow-up questions at this time. As we continue to grow, our resources will continue to expand – but right now we cannot provide you with the information you are looking for.

We will be sure to keep these questions top of mind moving forward.

Initially we contacted Zoës Kitchen in December 2014 and their same-day response from their Director of Brand Lauren Hopkins to our inquiry about doing a feature story on their vegan menu items was very positive: That sounds great! I’m happy to help. If you’d like to send questions my way, I’m happy to get answers back to you. Thanks!

At the end of April 2015 we received answers to most of our initial questions in an email sent by Kari Kriewald. Here is what she found out for The VRG: Zoës Kitchen offers hummus on its menu which “is vegan by itself” according to Zoës. The Hummus Salad Plate includes a Greek salad and cucumber raita. Patrons may request that the feta be left off of the salad. The cucumber raita is made with yogurt.

Local menus list other hummus options. The Basil Pesto Hummus is listed as vegetarian. The Red Pepper Hummus is listed as vegan. More description on the hummus offerings appear at this link from Zoës website: http://zoeskitchen.com/About-Zoes/News/news-archive-2015/News-Article-02112015.aspx

Bread products served at Zoës include a flatbread pita and a pocket pita. We learned from Zoës that Our flatbread pita is vegetarian; however our pocket pita …does contain L-cysteine…I want to state this is based on our current spec items and is subject to change at any given time.

The VRG asked Zoës about the source of the L-cysteine but the restaurant chain did not give an answer. Zoës also didn’t define “vegetarian” used in the paragraph above.

We requested more information on bread products that could be ordered with hummus by asking Can the flatbread be ordered with the hummus? Does the flatbread contain dairy, egg, honey, lard or L-cysteine? What would the flatbread be served with? Is there another bread product served with the hummus and is it vegan?

Zoës didn’t provide more detail. Concerned diners should ask a store manager for more information. Asking to view the product package may help; a follow-up call to the supplier may be necessary when in doubt.

Zoës Kitchen offers a Veggie Kabob which is noted with the round icon on the Under 500 menu but not so noted on the gluten-free menu. The vegan icon also appears next to this entree on some local menus. The VRG asked Zoës about kitchen protocols in order to avoid cross-contamination with animal products for vegan menu dishes and learned that before prepping any new item we use procedures for the team to use clean and sanitized cutting boards, prep space, and utensils…The vegetables are sliced and skewered by hand.

Zoës also told us that the white beans served with the Veggie Kabob or as a side dish are prepared following the same kitchen protocol to avoid cross-contamination with non-vegan items. There is a vegan icon on the menus next to the bean side dish.

There is a Spinach Roll-Up at Zoës which does not have a vegan or vegetarian symbol beside its name on the Simply 500 menu but does have a vegetarian icon on the local menu. We asked if this menu item could be ordered without cheese. Zoës replied by email that Unfortunately the spinach rollups cannot be ordered without cheese. Our current tortillas do not contain [dairy, honey or L-cysteine]; however, keep in mind it is possible our distributor could provide us a substitute product in case of an out of stock situation and we cannot guarantee this statement would hold true for any sub product. Although all subs are to be approved, it is possible a product could be subbed without us knowing ahead of time.

The Veggie Pizza at Zoës also does not have a vegan or vegetarian icon by its name on the Simply 500 menu but does have a vegetarian symbol on the local menu. The VRG wanted to know if it could be ordered as a vegan option. We learned that:

Yes it can be ordered without cheese, but they would also have to leave off the spinach mix because it contains cheese. Our flatbread pita is vegetarian; however our pocket pita which is what they use to make the pizza does contain L-cysteine. Again, I want to state this is based on our current spec items and are subject to change at any given time…Currently, our mozzarella and feta cheese uses microbial enzymes not animal-based; again, subject to change if we change suppliers or a sub is sent to the stores.

Regarding soups, side dishes and sandwiches:

“The tomato bisque is a cream-based soup…we do not have a vegan option.”

“We do not use mayonnaise in our potato salad.” There is a vegan icon next to it on the menu.

Neither the marinated slaw nor the pasta salad can be ordered without feta cheese because it’s “in the mixture.”

The Pimento Half-Classic sandwich is made with “cheddar cheese and mayonnaise.”

When asked which salad dressing is free of all animal products including egg, dairy, animal flavors, seafood extracts, and honey we were told that “Our Greek dressing is vegan.”

A Special Diets page on the website provides an interactive tool to identify menu options appropriate for someone who wishes to avoid certain ingredients. http://www.nutritionix.com/zoes-kitchen/menu/special-diets/premium?allergens=eggs,fish,milk,shellfish

The VRG used this tool to identify menu items without eggs, milk, fish and shellfish. “Meat” or “poultry” were not possible exclusions since they are not on the FALCPA list (Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004)

Thus, the generated list included a few items containing chicken as well as those without eggs, milk, fish and shellfish. Ingredients are also listed on this page for some items (click through “more info” located beside the green dots on the right side of the screen) although it is not clear from the ingredients list themselves if each component is all-vegetable (e.g., red pepper pesto base). Diners may wish to ask a store manager about any questionable ingredient before ordering.

The local menu links found on the locator page after selecting a specific restaurant http://zoeskitchen.com/Location.aspx and the allergen tool results generated by our search described above included the following listings: Orzo Tabouli, Quinoa Salad -No Feta and Red Pepper Hummus.

On local menus the vegan symbol only appears next to the Red Pepper Hummus while the Orzo Tabouli Salad and Quinoa Salad show the vegetarian icon. The local menus state that the Orzo Tabouli Salad includes feta cheese.

When filtered in different ways the allergen tool lists “Orzo Tabouli” and “Tabouli Salad.” Only the former appears when filtered for egg and milk absence and also when filtered for milk absence alone. Both are listed when filtered for egg absence alone. It is not clear whether they are the same menu item or not.

http://www.nutritionix.com/zoes-kitchen/menu/special-diets/premium?allergens=milk
http://www.nutritionix.com/zoes-kitchen/menu/special-diets/premium?allergens=eggs

No further information is available on these menu options. Patrons should consult with a store manager if interested.

The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgement about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group research, donate at
https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?CID=1565

Join The Vegetarian Resource Group at http://www.vrg.org/member/

Vegan group seeks Jack or Jill of all trades good at multi-tasking for part-time job 20-28 hours per week in Baltimore, Maryland. Staff person clerically and physically ships vegan books, Vegetarian Journal, and other educational materials throughout the country. Does the billing, packing, mailing and marketing of items to consumers and wholesalers. Answers phone and e-mails. Coordinates volunteers doing booths, events, and other activities around the country. Works with interns, maintains press list, and supervises volunteers’ updating of national restaurant list and responses to scholarship entries. Posts to social media accounts. Entrepreneurial personality helpful. Please send resume, writing sample, and cover letter addressing your short term and long term goals, interests, vegetarian and vegan knowledge, salary requirements, skills, strengths, and challenges to The Vegetarian Resource Group, Attn. Volunteer Coordinator Job at [email protected].

Chicago Vegan Foods makes Dandies, a vegan marshmallow (no gelatin!) in both regular size and in a mini size. This company recently released Mini Vegan Pumpkin Flavored Marshmallows that are perfect for the autumn season. Enjoy a new twist to these vegan treats during Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc.

For more information see: http://www.chicagoveganfoods.com/

You can purchase them online from Vegan Essentials: https://store.veganessentials.com/pumpkin-dandies-minis-non-gmo-air-puffed-vegan-marshmallows-by-chicago-vegan-foods-p4554.aspx?utm_source=pumpkin+dandies&utm_campaign=Pumpkin+Dandies&utm_medium=email

A member is traveling to Iceland, and was looking for information about being
vegan in that country. She read a few blogs, but they have been hit and
miss. If anyone has been to Iceland, please share your experiences about
eating vegan there. Thank you. [email protected]

Yasmin Radbod, a former Vegetarian Resource Group Intern, did an eight month Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Grant in Nepal. The first month was spent training in Kathmandu, and for seven months she lived with a Nepali family and taught English daily at a local public school. The house she lived in was about two hours outside of Kathmandu in a small village called Badikhel, near the bigger town Godavari. Yasmin shares here vegetarian experiences during this period in the recent issue of Vegetarian Journal.

The article can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2015issue3/2015_issue3_nepali_village.php

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal visit: http://www.vrg.org/bookstore/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3&zenid=0300a6991f2d7470202fa990df1e03d4

Fania Lewando, the chef and owner of Vilna’s Vegetarian-Dietetic Restaurant in pre-Holocaust Poland wrote Vegetarish-Dietisher Kokhbukh (Vegetarian Cookbook), which was published by G. Kleckina in 1938. The book has been translated from Yiddish and annotated by Eve Jochnowitz.

Thank you to Vegetarian Resource Group member Barbara Lovitts for sharing this interesting article:
http://jewishreviewofbooks.com/articles/1863/vegetarian-in-vilna/

THIS SCHOLARSHIP IS SPONSORED BY THE ST. LOUIS VEGETARIAN SOCIETY

My story begins in January, 2011 when I decided to become a vegetarian because I’ve always had a sensitive stomach … So I decided to eliminate all the junk food and sodas. After a while I gained not only health but life back … The reason why I’m vegetarian is because I never like to eat animals and hate factory farming. . . I started promoting vegetarianism to the community with a group of my friends.

I made two lists of students who would like to have more vegetables in the cafeteria, then I brought it to the principal asking him for a petition to have more vegetables in the lunch period. He nicely told me that it would be his pleasure and the next day there were more vegetables. Also I went with my cooking teacher to lunch to give free samples of healthy food. Since I got great results, I decided to talk at a bake sale the next day. I made fruit skewers to sell instead of unhealthy meat-based snacks. I also showed information videos in school and put quotes supporting a vegetarian lifestyle on our school’s information TV’s.

My biggest challenge was the day my friends and I went outside of the school giving out flyers and a lady came up speaking in French … So I took my IPod and I Google translated everything and I gave it to her … I apologized to her and I told her that we are sorry that we only speak mostly Spanish and some English….

I have learned to explain information about vegetarianism in my lunch period so I get to explain it in Spanish as well for the special ed students and to the bilingual that we are concerned about the treatment of animals.

When I go to college I would like to create a program for vegetarians… I would love to have the honor to give a speech in English and Spanish for all the people out there who don’t know how to feed their body with healthy food.

My biggest strength is my parents. They are the reason why I fight for education. They motivated me to give the best. They are always giving me advice to do well in life since they didn’t get to study and have an education. All of this motivates me to give my 100% in school… One of my goals is to become a nutritionist and work in a school teaching students how to eat healthy and how to live a better life … I know that in my school I’m one of the few people who is going for it and I have received a lot of pessimism from my peers, but that didn’t stop me because I want to make a difference in my school. I had to put a lot of effort in English because it’s challenging and very difficult for me because it’s not my native language, but that didn’t stop me from working hard.

The deadline for The Vegetarian Resource Group college scholarship contest is February 20 of each year. Over $20,000 is awarded annually. For details, see http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

To support VRG scholarships or internships, send donations to VRG, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203; or donate at www.vrg.org/donate. Indicate your donation purpose in the comments.

We here at The Vegetarian Society of Hawaii have some sad news to share. Our own Dr. Bill Harris passed away Wednesday August 26.

This photo shows him celebrating his 84th birthday at a local Honolulu Vegan Restaurant (Greens & Vines). Bill went vegetarian at age 19. He went vegan in 1964. Dr. Harris was a hero and a mentor to many of us in the local Hawaii vegetarian community. Many of you will remember Bill from our monthly meetings in Honolulu. He manned the video camera, filmed our featured guests, edited our YouTube videos, and posted those videos on our YouTube channel where they continue to be broadcast internationally. We will miss his vegan expertise, his technical wizardry, and his sharp sense of humor.

The Vegetarian Resource Group is featured in this CBS news piece:

By Autumn Burton, Vegetarian Resource Group Intern

Even though the number of vegetarians and vegans in the United States is increasing, vegetarians make up 3 percent of the population and vegans somewhat less. So, when living in a country where about 312 million people, 97% of the population, do not support your ethical views, it may seem as though full accommodation is nearly impossible to find. On the plus side, the amount of public vegan and vegetarian awareness has increased manyfold. A plethora of vegan restaurants are making their way into every city, most supermarkets have a section dedicated to organic and vegetarian diets, and a growing number of school lunch programs offer vegan dining options. So, despite the odds, vegetarians and vegans continue to persevere so much that now that 36% of the U.S. population eats at least one vegetarian meal per week.

If there’s so much information available and so many vegan options to choose from, why don’t more people switch to a 100% vegetarian diet? In a study conducted by Jean Kazez of the Southern Methodist University in Dallas in 2013, almost half of non-vegans said that they would like to be a vegan or vegetarian if it were easier. For some, being a vegetarian or vegan doesn’t seem easy, as we make up a minority and must be committed to maintain our lifestyles.

So, given perceived obstacles of being a vegan or vegetarian in an omnivorous society, should you accommodate your loved ones who happen to be non-vegetarian? Vegetarian Resource Group intern, Ivy Grob, says she would never serve non-vegan food under any circumstances. “I can’t stand to look at or touch raw meat,” she says. She does, however, believe that her ethical views should not prevent her from spending time with others outside her realm of thinking. “If I’m out with friends or I’m a guest in a house that is serving meat, I’m still going to participate in the event where meat is being served,” she says. “As long as I don’t have to cook it, I care less about it being served around me even though I would rather it not be served at all, of course.”

Ivy, just like many other vegans, does not live in a 100% vegan world. In fact out of the four people in her house, she is the only vegan. This can be difficult especially if you are like her and are worried about cross-contamination, she explains. But she suggests educating her non-vegan loved ones about her “beliefs in a way that is easy to digest and never condescending. I believe that if you show your argument in a constructive manner, people will listen – especially if you feed them good food.”

If you’re like Ivy and very passionate about your beliefs, don’t feel guilty or pressured to compromise if it makes you uncomfortable. Take that passion and show your non-vegan/vegetarian peers why you choose to follow a cruelty-free lifestyle through considerate talks and delicious food. This way, you don’t have to bend your beliefs and your friends are well fed.

However, vegetarians and vegans are typically very concerned with fair treatment of all living things, which doesn’t exclude humans. So, you may be asking yourself, is it unfair to refuse to compromise your beliefs when you expect others to compromise theirs and cook vegan/vegetarian meals that accommodate your needs. “Now, I understand the hypocrisy in this decision because I expect people to compromise and serve me vegan dishes out of sheer respect,” Laura McGuiness, VRG volunteer, says. “[But] vegans and vegetarians cannot eat a certain type of food, but non-vegetarians can eat whatever they choose.” As non-vegetarians are in the majority, their needs will always be accommodated, whereas vegans and vegetarians do not have the same luxury. As in dealing with an allergy, if the cook makes special adjustments, it will not harm anyone, but if it is made without the allergy friendly ingredients the allergic individual will be directly negatively affected. And of course, the cook or host wouldn’t want you to be in any pain, physically or mentally. “Eating dairy will make my throat swell (I have an allergy),” Laura says, “but eating healthy oat bars won’t hurt non-vegetarians in any way despite perhaps poking holes in their negative ideas of vegan food.” Sure, it’s a tough love, but this way no one is hurt.”

In addition to those who think like Ivy and Laura, there are vegetarians and vegans who are a bit more flexible when it comes to serving animal products. “I may be willing to cook some meat,” says Collin Hickey-Schiappa, VRG volunteer, “but I’ll serve mostly vegetarian food and I obviously won’t eat the meat myself.” I consider it payback for all the times nice meat eaters made me something they wouldn’t have had to make otherwise.” He considers it compensation for all the times that non-vegetarians went out their way to serve him vegetarian food. Since it is their choice to eat meat, they should be allowed to do so without him stopping them. “I like to take the philosophy that other people are responsible for their own decisions, that way I have more energy to devote to figuring out what I myself should do.”

VRG volunteer Emily Li says she too is willing to be a bit more flexible. “Sometimes I will have to compromise when serving non-vegetarians, usually my sister because she is still young and cannot make food for herself. For instance, I might make her a banana-milk smoothie or heat up a pop-tart, so small snacks; but I would never make from scratch a non-vegan dish (e.g. scrambled eggs, fried rice, and bacon).” When asked how she is able to prepare food that she is ethically against she explains that she is only able to do so for her sister because she is extremely respectful of her choice. “I’m not going to refuse to help her because of my ethical views. Veganism is not just about showing compassion for animals, but for other human beings as well.” And Emily’s compassion has shown to have fruitful results. “She [my little sister] has reduced her animal intake significantly. She unconsciously leans towards vegetable dishes over meaty dishes and picks out the egg from her fried rice, etc. As her older sister, I believe that being a good role model is the most important thing you can do, and I know that one day she will finally make the decision for herself to cut out all animal products.”

But when it comes to adults who have the capability to make their own meals, Emily believes they should make their own non-vegetarian meals if that is what they want. But she’s found that her friends are usually eager to try her vegan food and are surprised by how good it tastes. Though, there still are others, like her Dad, that are against veganism and believe vegan food is “unhealthy.” To deal with this she emphasizes the importance of not criticizing people who chose non-vegan/vegetarian lifestyles because, the harshness may push them away from vegetarianism before they can give it a try. She suggests taking small steps in influencing your loved ones. “Start by serving them one delicious vegan meal, or showing them a beautiful faux leather jacket. If they show interest, you can introduce them to some information about animal cruelty, “or even have a movie-night with vegan popcorn and a documentary (Earthlings, Cowspiracy, Forks over Knives, etc.).” “Find out what it is that appeals to them about veganism. Are they animal lovers? Do they care about their health? Are they passionate about saving the environment? Educate them on how just by simply changing their diet, they can hugely impact the world. Show them that veganism is a life full of abundance and compassion.”

So, all in all, whatever your view on “compromise,” at the end of the day, the important part is that you are contributing to a greater good by being a vegetarian or vegan. Along the way, you can help inspire others to learn more about the cruelty free lifestyle by being a good role model.