Open wide and say, 'plant protein'

The plant protein train has left the station, and at the University of Guelph it’s gaining steam.

Last week the university’s executive chef Vijay Nair and 17 members of his his team took part in two days of training with plant protein recipe specialist chef Wanda White, through a plant-based culinary training program called Forward Food.

Their goal is to move 20 per cent of their meat protein to plant based proteins.

“We had heard from our friends at other campuses how much their teams benefitted from the workshop conducted by chef Wanda,” says Nair. “With the demand for vegetarian and vegan choices rising continuously, we thought it was apt to get our team together and have them cook some interesting recipes under her guidance.”

White, a transplanted Tennessean who now lives in Texas, travels the continent, lining up opportunities to teach chefs primarily in institutions such as colleges and universities how to prepare meals without meat. She’d just been to Queen’s University, and was heading to the University of British Columbia next.

Among the dishes Nair and his team learned how to make were carrot osso buco and creamy polenta, mushroom street tacos, potato cheese sauce, and something called aquafaba meringue, which is based on the cooking liquid from beans and legumes.

The chefs are also planning to introduce a plant-based burger called the Beyond Meat burger, as well as the Sustainable Steak Burger made with nearly 30 per cent mushroom stems (which would otherwise end up as waste) produced by their supplier VG Meats.

Chefs everywhere are ramping up their plant-based options. Population dynamics are changing and such meals are becoming more popular and mainstream. Among the 15,000 meals they prepare daily, Nair and his team already offer balanced menus that include numerous plant-based proteins.

No one is complaining – students and others continue to rank the university’s Hospitality Services first in the country for university food services. But there’s always room for new ideas.

Interestingly, the Forward Food program is sponsored by the controversial Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). It describes itself as “the nation’s most effective animal protection organization,” and has a history of questionable activities.

In fact, an aggressive counter group, HumaneWatch, accuses HSUS of all kinds of misconduct – liberation events, fundraising scams and dishonest advertising, among them – and is dedicated solely to exposing it.

“The Humane Society of the United States is run by PETA-like extremists who want to shut down farms, circuses, zoos, aquariums, and other institutions that use animals,” says HumaneWatch.

However, if the Forward Food program is any indication, HSUS is taking a much milder, conciliatory approach than in the past to win converts to plant-based meals.

I attended the presentation event that concluded the Guelph Forward Food training. I saw no recruitment and no fundraising for HSUS, and heard no incendiary talk about using animals for food.

White, like others in the plant-protein movement, purposefully avoids the terms vegetarian or vegan. In conversation, she’s soft-spoken and even-keeled, and says she doesn’t hold animal agriculture in contempt.

“We don’t advocate to take anyone’s meat away, we’re just offering something different,” she says.

If indeed HSUS is trying to build bridges instead of tear them down, Forward Food is a good start. Last week’s appearance by chef White was collegial, helpful and non-threatening. And she had nothing but praise for Nair and his team.

“University of Guelph chefs are exceptional,” she told me. “They appear in fresh, crisp pressed whites, and they prepare great meals in facilities that are clean and modern. I’m impressed.”

Forward Food has its own recipe book, which Hospitality Services has posted online, free. You can find it here.