A new fine dining pop-up restaurant aims to change the way people eat by giving them a chance to experience the ‘wonderful’ world of plant-based foods.
The Animal Alliance of Canada held a pilot dinner in Guelph last week for their pop-up restaurant, Plantelicious.
“When people think about plant-based foods … there’s often a thought that this is a serving of deprivation, with a little bit of steamed tofu, maybe a salad on the side and a fruit cup,” said one of the organizers, Stephen Best.
“It’s sort of thought of as deprivation, and it just isn’t. Plant-based cuisine is an extremely creative and innovative world now in gastronomy.”
That’s what he hopes to demonstrate with Plantelicious, which he said will ideally function as a monthly pop-up in various locations around the city, with a new chef and menu every time, inspired by some of the world's best plant-based restaurants.
Arvi Gosmo of Magnolia Fine Foods & Catering was the chef for the pilot event, cooking up a five course meal for the 10 guests who came out, the menu ranging from falafel bites with a lemon tahini sauce and spaghetti squash with an olive tapenade to caramelized pears with coconut vanilla ice cream and a maple walnut sauce.
Best said they will be using venues that support sustainability, environmental and animal protection, like an organic farm, animal sanctuary, or electrical car showroom.
Typical events will see 60 to 100 guests depending on the venue, with tickets purchased in advance and a prix fixe menu of six or more courses, including wine choices.
Moving forward, they hope to roll it out throughout Canada and beyond.
“The issue is the same everywhere, about the need to adopt more plant-based foods, and reduce animal-based foods,” he said, referring to the environmental impact food choices can have.
“The key is finding people who can create fine plant-based foods, because it's a relatively new cuisine. And that's the key. The idea is to expand it as much as possible.”
Best, who has worked in animal and environmental advocacy since the late 1960s, said the idea for the pop-up stemmed out of wanting to change the way people eat by curating a “delightful” experience that opens their eyes to the creativity of the plant-based world, rather than just telling them to eat their vegetables.
“The idea is not so much to teach people, but to have them experience just how wonderful plant-based cuisine can be,” he said, adding that “the food speaks for itself.”
It also gives participating chefs the chance to creatively explore, he said can create market demand in the community.
“Chefs want to do more plant-based, but the market often isn’t there,” he said. “So the idea is with the Plantelicious pop-up restaurant is, they can cut loose. They can begin to really explore and create.”
Then once people get a taste, he said they'll begin asking local restaurants for their plant-based menus, expecting more than just a standard veggie burger.
“This is a place to go and experience something new, something exciting, something innovative in gastronomy,” he said.
