SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The inaugural Springfield Vegan Chef Challenge kicked off on October 1. During the month of October, local chefs will compete for votes with creative, plant-based menu options.
More than a dozen restaurants in the Springfield area have signed up for the challenge, including: The Wakery, Traveler's Kitchen, and Flavor of India. Diners can vote for their favorite restaurants throughout the month.
The winning dishes will be announced in early November.
"If people can see how delicious it can be, how accessible and how affordable it can be, that's really gonna inspire people to eat that way, whether or not they're fully vegan," said Austin Simmons, an organizer of the Springfield Vegan Chef Challenge. "We just want people to feel comfortable going to restaurants and ordering that food, no matter what the reason is."
Each restaurant that is participating in the challenge is offering one to three specialty vegan menu items. Simmons hopes that some of these new items make their way to the full time menu.Â
One of the restaurants taking part in the challenge is La Fiesta Chatham. While they have a vegan menu normally, they created three new dishes for this month.Â
"We have Chile Relleno, which is a poblano pepper with butternut squash inside so it's very interesting," said Vivian Dominguez, owner of La Fiesta Chatham. "We have the Chicken Vegan Pesto Bowl, which is made with quinoa, vegan chicken, and other ingredients. Then we have tostadas with your choice of beef, chicken, or chorizo and all are vegan of course."Â
Simmons said he estimates there are hundreds of vegans in Springfield, but he hopes this event expands the community as well.Â
"People want vegan food options for a lot of reasons, whether its for the animals, or for their health, or for the environment," said Simmons. "It's really taken off in Springfield lately."
For more information on the Vegan Chef Challenge, click here.
Copyright 2023. WAND TV. All rights reserved.
