Feature: Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge
Published in Twin Cities Veg Living Annual Magazine
The Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge is generating more creative, plant-based options at local restaurants and sparking more public interest in plant-based eating.
The Vegan Chef Challenge concept originated in Sacramento, and then began to operate as a program of the nonprofit organization Vegan Outreach. During a trip to Reno, NV, in 2019, Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA) supporter Phil Martens took part in their Vegan Chef Challenge. When he returned, Martens brought the idea of a Twin Cities Challenge to CAA Executive Director Laura Matanah. She worked with Vegan Outreach, Martens, and other volunteers to make the first Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge a reality. CAA has now run the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge (TCVCC) four times over the past three years.
“I thought the idea for a Vegan Chef Challenge was great because it gave vegans and non-vegans a chance to walk in a restaurant and to know they could order a fun and unique plant-based meal,” Martens said.
