North Carolina Chefs Challenged to Create Vegan Dishes

For the month of April, the fifth annual Bull City Vegan Challenge will task 10 North Carolina chefs with creating innovative vegan dishes. Eight local meat-centric restaurants—including Jack Tar Diner, M Kokko, Grub, and Pompieri—will join past winners Dos Perros and Guglhupf to create innovative vegan dishes focusing on this year’s theme of “sustainability.” The restaurants will feature the dishes on their menus throughout April, after which diners will vote on categories such as best overall, entrée, dessert, and their use of the sustainability theme. “We’re supporting and promoting local businesses while showing how popular and in-demand vegan options are,” lead organizer Leanne Siart said. Dishes this year include Chile Relleno with roasted red poblano pepper, seasoned Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and tomatillo salsa verde; French-inspired Cocotte with sweet potato, mushroom, vegan “egg yolk,” and Swiss chard; and chocolate cake with coconut glaze and peanut butter frosting. Winning chefs will receive a two-night staycation at the Unscripted Hotel or a one-month subscription to Pine State Flowers bouquet service. Diners will also have the opportunity to win prizes—such as a bike tune-up, catering gift certificate, and five-class yoga pass—by voting and sharing photos from the restaurants. “Over half of the diners usually aren’t even vegetarian,” Siart said. “It’s for anyone who loves culinary adventures.”