Texas Is About to Get Its First All-Vegan Commercial Kitchen

On July 27, all-vegan shared commercial kitchen, restaurant, and event space Viridescent Kitchen will open in Plano, TX. The space was created to help the North Texas community go greener by offering daily plant-based meals from a selection of featured vegan chefs, an in-house grocery store curated by Plant Based Grocery, and nightly and weekend workshops, such as earth-conscious painting classes, wine and cheese Wednesdays, live cooking demos, and cooking, nutrition, and fitness courses. Viridescent Kitchen owners Laura Thornthwaite and Gabrielle Reyes hope to offer a space where people of all genders, races, and backgrounds are accepted, supported, and promoted in a colorful and compassionate workplace. Eighty percent of its team of chefs, vendors, and educators are people of color from a multitude of cultures. Thornthwaite and Reyes also support local vendors who sell handmade, eco-friendly, and ethically made items. “Some call us a vegan business incubator, some, a plant-based heaven,” Reyes told VegNews. “Whatever you call Viridescent Kitchen, we can’t wait to share that we are going green for every being.”