During the pandemic—when many of us were baking banana bread and binge-watching Tiger King—chef Tiffany Gordon was crafting her own vegan comfort food from scratch. She had previously worked in restaurants and private homes across Long Island and New York City, but when COVID-19 hit, she had to pivot.
Gordon began making all-natural plant-based meats, and soon spotted a gap in the market for a pop-up vegan food stall. A year after the pandemic began, she launched Secret Vegan Kitchen, serving plant-based fare at brewery pop-ups. In short, people couldn’t get enough of Gordon’s meaty creations, including vegan Reubens, cheesesteaks, corn dogs, and fried chicken.
Secret Vegan Kitchen
Now, five years after its launch, Secret Vegan Kitchen is opening its own deli in Oceanside, New York. Despite recent challenging weather conditions—including a historic blizzard in February—the deli has already held a soft opening and is set to officially open on March 7.
“While the pop-up life was fun and gave us the opportunity to reach customers in many different areas, I always wanted to turn this into a brick-and-mortar where we could become a hub for the community built around cruelty-free food,” Gordon told VegNews.
Bringing vegan food to Oceanside
Secret Vegan Kitchen will be a welcome addition to Oceanside’s plant-based scene. While nearby New York City is a vegan hub, home to dozens of fully plant-based restaurants and hundreds of vegan-friendly eateries, Oceanside has a quieter landscape.
According to HappyCow, the Long Island hamlet is currently home to two vegan-friendly restaurants, Jessy’s Pastries and Meta Osteria. While both offer plant-based options, neither is fully vegan.
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To Gordon, Oceanside makes perfect sense—not just because it helps fill a gap in the market, but also because of a personal connection.
“I actually grew up about 10 minutes from where the deli is, and it feels really special to bring my vegan food business back to the area I’m from,” she said.
“Growing up, it was a challenge to find vegan food nearby, so being able to provide that for the community now feels like a homecoming.”
Secret Vegan Kitchen
At Secret Vegan Kitchen, customers can expect Gordon’s signature plant-based meats, including prosciutto, turkey, and roast beef, alongside hearty whole-food dishes like chickpea tuna, carrot lox, and macaroni salad. Gordon is a particular fan of the deli’s Reubens, Italian hero sandwiches, bacon cheddar ranch, and fried chicken sandwiches. Each filling has been through a rigorous development process to ensure the taste and texture are spot on.
“The cold cuts were definitely a challenge for me, as someone who gave up eating meat as a child, I haven’t really eaten much of the foods I now recreate,” Gordon explained.
“I did a lot of research on flavor profiles of different meats and just tried everything. We use only natural ingredients and no food colors or artificial flavors, so we go through a lot of spices and seasonings. I’m not sure if they’re exactly like the non-vegan versions, but I do know that they make a really satisfying sandwich.”
Gordon has already built a loyal following through the Secret Vegan Kitchen pop-up, and Gordon hopes this will translate into a successful new business that thrives for years to come.
“At a time when so many vegan businesses are struggling to stay open, success looks like staying open and continuing to grow our customer base by introducing non-vegans (or future vegans) to the world of cruelty-free foods that don’t sacrifice taste or texture,” she said.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
