Local restaurants shake up menus for vegan challenge

Jan. 29—When you think of vegan food, pizza, tamales or cinnamon rolls usually don't come to mind.

But a handful of local eateries hope to change that perspective in the upcoming Santa Fe Vegan Chef Challenge.

Throughout the month of February, the restaurants will be offering a variety of menu options made with zero animal products in their foods — the basis for veganism — ranging from gourmet dishes to home-style meals.

"It's kind of a fun thing where we get out into the community and really dispel the myths that vegan food can be boring and bland and tasteless," said the challenge organizer, Victor Flores.

Some of the restaurants taking part in the challenge, like Alicia's Tortilleria, normally serve up non-vegan offerings and are trying their hand at vegan food for the first time.

The inconspicuous little diner on Rufina Circle sells fresh tortillas and has a variety of Mexican dishes, including menudo, barbacoa and, of course, tacos. Owner Alicia Saenz said she plans to start making plant-based versions of some of the dishes she already serves, including vegan enchiladas, potato flautas and black bean tostadas.

"We just want to have a little bit more options for everyone," Saenz said in an interview.

Those taking part in the challenge said there are generally very few vegan restaurant options in Santa Fe and likely even fewer that offer traditional Mexican fare.

Saenz said adding vegan food to the tortilleria's menu was unthinkable when her parents ran the place. Now that she's the owner, though, she started looking into offering plant-based dishes after multiple customers, who normally wandered in after visiting Meow Wolf, asked if there were any vegan options.

"Our answer is normally, 'Not really; our tortillas are vegan, though,' " Saenz said.

The challenge is organized by Vegan Outreach, a nonprofit that aims to stop animal suffering by encouraging people to go vegan. Flores said the goal of the competition is to encourage both chefs and customers to try plant-based options and open their minds to a culinary experience they may have never had before.

Customers will be able to vote on who they think cooked up the best vegan meal, and at the end of the month, one cook will be named the winner of the Santa Fe Vegan Chef Challenge.

The Vegan Chef Challenge was started in 2010 when a vegan named Eleni Vlachos realized there weren't many places she could eat in Durham, N.C. That's when her friend, chef Shirle Hale-Koslowski, suggested they challenge the area's omnivorous culinary connoisseurs to create plant-based dishes.

After catching the attention of Vegan Outreach in 2011, it became a nationwide event with cities all over the U.S. taking part, including Washington, D.C., Albuquerque and Santa Barbara, Calif.

Some of the other businesses taking part in the local competition, like the Plantita Vegan Bakery, have already dedicated themselves to using no animal products in their foods and want to show people how delectable their treats can be.

"You can still have a cookie or a muffin that's moist and delicious," said Plantita Vegan Bakery's owner, Thomas Kamholz.

Kamholz opened his made-to-order bakery about two years ago after he noticed there was a need for more vegan food in Santa Fe and makes everything from scratch himself.

"There's not a ton of options in town, and one thing that I felt like was underrepresented was vegan baking," he said. "Like, I don't really know where to go get vegan cookies. There's a few spots that exist, but they don't have a lot of options."

Though Kamholz's whole menu could easily fit into the challenge, he decided to make something new he will be serving throughout the month. That includes a green chile pizza with cashew-based mozzarella and chocolate cinnamon rolls.

Hannah Levbarg, the owner of the "luxury vegan ghost kitchen," Liberty Gourmand, said she isn't quite sure what she will be making for the challenge but hopes it will inspire more people to open up to vegan food.

"We'd love to see more of the conventional businesses expanding their menus, opening their minds a little bit to be more sustainable, and you know from my side I'd love to reach a new customer base but my might not know about me," she said. "Besides that, anything that gets more animals off more plates faster is a plus for me."