New iterations of plant-based protein continue to flood the marketplace, but chefs across the country are looking to actual vegetables (and fungus such as mushrooms), to engage their customers.
That includes Matthew Kenney, probably the most accomplished vegan chef in the country, who has teamed up with Wonderful Pistachios to make a kabocha squash dish dressed with pistachio relish.
It also includes Masatomo Hamaya of O-Ku in Atlanta, who joins the very large club of chefs who are replacing meat with cauliflower, in this case a variation on Japanese karaage garnished with candied walnuts.
At Hearth and Hill in Park City, Utah, executive chef Jordan Harvey makes a Reuben sandwich centered around oyster mushrooms, and at Ya Mas! in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., beverage director Chevy Farrell makes a Martini inspired by a Greek salad.
But most people like eating meat, too, and Gemma Kamin-Korn, chef of Bar Beau in Brooklyn, N.Y., is happy to oblige with a short-rib dish that brings Korean and Chinese flavors and butchery to a traditional French dish.
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