Casual, cozy, and comfortable, Lovin’ Spoonfuls is all about food prepared with love. There’s good chemistry all around in this restaurant, which is owned and operated by a woman with a PhD in, naturally, chemistry.

Is this your first restaurant?

Yes, it is. I worked at restaurants when I was in college and I’ve been able to apply some of the lessons learned back then to what I’m doing now.

When did it open?

In September of 2005.

Do you want to have more than one restaurant?

I’m currently working on a franchise package.

What’s your favorite dish on the menu?

Tied for my personal favorites are our signature dish, the Piccadilly Nut Loaf with steam-grilled veggies, mashed potatoes, and mushroom-Burgundy gravy, and the linguini with “meat”-balls and our own chunky marinara, garlic bread, and an organic spring-mix side salad with sesame-Dijon dressing.

What’s your most popular appetizer?

Hands down, the Golden Nuggets with “honey”-mustard dipping sauce. Although…the cashew mushroom pâte with toast points won an award from Vegetarian Times magazine.

What’s the most popular entrée on the menu?

The Route 66 “bacon” “cheese”-burger for lunch and the country-fried “chicken” dinner in the evening.

What’s your most popular dessert?

Chocolate fudge brownie pie on top of a chocolate-chip cookie crust. A very close second is the chocolate fudge cake.

What do you feel is special about your restaurant?

So many vegetarian restaurants look like granolacrunching, hippie places. When I developed the concept for Lovin’ Spoonfuls, I really wanted to create a place with a warm, inviting, slightly upscale atmosphere and offer dishes that were familiar to people. I wanted people to feel comfortable about coming with their growing family, nonveggie friends, or perhaps their business associates. My hope was to appeal to veggies and nonveggies alike.

How often do you change your menu items? Do you have daily or weekly specials?

The menu has certainly evolved over the six years that we’ve been open, expanding our selections for various types of diets. We also have a different lunch and dinner special every day, and we always have holiday specials, with Thanksgiving being the biggest day of the year [for us].

Do you have gluten-free, soy-free, and sugar-free options on your menu?

Yes to all three. Our number of gluten-free customers is growing the most rapidly. For breakfast we have gluten-free waffles, pancakes, and scrambles. We bake our own gluten-free bread for toast and sandwiches. We’ve also taken the fats and oils out of all of our sauces and most of our soups so, now we’ve also expanded our fat-free options.

What do you do to reduce your environmental impact?

We offer sturdy, nondisposable takeout containers, which cost $5 for a one-time purchase. After that, customers just bring it back in, it gets sent back to our commercial dishwasher, and then the next one is free. When customers call in their order, they simply say, “Make it green.” This way no disposables are consumed at all. In addition, we are participating in a compost program with the University of Arizona. All of our food waste is collected and picked up by the university for composting.

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned as owner or chef of this restaurant?

When I first opened, with limited restaurant experience, what helped me the most was hiring people with a lot of experience who could show me the ropes. Another thing I learned was that it’s very helpful to have a book with all the ingredients for each dish by the register so that you (or any employee facing the customers) can answer all questions with complete accuracy.

What led you to want to open a vegan restaurant, and/or what led you to the vegan diet yourself?

I became a vegan in August of 1989, after hearing two women at my friend’s church talk about all the issues associated with eating meat. They addressed the health and ethical issues, the cruelty in the meat, dairy, and poultry industries, and the huge negative environmental impact. As a result, I have been developing vegan recipes that resemble nonvegan counterparts for over twenty years. I am ethically committed to a vegan lifestyle and decided that the best way to promote veganism was to show people how tasty vegan meals can be. That’s when my career as a chemist and engineer took a new turn, and I opened up a restaurant.

In the time since your restaurant first opened, how has the plant-based food movement changed? Do you find more demand now for vegan food?

Absolutely. So many more people are becoming aware of the benefits of a whole-food plant-based diet.

In the time since your restaurant first opened, has your view of what kinds of food choices to offer changed? Have you changed the types of foods you offer?

I used to think in order to be healthful, food only had to be vegan. It now seems clear that a more optimum diet includes more whole foods; minimum processing; and less fats, oils, sugar, and salt.

Where do you see the plant-based food movement going in coming years?

There is no question that this movement is gaining momentum, increasing as more and more people are recognizing the benefits. And we’re living on a planet that simply can’t sustain such a large human population of meat-eaters, so sooner or later, we’re all going to arrive at a largely plant-based diet.

Green Chili Polenta

Serves 12

6 cups water

2 cups polenta-grade cornmeal

¼ cup vegan Parmesan

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1½ teaspoons Louisiana-style hot sauce

1 cup (8-ounce can) diced, fireroasted green chilies

2 cups corn (frozen or fresh)

1 cup shredded vegan cheddar (like Daiya) , distributed evenly over top

2 cups diced tomatoes

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, bring the water to boil. Rapidly stir in the polenta. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and add the Parmesan “cheese,” garlic salt, hot sauce, green chilies, and corn. Spread in an 8 x 8 baking pan. Sprinkle with vegan cheddar. Top with fresh, diced tomatoes and fresh, coarsely chopped basil. Cover with foil (or an inverted cookie sheet), place the pan in the oven, and bake until hot throughout (approximately 20 minutes).