A healthy, vegan alternative to traditional burger-and-fries joints, Veggie Grill serves delicious, inexpensive, and approachable plant-based food in a friendly and convenient setting.

Is this your first restaurant?

No, I have owned and operated eight previous restaurants.

When did the first Veggie Grill open?

Our first Veggie Grill restaurant opened in 2006 at University Center in Irvine.

What’s your favorite dish on the menu?

Without a doubt, it is the Bali Bliss, with blackened tempeh, grilled onions, jalapeños, avocado, lettuce, and tomato.

What’s your most popular appetizer?

Our crispy “chicken” wings—Buffalo-style.

What’s the most popular entrée on the menu?

Our All Hail Kale salad and Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ sandwich.

What’s your most popular dessert?

Our carrot cake. People can’t believe it contains no eggs, dairy, refined sugars, trans fats, or cholesterol.

What do you feel is special about your restaurant?

We make plant-based food that’s surprisingly delicious and appealing for everyone.

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

Currently, we change our menu two times a year—in the spring and fall. We are not currently offering daily or weekly menu specials.

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

Yes. We have many gluten-free, soy-free, and sugar-free options available for guests. We also offer plenty of options free of specific allergens.

What do you do to reduce your environmental impact?

By offering a plant-based menu, we’re automatically good for the planet, but we also provide recyclable packaging.

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

You must always stay the course no matter what outcomes develop. You must always believe in your passion.

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

It was a personal quest for me as I had lost family members due to heart disease. I wanted to develop a food culture of conscious eating to reduce cholesterol in your diet. This is my passion and my mission to change the world.

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?

When I started twenty years ago, the plant-based movement was primarily made up of women, college students, and the gay community. Today, the stats have changed dramatically, with men and women being close to equal, and more and more of the African-American and Hispanic communities getting onboard. These inroads with mainstream America are an indication that the vegan culture is really starting to take off.

Since your restaurant first opened, has your view of what constitutes healthy or delicious foods changed? Have you changed the types of foods you offer?

Food fads come and go, but the fundamental building blocks of flavor, texture, and appearance are always important. I firmly believe in the adage “you are what you eat.” The cleaner you eat, the cleaner your body wants you to eat; it is a fundamental law of nature. And so these fundamentals have not changed in our approach to food.

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

This movement is growing here in America. I believe an entire generation is making a conscious change to eat more mindfully. Enjoying a plant-based diet is no longer a fringe movement.

Crostini Italiano (pictured opposite)

Serves 4–6

1 package Field Roast Italian Sausage*

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon crushed garlic

3 tablespoons chopped chives

Pinch salt

Pinch freshly ground pepper

1 French bread baguette, sliced

1 4-ounce jar of olive tapenade

1 8-ounce container Tofutti cream cheese, at room temperature

* Vegan, available at Whole Foods.

Remove casing from Field Roast Sausage. In a skillet over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the sausage and brown evenly on all sides, for approximately 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from skillet, pat it dry with a paper towel, and let it cool for 5 minutes. Chop it coarsely.

In separate bowl, combine crushed garlic and chives with the salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Slice the baguette in ½"-thick rounds. Brown in toaster oven at 375 degrees (or under the broiler) for approximately 2 minutes.

To assemble: Take a toasted baguette round, top with 1 teaspoon of olive tapenade, 1 teaspoon of coarsely chopped sausage, and 1 dollop of vegan cream cheese. Repeat with the remaining slices of bread. Serve and enjoy.

Farr (Out) Yam

Serves 4–6

1 cup farro

5 medium-size yams

1 medium onion, diced

cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups shredded Brussels sprouts

1 8-ounce bag baby spinach

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Earth Balance butter substitute

Pinch salt and pinch freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the farro in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 50 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain the farro in a colander. Bake the yams in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, place the onion in a pan and sauté with olive oil over medium-high heat. When onion is translucent, add minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add the Brussels sprouts, and cook for 2 minutes. Add spinach, cook for 1 minute, then mix together thoroughly. Stir in 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Remove from heat and cover.

To assemble: Split the yams open. Add Earth Balance butter substitute and approximately 3 tablespoons of farro to each. Top that with a generous serving of sautéed vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cherry Royal

Serves 4–6

2 teaspoons powdered sugar

1 8-ounce container Tofutti cream cheese, at room temperature

¼ cup minced vegan maraschino cherries*

cup cherry juice (from maraschino cherries jar)

6 Newman-O’s Original creamfilled chocolate cookies*

2 bananas, sliced in half

1 scoop soy chocolate cherry ice cream (or your favorite vegan ice cream)**

1 teaspoon vegan chocolate syrup (like Santa Cruz)

1 teaspoon ground flaxseed

4 vegan maraschino cherries (garnish)

* Available at Whole Foods.

** Available at Trader Joe’s.

In a large bowl combine powdered sugar and cream cheese. Mix thoroughly. Combine the minced cherries and cherry juice with the cream cheese mixture.

To assemble, crumble 1 cookie in the bottom of an individual serving bowl, add a banana slice, 1 scoop of cherry ice cream, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and a dollop of the sweetened cream cheese. Sprinkle with ground flaxseed. Place 1 cherry on top. Repeat with the other servings.