Think vegan food is bland and boring? This Logan Street Market spot is ready to prove you wrong

My first experience with vegan food was at a yoga event many years ago. The post-flow snack included water and vegan bars — which, I’m sorry to say, tasted like cardboard. Vegan cuisine has come a long way since, breaking the stereotype of being bland and boring.

V-Grits is a prime example of this. I had my first meal at the restaurant's original brick-and-mortar location in 2019, and I was blown away by how flavorful everything was. The eatery has since moved from its Barret Avenue spot into a space in Logan Street Market, and this week, I caught up with owner Kristina Addington.

She explained that after learning about how the U.S. food system works and where our food comes from, she became a vegan virtually overnight.

"I started researching and learning about factory farming and food production," Addington told The Courier Journal. "I just thought (to myself that) I really didn't want any part of it."

Growing up in Shelby County, her vegan options were limited. This forced Addington to do a lot of her own cooking and develop new recipes along the way. She didn’t know it then, but this lifestyle change would eventually lead to a full-blown business.

"(V-Grits) started as a food truck," she said. "I launched it in early 2015, (then) did a meal service similar to HelloFresh or Blue Apron."

Addington's products — including vegan cheeses, prepared meals, and juice bars — were sold in grocery stores throughout Kentucky as well as in bordering states. She says that all the while, the food truck continued to be the most popular of her offerings.

"People really just wanted that immediate, hot, fresh, vegan meal service that they were (getting) from the food truck," she recalled. "Finally, (I) decided to do the brick and mortar (in) 2018."

Over the next five years, the restaurant drew a large customer base. But after a while, the 3,500-square-foot space — which also included Addington’s Chimera Brewing — became too much to maintain.

"After the pandemic and the prices of a lot of (our supplies) kept going up, (I) finally decided to make the move to a smaller location," she said.

The restaurant’s square footage has been significantly reduced and its menu is a bit smaller, but Addington says that relocating has been one of the best decisions she’s made.

"It’s really been fantastic for us," she exclaimed. "It’s the same kind of food, (and) we’ve got our same customer base. We’re getting even more customers that we probably wouldn’t have had access to — people that happen to be at the [Logan Street Market]."

She added that being in a more intimate setting has allowed her and her team to build closer relationships with each other as well as with their customers.

"The more we grew, (the harder) it was to do that," she said, adding that her current team is half the size that it used to be. "I think the staff is stronger than it’s ever been, and we’re all getting that customer interaction. … We can stay in touch with our regulars. They feel like friends at this point because, with the small space, they’re right there. We all get to talk to them every day."

Of course, downsizing also brought significant cost savings, allowing V-Grits to be profitable and Addington to continue doing what she loves — which is serving people good food.

That includes the crunchwrap, which was a customer favorite from the Barret Avenue spot and continues to be a popular pick today. Filled with taco meat, melted cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes, and crema in a crispy tostada shell and wrapped in a grilled flour tortilla, Addington says it is similar to Taco Bell’s crunchwrap supreme — but made with quality, vegan ingredients.

Another favored food item is the mac and cheese, which was removed from the V-Grits menu a few years ago.

"People (were) really disappointed, (so) we ended up bringing that back — and (it’s) a big seller," Addington said.

In addition to the 11 standard menu items plus four sides, V-Grits also serves breakfast specials every Sunday, as well as rotating specials throughout the week.

"We do fish tacos, lasagna, (and other) unique things like that to keep it fun, especially for our regulars," Addington said. "We’re also expanding our catering options. We’ve always offered small-scale catering for pickup, but we are starting to offer a fully staffed catering experience for bigger events."

Customers can keep up with current menu specials and catering info by checking out V-Grits on Facebook or Instagram.

"Vegan food is just as delicious — sometimes more — than the meals that we grew up eating," Addington said, adding that a lot of V-Grits’ offerings reflect dishes with which most people are already familiar.

“We’re just making it plant-based, so it’s much better for the animals, the environment, and our health. … It’s something that everyone should try."

Know a restaurant that would make a great feature? Email writer Lennie Omalza at aloha@lennieomalza.com or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@gannett.com.

V-Grits

WHAT: This is a fast-casual restaurant that serves vegan comfort food.

WHERE: Logan Street Market, 1001 Logan St.

SERVICES: Indoor dining, carryout, and catering; Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Monday

CONTACT: vgits.com, 502-889-6333

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Vegan restaurants in Louisville: V-Grits has comfort food to savor