Just Askin' | What's to eat from the Vegan Chef Challenge?
Apr. 7—What food options are in this year's Vegan Chef Challenge?
Champaign's second Vegan Chef Challenge all of April is even bigger than the first, with 19 restaurants participating, so there are plenty of unique items to try.
Organizer Austin Simmons isn't going to pick favorites, but he's intrigued by Stango Cuisine's breaded cauliflower and square doughnut, Big Grove Tavern's barbecue veggie pizza and Billy Barooz's arancini.
"We don't really dictate what they do, as long as it's vegan, which just means that it's free from animal products," Simmons said. "We do that as a way to raise awareness of how delicious this food can be and inspire people to try it."
Since April is also Earth Month, Vegan Chef Challenge organizers are putting a focus on the environmental impact of animal farming as a motivation to eat vegan.
"By eating plant-based, you're actually helping the environment in far more ways than really any other individual action you can take," Simmons said.
Simmons and the other volunteers got restaurants involved through phone calls, Facebook messages and mailed invitations to make sure there would be a wide variety of options available.
Visit the restaurants and try their vegan dishes this month, but if you want to vote, go to .
Participating restaurants:
* Hopscotch Bakery and Market
* A Taste of Both Worlds
* El Paraiso
* Kohinoor Indian Restaurant
* Stango Cuisine
* Siam Terrace
* Big Grove Tavern
* Pekara Bistro
* Martinelli's Market
* Watson's Shack and Rail
* The Poke Shack (Champaign and Mahomet locations)
* Sakanaya
* The Space
* Seven Saints
* Maize at the Station
* Alto Vineyards
* Billy Barooz Pub and Grill
* The Literary
