Photo from Leo’s Superfood Bakery & Deli

The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Below are some recent additions. The entire guide can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at:
www.vrg.org/donate

Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide:

Folia
The Four Seasons Hotel
300 S. Doheny Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
From Chef Matthew Kenny and Prince Khaled Alwaleed, Folia is a high-end vegan restaurant located at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons. Offerings include watermelon poke, mushroom barbacoa tacos, heart of palm ceviche, and more.

Ice Dream Parlor
2895 McFarlane Rd. Bay D
Miami, FL 33133
From cones to sundaes to floats, they have everything you’d expect and more, but vegan!

Leo’s Superfood Bakery & Deli
8262 Louise Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 91325
Leo’s is an all-vegan, gluten-free deli and bakery. All-day breakfast options include pesto tofu scramble, black bean breakfast burrito, pancakes, and a vegan egg and muffin sandwich. “Handhelds” include sandwiches, wraps, and toasts. There are plenty of deserts to choose from as well!

Murray Hillbilly
1044 Edgewood Ave. S.
Jacksonville, FL 32205
Murray Hillbilly is another vegan food truck settling down into a permanent space, this time in their namesake Murray Hill neighborhood of Jacksonville. While the fare is decidedly southern, the focus is on local, natural, and organic ingredients. They’re also gluten-free!

My Brother’s Bakery
2895 McFarlane Rd.
Miami, FL 33133
My Brother’s Bakery is a full-service vegan bakery in the vShops in Miami’s Coconut Grove. From cookies and cinnamon rolls to croissants and custom pies, if you want it they probably have it! Gluten-free options are available too.

Rainbow Living Foods
4-1384 Kuhio Hwy., Unit 103A
Kapaa, HI 96746
Rainbow Living Foods is a gluten-free, all-raw, vegan cafe, with options such as salads, wraps, tacos and burgers.

Savery Vegan Grill
1122 Taylor St.
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Savery Vegan Grill features all-vegan cheeseburgers, hot dogs, biscuits and gravy, fried pickles, Philly cheese steaks, quesadillas, and more. If you’re looking for vegan comfort food, this place has it!

St. Veg
14929 Shady Grove Rd., Unit M
Rockville, MD 20850
Don’t miss this stop in Fallsgrove Village Center. From bowls, burgers, sandwiches, salads and soups, you will find this menu crafted from scratch and made fresh daily. Starting with the Mini Sunshine cakes, Vegloaf bowl to the shredded Medley Banh Mi sandwich with Jicama, tofu, yam, and crispy rice noodles served on toasted baguette you are sure to find something to satisfy your palate.

The Grotto
2223 Montana Ave., Ste. 104
Billings, MT 59101
The Grotto is a vegan, gluten-free restaurant with a focus on organic ingredients. Warm yourself up with their Koh Samui or other soups. Try an avocado toast or coconut yogurt parfait for a late breakfast. For a later meal, consider the bún or vegan ceviche. They offer a great variety of house-made kombuchas as well!

Veg Eats
335 E. Linton Blvd., Ste. B12
Delray Beach, FL 33483
Who ever said great things don’t come in small packages was wrong! This small hot spot will not disappoint from Italian style chick-non cutlet, curry veggie soup, roasted Brussel sprouts, and baked French toast to sunrise tacos. The active owner is sharing her love of plant-based comfort foods using her very own recipes! Menu changes monthly. Did someone say pumpkin donut?

Veggie y Qué
12924 Bailey St.
Whittier, CA 90601
What started as a blog turned into a restaurant! With house-made burgers, tacos, breakfast burritos, tortas and more, you’re sure to find something that will satisfy you.

Ye’s Asian Vegan Kitchen
2469 Hilliard Rome Rd.
Hilliard, OH 43026
You don’t have to worry about looking for the vegetarian section at Ye’s Asian Vegan Kitchen. Whether you want Sweet and Sour, Kung Pao, Thai Basil, or Teriyaki, they have it!

Il Fornello restaurant with 6 locations now offers a separate vegan menu. Enjoy vegan wine along with options such as avocado cashew Caesar with vegan parmesan, arancini (Italian rice balls), vegan sausage pizza, agnolotti in vegan butter sauce, rigatoni Bolognese, and chocolate brownie with whip cream.

See the entire menu and restaurant information including locations here:
https://italianforvegan.com/#menu

See https://healthytokyo.com/about-us/

The FDA is now considering action on a 2014 petition by the Center for Science in the Public Interest asking that sesame be labeled the same as other major food allergens. If granted, it would be the first time that the FDA made full use of a law that allows the agency to require labeling for an allergen that is not one of the Big Eight.

For information see
https://e-activist.com/ea-action/enclick?ea.url.id=1663228&ea.campaigner.email=IgrEEsUeQ2rVc13nGfQogg==&ea.campaigner.id=RyA%2BQsoR2qgqJI2ZMf1z3w==&ea_broadcast_target_id=0

Your support is greatly appreciated!

Here’s a small sampling of some of our accomplishments and outreach this year:

• VRG’s Nutrition Advisor, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, was a guest lecturer on vegetarian and vegan infants and children for an online graduate course at Nova Southeastern University. She also did a presentation on vegan pregnancy for a Vegan Children talk at the Portland VegFest in Oregon. Reed and Catherine Conway, MS, RD, spoke to hundreds of health professionals at the VRG booth during the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics FNCE Conference in Washington, DC
• We continue to work with numerous High School and College interns in our Baltimore office including future vegan Registered Dietitians. VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, mentors those interns who are interested in pursuing a career in nutrition. VRG staff also works with students that are majoring in Journalism, Business, etc. Among their tasks are staffing VRG booths throughout the USA, preparing vegan meals for homeless individuals, reviewing new vegan products (someone has to do that tough job!), writing up entries for our online restaurant guide, reviewing scientific studies on vegan diets, plus so much more. These students are the future of the vegan movement and we should all be excited about what they will bring to the cause once they graduate.
• VRG assisted media (print, web, radio, tv, etc.). VRG’s Nutrition Advisor, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, did an interview on vegan kids for Now This Food; was interviewed by Veggie Fit Kids website; and was interviewed on KMUZ 88.5/100.7 FM (Nu Health Nation) about vegan diets for diabetes, pregnancy, older adults, and athletes. VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels PhD, RD, was interviewed for The New York Times Well Family section on how parents can handle a situation where just one of their children has decided to become a vegetarian in a family of meat eaters, as well as contributed information for a slide show on vegan and vegetarian pregnancy for US News and World Report.
• A medical center in Ohio asked to reprint The Vegetarian Resource Group’s My Vegan Plate in their diet education materials. VRG’s Parents/Kids Facebook Group continues to be an active supportive arena for veggie parents and kids. To join the discussion, see: https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids/
• The Vegetarian Resource Group has done numerous outreach booths this year including Charlottesville and Richmond, VA VegFests; Vegan SoulFest in Baltimore, MD; Veggie Pride Parade in NY City; New England VegFest in Worcester, MA; Western NY VegFest in Buffalo, NY; Everett Community College Food Day in WA; University of Buffalo (NY) Sustainability Fair; Vegan Summerfest in Johnstown, PA; Maryland Dietetics in Health Care Communities Conference; New Jersey VegFest, Annual Meeting of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in Washington, DC; York Harvest VegFest in York, PA; World VegFest in San Francisco, CA; and many other locations
• The Vegetarian Resource Group provided vegan handouts free-of-charge for outreach in a wide variety of locations including a vegetarian student group at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA in preparation for the start of the new semester, the Vegan Community of Eastern Iowa for their first annual VegFest of Eastern Iowa, Northwest Ohio Vegan Advocates, the Macrobiotic Summer Conference, the Houston and Pittsburgh VegFests, Jim Cook Day of Hope for Diabetes in California, and the inaugural Michiana Veg Fest in Indiana.

Your support is greatly appreciated! You can donate directly to VRG at www.vrg.org/donate

You can also mail donations to The Vegetarian Resource Group, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203 or call in your donation to (410) 366-8343 Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm EST

Amy’s recently sent The Vegetarian Resource Group office a sample of their Thai Curry Sweet Potato Lentil Soup. It was delicious! Simply heat-up and enjoy!

Information on this soup (including where you can buy it) is here: https://www.amys.com/our-foods/thai-curry-sweet-potato-lentil-soup

If you want some new ideas of dishes to make to celebrate the New Year, here are some suggestions from previous Vegetarian Journal articles:

Holiday Drop-In: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2002issue4/2002_issue4_holiday_drop.php
Includes recipes for Pumpkin-Cranberry Cookies, Whole Wheat and Carob Brownies, Chocolate Chip Bars, Cayenne Pecans, Green Pea Spread, and more from Peggy Rynk.

Vegan Biscotti: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2005issue2/2005_issue2_biscotti.php
Learn how to make vegan biscotti at home with a variety of flavor choices from Debra Daniels-Zeller.

Easy Holiday Potluck Brunch: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2004issue4/2004_issue4_potluck_brunch.php
Enjoy a Simple Red Lentil Pate, Butternut Squash Streusel Bread, Cranberry Custard, and more by Debra Daniels-Zeller.

Please subscribe to Vegetarian Journal at:
https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

You can also subscribe to Vegetarian Journal on Kindle in the USA:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LBY2Y7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544727482&sr=8-1&keywords=B07LBY2Y7K

A Vegetarian Resource Group member shared the following message from a friend recommending a vegan restaurant she ate at on her trip to the Cayman Islands:

“Here’s a link to the vegan restaurant we ate at the night before we left Grand Cayman: www.cafe.ky There were pulled pork sliders made from homemade whole wheat rolls and crispy jackfruit, conch fritters made from something deliciously not-conch, and so many creatively done and unusual textures and tastes. Surprisingly we found at least three vegan restaurants on the island. Lots of yummy smoothie stops too.” You can view their menu on the website.

VRG’s Co-Directors write about the topic “Vegan or Plant-Based?” in their Note from the Coordinators column of Vegetarian Journal. Read the piece here:
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2018issue4/2018_issue4_note_coordinators.php

Due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, The Vegetarian Resource Group each year will award $20,000 in college scholarship money to graduating U.S. high school students who have promoted veganism/vegetarianism in their schools and/or communities. Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or fowl. Vegans are vegetarians who do not use other animal products such as dairy or eggs.

One award of $10,000 and two awards of $5,000 will be given. Entries may only be sent by students graduating from high school in spring 2019. Deadline is February 20, 2019. We will accept applications postmarked on or before February 20, 2019. Early submission is encouraged.

Applicants will be judged on having shown compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegan/vegetarian diet/lifestyle. Payment will be made to the student’s college (U.S. based only). Winners of the scholarships give permission to release their names to the media. Applications and essays become property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. We may ask finalists for more information. Scholarship winners are contacted by e-mail or telephone. Please look at your e-mail.

For details on the contest, see: http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm