Veganism keeps growing in Sacramento, California and the United States as a whole. Locally, it’s cresting in the largest plant-based cooking competition the city has ever seen.
The 12th annual Sacramento Vegan Chef’s Challenge, which began Oct. 1 and runs through Halloween, has a record-setting 50+ restaurants and pop-ups signed up to bring plant-based dishes to the masses.
The premise is simple enough. Each eatery introduces at least one new vegan option for the month of October, then customers vote online for their favorites in a variety of categories. Most end up keeping a Vegan Chef’s Challenge item on their menu past the competition’s end date, organizer Kristy Venrick-Mardon said.
Participating eateries within Sacramento include: Andy Nguyen’s Vegetarian Restaurant, Bambi Vegan Tacos, Buffalo Pizza & Ice Cream, Burger Patch, Capitol Garage, Conscious Creamery, Drip Espresso, E Tea, Golden Road Brewing, Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co., Jet’s American Grill & Bar, Kasbah, Kau Kau, KC Kombucha and Kupros Craft House.
Continued: La Cosecha, Mayahuel, Pure Soul Plant-Based Eats, Revolution Winery & Kitchen, the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op, Sun & Soil Juice Co., Thai Basil, The Golden Bear, The Porch, Veg Cafe and Vegan Deadly Sins.
Outside city limits, the list of participants includes: Green Grill and Pho Fresh (Rancho Cordova), Mesa Mercado and River City Brewing (Carmichael); Chicago’s Pizza with a Twist and Timmy Gingers Sandwich Shop (Roseville); Balance Me Out and Pizza Bell (Elk Grove); Sal’s Tacos (West Sacramento), Wild Rooster Bistro (Fair Oaks) and The Paisley Cafe (Orangevale).
Another dozen participating eateries have no set storefront. So instead of solely relying on customers to seek out individual pop-ups, the Vegan Chef’s Challenge is hosting temporary food courts, at Fort Rock Brewing in Rancho Cordova (Oct. 13), Track 7 Brewing in Natomas (Oct. 21) and McClatchy Park in Oak Park (Oct. 29). Follow @sacveganchefchallenge on Instagram or visit https://www.facebook.com/sacveganchefchallenge for more information.
The Vegan Chef’s Challenge began to encourage restaurants to offer more plant-based options, and customers to try them. As veganism has pervaded the local dining scene, challenge offerings have grown from basic veggie burgers to faux quesabirria tacos and JUST egg bibimbap
Vegan drinks are a new focus for five or six participants as well — the Golden Bear is making bloody marys without Worcestershire sauce, for example, which includes anchovies.
Venrick-Mardon, who runs Only Sunshine Sanctuary animal rescue in Elverta, wants to use this year’s competition to educate eaters on the climate consequences associated with eating plant-based, even for just one meal per day or one day per week.
“In the past, it has been focused on getting restaurants — especially non-vegan restaurants — to know and understand what veganism is and how to cook vegan,” said Venrick-Mardon, who took over the competition last year. “In 2022, there’s so many resources for vegan food out there and dairy replacements and meat replacement that (cooking vegan) is kind of easier to do than any time in history.”
What I’m Eating
Walk into El Papagayo and you’re greeted with two menus. One has meaty dishes and one is all-vegan, though as the bartender said, “they’re printed on paper, so both are plant-based.”
The Mexican restaurant at 5804 Marconi Ave. in Carmichael was serving plant-based dishes long before veganism became trendy, and is still a go-to spot for northeastern Sacramento County residents. Colorful tiles, a dry central fountain and paintings of Frida Kahlo fill the spacious dining room, along with parrot decor to highlight the restaurant’s namesake.
Mushroom fajitas ($18) seemed exciting, but came out on a plastic plate without the sizzle and smoke that Tex-Mex renditions have seared in my mind. Visual letdown aside, the wild enoki and cremini mushrooms intermixed well with chayote, pepper, onions and a smoky, musky spice mix.
Soyrizo taquitos (two for $16) stood out more for their tofu bricks and spiced potatoes than the mild imitation meat tucked inside the rolled tacos. They were served on a bed of deliciously creamy pinto beans and topped with pico de gallo, lettuce and shredded vegan cheeze.
Those who dabble in pescetarianism should try El Papagayo’s lightly breaded crispy cod tacos (two for $12). Loaded to the brim with slaw, crema and a piquant red diabla sauce, they were as good as any Baja-style delight I’ve had around the region.
Address: 5804 Marconi Ave., Carmichael. Hours: 3-8 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday, and 3-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Drinks: full bar. Meat-free options: one of two menus is all-vegan. Accessibility: ramp leading up to front door. Noise level: loud when busy, as sound bounces off tiles.
Openings & Closings
- After another banner month for restaurant openings in September, a couple of new places held their grand openings over the weekend. Among them: Bay Area late night sensation Seniore’s Pizza, which opened its first halal site at 8250 Calvine Road, Suite A in south Sacramento.
- Mr. Fries Man made its first foray into Northern California not far from Seniore’s at 8251 Bruceville Road, Suite 130 in the Strawberry Creek shopping center. Founded in Los Angeles County, it specializes in loaded fries with extravagant toppings such as shrimp, steak, crab or Beyond Meat.
- PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans shut down Sept. 30 at 5416 Manzanita Blvd. in Carmichael, less than two years after making the drive-thru coffee shop its first splash in California.