TULSA, Okla. — In the heart of cattle country, one doesn’t think of Tulsa as a model city for a vegan event, but it turns out, it is. With events popping up across the country since 2010, theinaugural Vegan Food Chef Challenge in Tulsa is the biggest one yet, with more than 60 restaurants participating.
During the month of October, each restaurant chef creates a dish specific for the challenge. Even restaurants that already serve vegan options are tasked with creating a new one for this. Diners try the new options and vote for their favorite. Diners and chefs are eligible for prizes and bragging rights. Diners complete a printed “passport” from their website, try dishes from at least five locations and turn it in by November 5.
One of the restaurants is Shawkat’s Mediterranean Grill in midtown Tulsa. Owner Hannah Tafla has served up Mediterranean fare for 10 years.
“I love to see the people love the food,” she said. “That’s the passion of this restaurant; it’s more like home.”
Nearly half the Shawkat’s menu is already vegan because that is largely the core of the style of food.
“Between the beans, the vegetables… even for non-vegan people, it’s good for them,” she said. “We only use olive oil… we don’t use butter or lard… it’s not heavy.”
Bonnie McIlroy of Vegan Outreach is helping coordinate. She ditched animal-based foods for health reasons.
“I had a friend whose brother is a doctor and [became vegan] for health reasons,” said McIlroy.
That was eight years ago. McIlroy says vegan fare has come a long way in recent years with better flavor and more options. She’s excited for Tulsa to showcase it. Also, people are more accepting of various diets as more Americans are committing to certain ones.
“You stay on it and you sustain it because you feel so much better,” McIlroy said. “I wasn’t having sinus infections any longer.”
Tafla is making three types of manoushe for the event (she says, ‘don’t call them pizza!’) They’re made with falafel, hummus or baba ganoush and various vegetable toppings and herbs.
She invited 2News reporter Erin Christy to indulge in several vegan dishes. And the meat… wasn’t missed at all.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uOh41FDTMWGJw-mXH_kMvnPCj4CCg6oZ/view
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