8 Reasons Vegan Food Is Going To Take Over The World—According To A Michelin-Starred Chef by Andrea Blumenstein

When Chef Josita Hartanto and her husband opened Lucky Leek in 2011, a 100%
plant-based restaurant in Berlin, Germany, few thought it could succeed. Thankfully,
the pair believed in their idea enough to stick it out during the hard times to prove
the skeptics wrong.

Prove is an understatement. Just two years after opening shop in the Prenzlaur Berg
locality of Berlin, the restaurant expanded to a larger plot a few doors down. Today,
with a trio of cookbooks – the third, Vegan Genial in 15 Minuten (Vegan Genius in 15
Minutes) just launched in the summer of 2017 – and a Michelin Bib Gourmand later,
Chef Josita Hartanto continues to expose the beauty and range of textures available
for those with a penchant for a green lifestyle.

We checked in with Lucky Leek Chef Hartanto to find out why she reckons vegan is
going global.

1. You are what you eat. “Because vegetarian food always looks good, is easy to
make and never gives you the feeling of having eaten too much. Also, a
vegetarian/vegan diet makes you look younger and feel better.”

2. The numbers. Global population growth means that we can’t all eat animal
protein. “If everybody had a steak a day, we would already need more than one
planet earth to satisfy the demand.”

3. Sexy food photos (you can follow @luckyleek) all over the internet unite lovers
of #vegan eats. “We [vegans] just needed some sexy food (in pictures), a few
celebrities that live this life and of course good restaurants that show people how
good life can taste even without meat.”

4. Great restaurants and cookbooks to make the options readily available. “Here
in Germany it is very easy to find more and more places in every city, even the small
towns offer a vegetarian/vegan option by now. It grew very fast!” As the author of
both Vegan Genial: Aufregend Anders Kochen (Genius Vegan: Exciting Different
Cooking) in 2013), followed by Vegan Schnell Schnell: Genial Einfach, Einfach Genial
(Vegan Quick, Quick: Simply Genius, Geniously Simple), she should know.

5. Vegetables have been seriously underrated in the past. “You can transform
them into almost any texture and flavor you can think of. That is what makes my
kitchen so complex and complete, always trying to achieve new textures and tastes
by trying out different things and techniques.”

6. Variety is the seed of life. “Wheat protein, soy protein, even regular vegetables
contain proteins, it is all about the mixture. The more variety you add to your diet,
the healthier your life will be.”

7. Hosting chefs and sharing knowledge. “People from all over the world have
been working at my place already. I had a trainee from Osaka, Japan, she was so
interested in learning and even taught me some Japanese skills.” Chef Hartanto has
opened her kitchen to people from Israel, United States, UK, Italy, Portugal, and
South America. “I really love new influences and enjoy sharing my knowledge with
others. It’s a give-and-take.”

8. Non-vegans eating vegan. People that are interested in a sustained way of living
opt for inclusion of vegan meals as part of their regular diet. “Wisdom is being
acquired by trying new things, tasting new food, experiencing new and unthought
things. Everybody who stays in his/her comfort zone and never comes out will miss
the best things in life.”

Today, the city of Berlin is listed among the pioneers of beyond worthy meat-free
dining options whether you are a vegan or not. Looking for something a little more
local?

Philadelphia’s Vedge Restaurant in Center City offers inventive vegetable cooking in
an historic brownstone home renovated to serve dinner 7 nights a week, with a full
bar with natural wines, craft beers and other elixirs to complement dinner and
dessert.
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At the helm of Vedge are James Beard nominated Chefs Rich Landau and Kate
Jacoby, restaurateurs committed to shaping the culinary landscape in Philadelphia.
They recently brought their modern plant based dining experience to the
Washington D.C., were residents and visitors at our nation’s capital can sip cocktails
and dine on the freshest of veg at Fancy Radish D.C.

Other spots to check out:
Graze Nashville; 1888 Eastland Ave, Nashville, TN 37206
Vital Root Denver; 3915 Tennyson St, Denver, CO 80212
True Food Kitchen (TFK); National