From hyperlocal farms and vibrant community markets to celebrity-approved vegan restaurants, plant-based food is on the rise in metro Atlanta. Here, three pioneering vegan voices dish on how innovation, inclusion and education are the future of the movement.
Luis Martinez
While his Puerto Rican restaurant My Abuelas Food is on hiatus, chef Luis Martinez continues to share his love of plant-based cooking via Bien Vegano Atlanta, an outdoor market for vegan vendors that he and Ivonne Lara started in 2020.
“Veganism is on the rise, and the days of thinking it’s all bland salads and tasteless tofu are long gone,” Martinez said of the explosion of plant-based restaurants and purveyors in the city, including Taki Taki Snacks and Bliss Cookies, both regulars at his market.
Those events have attracted more than 20,000 visitors, including die-hard vegans as well as those just wanting to dabble in the plant-based lifestyle.
At My Abuelas Food, his strategy was similar — making both meat and vegetarian versions of traditional Puerto Rican foods. A pig sandwich was available with a choice of the usual pork or tender, juicy jackfruit.
He said he thinks that sort of flexible approach, as well as the continued growth of plant-based dining options in Atlanta’s suburbs — he cited Mamak Vegan Kitchen in Chamblee and Loving Hut in Sandy Springs as examples — will be key to expanding vegan eating in the area.
“My dream is to see this trend ripple through all businesses, inspiring a fresh perspective when it comes to crafting menus, hosting events and conceptualizing new ventures,” he said.
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
Issa Prescott
Atlanta native Issa Prescott remembers when there was only one vegetarian restaurant in the city.
“We went to Soul Vegetarian a lot growing up,” he said. And, at age 7, he started cooking plant-based dishes with his mother in the kitchen of their Sylvan Hills home.
Today, Prescott is the owner of Life Bistro, a vegan soul food restaurant in that same southwest Atlanta neighborhood. His restaurant’s celebrity following includes musician Jermaine Dupri and television personality Tabitha Smith.
“We lean into the fun side of vegan food, while still focusing on quality ingredients, taste and flavor,” he said. His dishes include a portobello mushroom-based Philly sandwich and a plant-based version of Raising Cane’s popular chicken sandwich that went viral online.
“The phone wouldn’t stop ringing for 30 days straight,” Prescott said with a laugh. “It was the only thing people were ordering.”
The playful approach is intentional: “We want to be a great place for people who not only want to transition to a vegan diet but flexitarians who don’t want to make veganism a full-time lifestyle,” he said.
In the future, Prescott envisions more people detaching themselves from absolutist labels like “vegan” and “carnivore” and embracing breaks from animal products, with more movements like Meatless Mondays.
“Meat is a huge part of our culture, and we don’t need to change that just to embrace healthier eating habits,” he said. “But if people choose not to eat meat for only one day, it makes a difference in the environment and sustainability of our food systems.”
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
JoVonna Johnson-Cooke
For local chef and food activist JoVonna Johnson-Cooke, veganism is about resiliency.
“I believe it has the potential to bring life into communities and bring health and restoration and vocational opportunities rooted in creativity and growth,” she said.
Johnson-Cooke has done just that with MaituFoods, a vegan catering service she founded in 2008, which provides plant-based meals for school-age children, families and private clients throughout the metro area.
At Awali Veganic Resource Center, a 5-acre homestead and education center in Lithonia, she leads hands-on learning experiences, including agricultural workshops, cooking classes and other educational programs.
Johnson-Cooke also co-founded Grow Where You Are, a vegan farming collective run by her partner, Eugene Cooke.
The goal, she said, is building and sustaining hyperlocal food systems — teaching people how to grow, harvest and cook locally grown foods.
“I think the biggest misconception is that veganism or the consumption of vegetables, fruits and herbs is something foreign, but it’s rare to find any cultural cuisine that does not include vegetables, fruits and herbs,” Johnson-Cooke said. “I think veganism in Atlanta will continue to grow and expand, as we see it has been over the last 20 years.”
She said that she hopes organizations such as hers, along with the rise of community gardens and local agricultural systems, will help people make the switch from overly processed vegan products — such as imitation meats — to healthy, plant-based foods.
“There is so much potential if we would consider working with the earth and bringing that creativity into our kitchens and onto our plates.”
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