As the server sets two dishes in front of you and the first thing you notice is the smell. The tangy scent of buffalo hot sauce wafts up from an enticing plate of wings.
The next element to catch your eye is the second dish’s stunning colour. Your Mystical bowl has a brightness to it, with cilantro and tomato brilliantly contrasting against its black bean base. Taking a bite into a cauliflower wing, you are met with a satisfying crunch from its crispy exterior.
For the vegetarian, the vegan, the omnivore and the flexitarian is painted across the wall and reminds you both dishes are entirely vegan and you are definitely not missing the meat.
Five years ago, you may have been hard-pressed to find vegan options on menus in Ottawa. Now, entirely vegetarian restaurants are springing up all around the city.
While those who consider themselves to be vegan represent only two out of every one hundred Canadians, according to a 2018 study from Dalhousie University, the trend is rapidly on the rise. The study shows 6.4 million Canadians follow a diet that restricts their meat consumption and over half of the participants were willing to reduce their meat intake.
“For me, there is no reason to not be vegan,” said Bella Grandin, a second-year journalism student. “(Consumers) need to be aware of where we put our dollar, because where we put it is what we are demanding for more of.”
The food industry has been highly responsive to customer demands, including a shift in perspectives surrounding vegan options. Rather than providing one or two vegan alternatives, restaurants such as Pure Kitchen are placing vegan dishes at the forefront.
Pure Kitchen’s first location opened in 2015 in Westboro, with the goal of creating a vegetarian-based restaurant. Olivia Cruickshank, co-owner and executive chef, said they saw the gap in the market and dove into the opportunity.
“Shortly after we opened, we realized that having a vegan base for everything was actually the way to go. It was what our customers were asking for and we listened,” she said.
Restaurants are abandoning the conventional option of a vegan salad in favour of creative dishes that attract a diverse range of customers. Pure Kitchen features burgers, wings and poutine that are fan-favourites and can be made entirely vegan.
“When we first started, I would say about 75 per cent of (poutine) orders were made with dairy curds. Now it’s just over 50 per cent made vegan,” Cruickshank added.
The release of the Beyond Meat Burger by A&W Canada in 2018 greatly influenced public perception around vegan alternatives of traditional meat-oriented dishes. With a plant-based protein patty, the burger is marketed as “juicy, satisfying and everything a burger should be.”
With an overwhelmingly positive response from customers, the chain has introduced a Beyond Meat sausage patty, available as of March 11.
“We recognize Canadians are increasingly interested in including more plant-based proteins in their diets. Adding a plant-based protein option to our breakfast menu is the kind of innovation that we love,” said Susan Senecal, A&W Canada’s president and chief executive officer, in an official statement on March 4.
The snowballing movement within the food industry to incorporate vegan options on their menus creates issues of supply and demand. Food distributing companies, such as Sysco, are struggling to provide enough vegan foods to meet the needs of the market.
“When the Beyond Meat Burger first came to Canada and they were being supplied through Sysco, I could easily access it. Until A&W put it on their menu, and then you couldn’t get it for months,” Cruickshank said.
Recently, the food industry experienced a shortage of tofu. Quebec’s largest tofu producers, Unisoya and Soyarie have been struggling to meet consumer demand. Demand for the soybean-based protein skyrocketed shortly after the release of Canada’s Food Guide.
Changes to Canada’s Food Guide released on Jan. 22 emphasize consumption of plant-based protein and the reduced consumption of red meats and high-fat dairy products.
“The intention of these recommendations is not to encourage people to necessarily adopt an all plant-based diet, but to include more plant-based choices in their diet. We are hoping to see an increase of consumption of these foods,” said Jane Skapinker, a registered dietician at Carleton University’s Caf.
Another influencing factor on the trend of veganism is youth. Sixty-three per cent of respondents to the 2018 Dalhousie University study who identified as vegan were under the age of 38.
“Millennials have a huge impact (on this trend),” Cruickshank said. “There’s a growing consciousness, particularly with younger generations where they’re seeing this massive impact on the environment.”
A 2016 study by the University of Oxford suggests a vegan diet reduces an individual’s food-related carbon footprint by 70 per cent.
“Our environment is begging for us to make changes and living a lower-waste vegan lifestyle is more sustainable than an animal product-based diet,” Grandin said. “We can see that change needs to be done and our parents or elders might not.”
In her role as a registered dietitian at Carleton University’s ‘the caf,’ located in Residence Commons, Skapinker has noticed a surge in students’ curiosity around plant-based diets. She added the cafeteria is taking this into account by offering 50 per cent vegetarian-friendly and 30 per cent vegan-friendly options.
“(We also have) Wellness Wednesdays and Meatless Mondays where we offer vegan or vegetarian items and talk about the benefits of plant-based diets,” Skapinker said. “The younger generations are taking charge of their health and being more intentional with their food choices.”
According to the same study by the University of Oxford, if the global population were to adopt vegan diets, 8.1 million deaths could be avoided by 2050. These deaths could be avoided with a reduced consumption of red meat, an increase of fruit and vegetables and a lower caloric intake.
Brittany Junipero, a second-year history and political science student at Carleton, said she went vegan because she wanted to consume healthier foods.
“I think it’s crazy that research is pointing in the direction that people should be eating a certain way and then they aren’t,” Junipero said.
Ethical concerns over treatment of animals have influenced many to adopt a vegan diet, as well. Alexis Ticknor, a first-year computer science student at Carleton, said the treatment of animals is what made her go meat-free.
“I educated myself about the dairy and egg industry and that influenced my decision,” Ticknor said.
Ticknor added sometimes it’s difficult for her to explain to others she is vegan because of they might judge her as “a stereotypical pushy vegan.”
Although there is a stereotype surrounding those who practice a vegan and vegetarian lifestyle, many have chosen to follow the trend.
Social media trends, like Veganuary, have been credited for generating interest for those who might not normally consider adopting a vegan diet. Veganuary is a charity that encourages individuals to try a vegan diet for the month of January.
Since its launch in 2014, participant numbers have more than doubled each year. Veganuary 2019 saw over 250,000 people from 193 countries join the campaign.
“I think trends like Veganuary are good because they get the attention of restaurants,” Junipero said. “In the U.K., Boston Pizza released a vegan pizza specifically for Veganuary.”
While restaurants in Ottawa are beginning to pay attention to the needs of vegan consumers, restaurants in Toronto have brought the game to a whole new level.
Nicknamed Vegandale, a block in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood, has branded itself as a “mecca for the ethically minded, with the best of vegan foods, goods and services.” It features several popular vegan spots like Vegandale Brewery, Mythology and the Imperative.
Vegandale will host a festival on Aug. 10 with exclusively vegan food and drinks. The festival will take place in Toronto’s one-block community as well as locations in Houston, Chicago and New York.
“The trend of plant-based eating will absolutely continue,” Skapinker said. “In 2019, the prediction is that there will be an increased demand for alternative proteins.”
“Veganism used to be a trend that attracted youth and hippies, and it’s just not anymore. A couple of years ago, when a table of six big, burly construction workers would come in I’d think, ‘Where are their girlfriends? Why are they here?’ But now it’s pretty common,” said Cruickshank. “We cater to the boyfriend or dad that comes in. They might not be the first ones to say, ‘Let’s go to a vegetarian restaurant,’ but they can come in and order a burger, poutine and a beer and feel just as comfortable as their partner.”
At Pure Kitchen, there’s no sign of expansion slowing down anytime soon.
“We have lots of demand to franchise and open all over the place . . . we get requests almost weekly,” Cruickshank said.
“Going out with people used to be difficult . . . Now, with vegan options becoming more common in Ottawa, I feel incredibly more comfortable going out into the city to hang out with friends” said Junipero. “Finding restaurants that have vegan food becomes really important when you realize how much food is at the center of things and how it brings people together.”