Taking the long way around

Vegan in Canada

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TWO COPPER BRANCH LOCATIONS IN TORONTO ARE NOW OPEN PAST MIDNIGHT

The chain’s locations on Bathurst St and at the Sheppard Centre now offer vegans and omnivores alike the chance to eat plant based at nearly any hour.

The Montreal-based chain, which is now the largest plant-based restaurant chain in the world, has announced that two of their key Toronto locations are now open past midnight seven days a week. Their Bathurst and Sheppard Centre stores will now feature their full menus well past the time any other healthy or plant-based restaurants have closed for the evening. This will allow anyone out for the evening in the city or night shift workers to enjoy the benefits of delicious, plant-based meals at an hour when previously the best they could do would be burgers and fries.

Copper Branch’s location at 410 Bathurst St is open until 2am seven days a week and their restaurant at the Sheppard Centre is open Thursday through Saturday until 2am and Sunday through Wednesday until 1am.

“Customer response to these two locations staying open late has been incredible,” says Copper Branch Global Director of Marketing, Andrew Infantino. “Our customers love that they can replicate their late night favorites such as burgers, Buffalo wings, nachos, and even poutine in an all-natural, healthy version when they’re out late in the city.”

With over 60 restaurants worldwide, what sets Copper Branch apart from other quick service plant-based restaurants is its commitment to both familiar fare as well as unique global recipes that diners can only get at Copper Branch. The chain features an all-day breakfast and an all-encompassing menu that includes power bowls, burgers and sandwiches, soups and chili, and power smoothies. The entire menu is whole food plant-based, with many non-GMO, organic, specialty and naturally gluten-free foods.

Though the entire Copper Branch menu is vegan, the company has found that the vast majority of its customers are not strict vegans, but rather omnivores who want to replicate the delicious foods they currently enjoy but in a healthier, more ethical and sustainable way. “This is food I’m proud to have my children eat” adds CEO Rio Infantino. “Now our customers can do so at any hour, which is exciting for the industry and for the company.”

Copper Branch is considering adopting the late night strategy at more locations.

ABOUT COPPER BRANCH

Started in 2014 and headquartered in Montreal, Copper Branch is a privately held company and holds the distinction of being the largest and fastest growing plant-based fast casual chain in the world. The company’s mission is to Empower, Energize and make people feel their Best; providing a convenient, plant-based dining experience without sacrificing taste, quality or satisfaction. The reasonably priced, 100% plant-based menu items are never fried and consist of mainly organic and non-GMO ingredients. For locations, menus and other details, visit the website.

You can follow Copper Branch on Twitter and Instagram.

Vegan fast food chain opens 5th location

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Plant Power Fast Food, a plant-based fast food restaurant chain based in San Diego, CA, opened its fifth location last week in Long Beach, California.

The three-and-a-half-year-old company reported that sales from the Long Beach location on its opening Sunday June 30, 2019 were the highest for any of the company’s five locations for one single day in its history.


Chief Operations Officer and Co-CEO Zach Vouga said, “We’re thrilled to be part of this vibrant community and we’re overwhelmed by the warm welcome we’ve been receiving from customers old and new.”

Company President and Co-CEO Mitch Wallis said that their brand was specifically designed to appeal to everyone, not just those on a plant-based diet.

“By presenting a fresh, GMO-free, plant-based menu in the familiar fast-food format, we’re able to provide an easy-to-access alternative for those looking for healthier options”. He added, “The majority of our customers are omnivores who are exploring new food choices”.

Chief Marketing & Communications Officer and Co-CEO Jeffrey Harris believes that there is a huge opportunity to bring a plant-based alternative to the U.S. fast-food space: “In the United States, the fast food market exceeded $255 billion in sales in 2018 according to market research companies Statista and IBIS. While traditional fast food restaurants deliver the taste, cost and convenience factor that their customers enjoy, the majority of mainstream brands have failed to adequately address the evolving needs of consumers who are looking for healthier, more humane and environmentally sustainable options.”

Asked about the current news of major fast-food brands adding vegan items to their menu, Harris was positive. “We’re thrilled to see many of the major fast-food brands expand their offerings to include plant-based options.”

Harris further adds, “The introduction of vegan burgers at some fast food restaurant chains indicates that a significant attitudinal shift is in motion, just as we predicted several years ago when we first began developing our business. That said, we believe that consumers are looking for more than just a couple of vegan options on the menu. We’re excited to be able to offer something radically different to customers who are hungry for real change”

New location for Plant Power Fast Food

ADDRESS: 5095 E Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, CA 90804
HOURS: Breakfast 7:00am – 11:00am. Lunch/dinner from 11:00am – 10:00pm
MENU ITEMS: From burgers, shakes, “chicken” tenders, to fries, salads, juices and raw items with seasonal options throughout the year

Follow Plant Power on Instagram and visit their website.

Sage Bistro in Los Angeles

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One of the nicest places you could ever hope to have a comfort food experience is Sage Plant-Based Bistro.

With three locations throughout the Greater Los Angeles area, Sage is the perfect dining spot to make your Californian adventure extra special.

Last year I had a truly sensational meal with my buddy Patricia in the Culver City location, while a few weeks ago Gil and I ordered a whole bunch off the Echo Park menu.

The Brussels sprouts had us pushing each other out of the way and my strawberry shake was too creamy for this horrible world. We don’t deserve treats this nice.

Check out our feast below and be sure to follow Sage on Instagram.

Five vegan launches you need to know this week

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With the world turning vegan friendly at a rapid rate, it can be tough for a plant-based consumer to keep up with the latest happenings.

I’m doing my bit to help you out this week by showing you five vegan product launches that might have slipped under the radar.

Let’s go shopping!

Vegan makeup from Lady Gaga

The superstar of music, TV, and movies has launched her Haus Laboratories makeup range and guess what? It is ALL VEGAN.

The FAQ page of the website clearly states that the entire range is vegan friendly. All products are available for pr-order online here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz8DkvHlhoT/

Vegan pizzas by Fry Family Food Co.

I blogged about this a short while ago but I’m updating you here. (Read original post online)

Superstar vegan food company Fry’s has launched two vegan pizzas in Australia with the rest of the world soon to follow.

Nut butter cups by Doisy & Dam

Doisy & Dam have been making cute chocolates for a few years but they have totally taken things to a new level by releasing vegan-friendly nut butter cups.

Available in both Hazelnut and Almond. Dreamy!

Vegan Culinary Cruises

I have teamed up with a respected and established cruise company to create a new vegan cruise arm of their business!

I am the Director of Development for Vegan Culinary Cruises, a high end luxury vegan vacation specialist with a focus on fine dining.

We have two cruises planned for 2020 so far including an LGBT-friendly (all welcome) vegan cruise on the Mekong through Vietnam and Cambodia, plus a late summer general vegan cruise in the south of France.

I’m thrilled to be on all cruises as the group leader and I can’t wait to experience these destinations with likeminded people!

Click here to find out more info about the cruises and follow Vegan Culinary Cruises on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Chocolate toffees by Jeavons

UK company Jeavons have long made gorgeous vegan treats that were so popular, they were forced to scale up and they did it with total style.

Visit their website to explore the tempting range of toffee-based delights and order your own for delivery.

Vegan cinema experience in LA

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Don’t you just hate when you go to a cinema and there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for vegans to consume from the concessions stand?

Fellow cinema goers are struggling under trays of savoury snacks and ice creams and popcorn and soda.

The rejection I’ve experienced at cinemas has been decades long so imagine my overwhelming delight at visiting a cinema in Los Angeles and being faced with too much vegan choice.

Gil and I were invited to try out all the vegan goodies at Laemmle theatres.

Laemmle is an independently owned cinema chain specialising in arthouse films. We hopped along to their North Hollywood location for a screening of the latest Jim Jarmusch release The Dead Don’t Die and picked up all of these amazing treats.

Pretty impressive, right?

As you can see, Laemmle theatres are selling Fry’s products and I promise you I never thought I’d live to see the day when a cinema chain had vegan hot food options of such a high standard.

I gobbled up the hot dog, the sausage roll, and the gluten free nuggets.

When you are in Los Angeles, make time to take in a film screening at one of the nine Laemmle locations AND eat well while you do it.

You can follow Laemmle on Instagram. You can also follow Fry’s on Instagram.

Veggie Grill still the best

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Gil and I were recently in Los Angeles, so I made sure I put some time aside in order to visit a Veggie Grill location.

In case you don’t know, Veggie Grill is a vegan restaurant chain with locations around the USA.

The growth of the restaurant group has been sensational with approximately thirty locations spread around the country.

Their food is some of the best plant-based cuisine you will eat on the planet, with a special seasonal mini menu that changes throughout the year in addition to their regular items.

Check out my photos below and be sure to follow Veggie Grill on Instagram.

View the full Veggie Grill menu on their website.

Brussels sprouts and tempura green beans with ranch dipping sauce
Buffalo Bomber burger with Smoky Corn Bisque, All Hail Kale salad, and mash potato with mushroom gravy

Vegan in Seville

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Guest post by Mirel.

I hadn’t chosen to visit Seville for the food, but a quick Google told me that some gems awaited me in this tiny but perfectly formed city.

We stayed at the Hotel Fernando III on a bed-and-breakfast basis. Vegan breakfast options were pretty decent; a huge selection of breads, jams, dairy-free margarine spread, cereal, soya milk (already out on the buffet table), three types of juice, nuts, seeds and fresh fruit was all available. From the hot options the baked beans, fried tomatoes and breakfast potatoes were suitable for vegans too.

Directly opposite our hotel was a charming tapas bar called La Bartola. It had good reviews on HappyCow and it was in an incredibly convenient location so we decided to check it out. They had a small but interesting menu with all vegan items clearly marked and knowledgeable staff on hand to provide extra information if needed.

We had the aubergine bruschetta and the sushi, which was battered and deep fried. It sounded like sacrilege at first, but one taste was all the convincing we needed! It was utterly delicious with a crisp outer but still fresh and zingy in the middle. The baked aubergine on the bruschetta had been roasted to perfection before being topped with fresh tomatoes and rocket. It was something I could easily eat every day!

The old town is tiny and very compact so there isn’t much need for public transport, it’s best explored on foot. As we walked down one little road we stumbled upon a lovely little smoothie bar called Milk Away. They sell lots of healthy options like porridge, fruit pots, salad bowls and so on but we had a giant smoothie each. You can choose any combination from the dizzying selection of options they have or pick one of their suggested blends.

While strolling around, we saw vegan options being proudly offered in so many places, sadly we didn’t have time to try them all.

Our final stop was at Bar Alfalfa. A good friend of mine had recommended that we visit this place during our trip, this was the only recommendation we had. It lived up to our expectations with some truly special options packed full of flavour. We had the red pesto bruschetta, pumpkin soup and seeded red pepper hummus with toasted breads. I know nobody can go wrong with hummus but this one definitely surpassed expectations. They told us that the pesto was made from scratch on the premises and the bruschetta was generously topped with toasted pine nuts. The soup was the perfect consistency and came topped with a few extra vegetables.

Vegan nuggets in LA cinema chain

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Back in December, Los Angeles city councilmember Paul Koretz introduced a bill that, if passed, would require entertainment and travel venues around the city to put at least one vegan dish on their menus.

The Fry Family Food Company and Los Angeles cinema chain Laemmle Theatres decided to get a jump on the passing of the bill and have partnered to bring delicious, healthy vegan products to three Laemmle Theatre locations around Los Angeles.

Family-owned Fry’s is a global plant-based food brand based in South Africa which sells its products in 28 countries around the world and is about to make its U.S. retail debut this spring. Laemmle Theatres, also family owned, is one of the most iconic cinema chains in Los Angeles with its origins dating back to the 1930s.

Fry’s Chik’n Nuggets, which are both non-GMO and gluten-free, are now available in Laemmle Theatres in Santa Monica, North Hollywood and Glendale.

This is fabulous news and I truly believe this is just the start of a new wave of vegan food catering in entertainment venues.

Extra news: some extra gossip on the grapevine suggests Laemmle Theatres will soon be introducing additional menu items from Fry’s including hot dogs and sausage rolls.

Follow Laemmle on Instagram and view movie times/locations online.

Follow Fry’s on Instagram and view their entire range online.

Vegan retreat in French Alps

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How about a fully vegan summer retreat in the French Alps?

Amanda and her husband have put together a truly sensational 4-day retreat at their chalet situated in the French Alps above the popular alpine town of Morzine.

The couple have spent the last four years renovating their old farmhouse and it is now a beautiful 5-bedroom retreat.

They plan to offer retreats throughout the year and this summer 2019 outing is your first chance to experience the beautiful setting.

The summer vegan retreat takes place between June 27 and 30, 2019.

You get to eat vegan food, hike through stunning countryside, enjoy a few yoga sessions, visit local towns, or just kick back on the terrace and drink in the views.

The cost of this stay is £450 per person based on sharing a twin room.

If you would like to find out more or book a space, you can email info@poleski.co.uk and let yourself be known to Amanda.

Vegan snacks at Heathrow Terminal 4

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Here’s a super quick post to show you some of my vegan haul at Heathrow Terminal 4.

Airports used to be a sad place for vegans, but WH Smith in Terminal 4 is really stocked to the brim with vegan goodies.

The following products helped me survive the 11 hour flight to Mexico City.

What do you think?