Camilla Alkhassadeh and her family live in Royal Oaks with about 100 farm animals, from pigs and goats to chickens, turkeys, sheep and miniature horses. They are not just any farm animals. Some were once destined for the plate. These are “friends not food,” as one slogan goes for Little Hill Sanctuary, the nonprofit farm animal rescue and farm co-founded by Alkhassadeh and her husband Helbard in 2016.
The couple are not just animal protectors, they are also vegans, eschewing all meat, fish, eggs and dairy for over 20 years. Now their passion for protecting animals has bubbled beyond the sanctuary and into the community, by partnering with the international nonprofit Vegan Outreach to sponsor a Vegan Chef Challenge in Monterey County during the month of October. It’s one of dozens of such month-long challenges that have already taken place around the country.
The goal is to challenge chefs at local restaurants to add vegan dishes that they have created to menus. Diners are encouraged to visit participating restaurants, try the dishes and vote for their favorites. Eight restaurants – Carmel Belle, Happy Girl Kitchen, Julia’s Vegetarian Restaurant, Lucy’s on Lighthouse, Terra Superfoods, The Caledonian, Salty Seal, Wild Fish and a cottage baker – Tiffany’s Specialties – are participating.
It wasn’t always an easy ask when contacting restaurants about joining the challenge.
“They’d say, ‘Oh no, we’re not vegan,’ and we’d say, ‘That’s the point!,’” Alkhassadeh says. Part of the pitch to restaurants was that in families and groups there could be one or two vegans in the mix, which could sway the entire group away from their restaurant in favor of another.
Veganism is not widespread – estimates vary from 1 to 3 percent of the U.S. adult population – but the number of people who say they are vegan has grown over the past three decades, as has the number of meat eaters who are incorporating more vegan and vegetarian dishes into their diets. A 2022 survey by the Vegetarian Resource Group found that 20 percent of adults surveyed said they sometimes eat vegan meals (25 percent said they sometimes eat vegetarian meals while 37 percent said they never eat vegetarian or vegan).
For the Vegan Chef Challenge, Alkhassadeh says they suggested restaurants include at least three dishes to give people a choice. Chefs are encouraged to find ways to make the dishes as tasty as possible.
“When you remove cheese and dairy, it doesn’t always taste great,” she says, which means chefs have to get creative.
That’s the approach Chef Jeremy Acuña took to develop his vegan dishes at The Caledonian inside the Kimpton Mirador Hotel in Pacific Grove. He created two dishes specifically for the challenge, cauliflower ceviche as an appetizer and an entree of eggplant roulade.
“I always think of things I would like to eat and make that vegan,” says Acuña. “Me being Latino, I obviously love ceviche.”
He marinates raw cauliflower in lime juice with cilantro, jalapeno and radishes. It’s served with blue corn tortilla chips – Acuña is always looking to boost not only flavor but also the dish’s visual appeal. For the roulade, they grill the eggplant and pair it with a spicy arrabiata sauce. The roulade sits on a base of red quinoa and corn, topped with a salad of frise and arugula.
That Acuña added quinoa, a complete protein, is a thoughtful addition beyond offering just a plate of vegetables and some rice.
Acuña, who took over as executive chef on Aug. 3, says they were already adding more vegetarian and vegan options to The Caledonian’s menu. He saw the vegan challenge as a great opportunity to play with ingredients.
One vegan dish already on the menu is a cauliflower steak. They fry the entire head, slice it and serve with a green tahini sauce, topped with fresh spinach, arugula, parsley and other herbs, along with marcona almonds. The recently added lunch menu includes a farro bowl with charred broccolini, roasted winter squash, white bean hummus and toasted pepitas.
Acuña says The Caledonian will continue to offer vegan options even after the challenge ends on Oct. 31, which is exactly what organizers were hoping for. Alkhassadeh plans on repeating the challenge every fall.
THE MONTEREY VEGAN CHEF CHALLENGE ends Oct. 31. Visit veganchefchallenge.org/monterey for restaurant information and voting ballots.