Tulsa Vegan Chef Challenge brings new vegan menu items to 50 restaurants

There are 50 local chefs competing this month to create Tulsa's best new vegan dish.

The Vegan Chef Challenge was first introduced to Tulsa in October 2023, but organizer Sarah Hyden said it did not really take off until the next year when it broke a record for being the largest one in the nation. Now, the month-long challenge is held every April in Tulsa.

Go. Eat. Vote.

During the Vegan Chef Challenge, restaurants throughout the Tulsa area will feature special vegan menu items. This year 50 chefs have come up with brand new vegan menu items for these restaurants. Diners have the opportunity to go out, enjoy meals, rate, comment, and post photos of the vegan meals they have ordered. They can also download a passport and the diners who visit at least 5 of the restaurants will be entered to win a prize.

Peacemaker Lobster & Crab is one of the participating restaurants. Its executive chef Jessie Gilroy created a Greek Salad and the Smokey Cajun Mushroom Jambalaya for the challenge. "I wanted to do a play on a jambalaya so, we got some locally sourced mushrooms and made a really nice mushroom stock out of that to cook the rice and stew the tomatoes," she said. "Then, I was able to find a really nice vegan sausage that had a lovely smokey flavor to kind of make up for not having a meat in it."

A challenge for everyone

The Vegan Chef Challenge was started by the nonprofit Vegan Outreach. "This is a nonprofit that aims to reduce animal suffering," Hyden said. "A lot of people are learning more about animal agriculture and choosing plant-based things for ethical reasons and also environmental reasons."

She has been meat-free for the majority of 20 years and fully vegan for the last 8. However, Hyden said this challenge is not for vegans, it is for everyone. "Although it does help us vegans have a lot of yummy options to eat all month long, this helps meat eaters be able to try new creative dishes and learn how delicious plant-based cooking can be," she added.

Gilroy is not vegan herself and works at a seafood restaurant but has enjoyed experimenting with a plant-based cuisine. "When it is done right, you cannot tell the difference," she continued saying, "You do not need meat, you do not need butter, you do not need cheese. When it is done well, it is just delicious."

Participating Restaurants

The 50 Tulsa area restaurants and eateries that are participating in this year's Tulsa Vegan Chef Challenge are:

1. Big Al's Healthy Foods
2. Big Baby Rolls & Donuts
3. Big Dipper Creamery
4. Bodhi's Bowl
5. Bohemia, LLC
6. Brookside By Day
7. Catrachos Cafe
8. Caribbean Sushi
9. Cherry & Bark
10. Copeneazi's
11. Copper Dome
12. Dalesandro's
13. Elote
14. En Fuego
15. Glacier Chocolate
16. Gypsy Coffeehouse
17. Inheritance Kitchen + Juicery
18. La Tertulia
19. Louie's Grill & Bar
20. Malfi
21. Maple Ridge Grocer
22. McNellie's Pub Downtown
23. Mr. Kim's
24. Natv
25. Onifades Bakery
26. Patio Grill at The Gathering Place
27. Peacemaker Lobster & Crab
28. R Bar and Grill
29. Railhead Coffee Company
30. Rendang & Co - Indonesian Bistro
31. Roppongi
32. Ruby D's Burger Joint
33. Ruby D's Street Eats
34. Saffron
35. Shawkat's Mediterranean Grill
36. Slaps
37. SoBahn 82
38. Sunrise Cafe
39. Tandoori Guys
40. The Meat and Cheese Show
41. The Tavern
42. The Wild Fork
43. The Vault
44. Tia's Superfood Brownies
45. Trenchers Delicatessen
46. Tulsa Play and Cafe
47. Upper Crust Wood Fired Pizza
48. Vegan Muncheez
49. Yokozuna
50. Yonder Coffee and Chocolate

For menus, times, and locations of each one visit the Tulsa Vegan Chef Challenge website.