WASHINGTON D.C. - José Andrés, the Chef and entrepreneur behind George Washington University's soon to open Beefsteak restaurant, has a new vision for the future of the fast casual dining industry, and it's one headlined by fresh produce. Andrés believes that broccoli and cauliflower can easily upstage fast-food classics like burgers and fries. In fact, Beefsteak is modeled on this vision of vegetable-focused, quick-eating fare.
“[Take] a so-so vegetable, boil it in water, add some salt, it’s delicious,” he told the Portland Press Herald. The Beefsteak pitch is a simple one: “We don’t like to call it vegetarian. We want to call it tasty, fun, sexy, good-looking.”
What about meat? “It’s a side dish,” he says.
Andrés isn't the only chef taking this veg-centric vision of fast-casual dining to the next level. Chef Richard Landau of Philadelphia's Vedge shared a similar philosophy with the Portland Press Herald.
“Vegetables are moving from the side of the plate to the center of the plate,” he explained.
At Vedge, produce is given “the meat treatment.” Salt-baked kohlrabi with pho-spiced rice enjoys the same kind of exquisite care another chef at a traditional restaurant might give to a cut of steak or chicken. The key is to normalize vegetable-centric foods, to make them palatable to the on-the-go consumer that might frequent McDonald's and Burger King on a typical lunch break.
“We shun the word ‘vegan’ because it comes with a lot of preconceived notions,” Landau elaborated to the Portland Press Herald. “They think there’s a bunch of stoned hippies back there listening to the Grateful Dead, stirring vegan chili and kale salads.”
In the process, these chefs strive to bring vegetables front and center, fleshing them out as a category that can carry a menu all on its own.
“We’re not trying to have a mock meat. We’re not trying to mimic meat,” agreed Dirt Candy’s Owner and Chef, Amanda Cohen. “It’s its own cuisine, and it’s really coming into its own right now.”
Talk to Andrés and you'll realize he sees this movement only growing.
“I’d prefer to have the army of great chefs we have in America opening multiple restaurants,” he says. “More than the McDonald’s and Burger Kings of the world opening restaurants.”
A veg chef army sweeping the country? That's certainly a future I'd sign on to.
