Dining

In the aftermath of the February 3rd train derailment in East Palestine, questions continue to swirl. While media coverage has largely shifted to spotlight transportation company Norfolk Southern’s ongoing legal woes, little attention has been paid to area citizen sentiment. As local and national debates play out over air and water safety, comparatively little focus has been given to the lifestyle changes made by East Palestine residents.

A recent poll from WaterFilterGuru highlights the drastic changes in behavior and beliefs among Ohio residents. The study, which centers on citizen sentiment amidst the fallout of the hazardous chemical spill, makes clear that the incident’s impact reaches far beyond Columbiana County. In fact, the data suggest that Americans across the country have rethought daily routines ranging from tap water use to acid rain.

January is the perfect time to make improvements; the perfect time to improve your health, the planet, and the lives of animals. My resolution this upcoming year is to follow a plant-based diet, which is so easy to do with the many vegan restaurants and options in central Ohio!

A plant-based diets has many health benefits, including reducing the risk for diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and many cancers, and helps to maintain a healthy weight (www.heart.org, www.mdanderson.org)

I ate a wonderful meal yesterday [8-12-2022] at Ranchero Kitchen, a Salvadorian restaurant at 984 Morse Rd. [just east of I-71]. That restaurant had been recommended to me several years ago by a friend; however, I am so rarely in that part of town that it had taken me quite a while to be able to actually eat there. One of the many organizations with which I am active had scheduled a "social event" 2½ miles east of Ranchero Kitchen so I decided to take Uber to Ranchero Kitchen, to eat there, and then to walk from there -- for about forty minutes -- to my "social event."

Ranchero Kitchen evidently used to have a website but now does not have a website [in spite of the fact that Google Maps says that they have a website]. There is a Facebook page that reportedly includes "menu, prices, and restaurant reviews" but I had not been able to find any of those things on their Facebook page. Someone, thankfully, has taken photographs of the extensive menu that is available at Ranchero Kitchen and has posted those photographs to Google Maps. I always like to be able to study a menu in advance of a visit to a restaurant.

Can’t Believe It’s Vegan (CBIV) is located in the strip mall at Shrock and Cleveland Ave just north of 270 (Opposite Raisin Rack) in Westerville, had its grand opening for the brick and mortar location in July 2022. Previously, before Chef Clayton Freeman of CBIV had added his dynamic wife Kim to run the restaurant, he had been serving the Columbus metropolitan area as a solo operation doing individual special order and catering/delivery service out of Food Fort since 2018, so while the brick and mortar operation is new, their delicious foods are not.

If you had not discovered them before, today is your chance to “Become a one bite believer”! They serve a full menu for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and even offer a traditional veganized Sunday brunch menu. If you do not want to dine-in, you may still order same day online at cantbelieveitsvegan.biz if you order by 11 am, or place order on the day before (by 15 minutes before closing time) your event!

Kona Craft Kitchen is located in the new Bridge Park Development in Dublin The restaurant had its grand opening in March 2022, and as of June executive chef Anthony Schulz has launched new, clearly marked, intentionally vegan selections on the menu.

For those who eat a plant-pure diet for health reasons, or those vegans seeking optimal thriving health, you will be delighted that the offerings lean towards whole foods (though they do use oil), and gluten-conscious (not containing gluten, though produced in an environment that does use wheat), and there are peanuts on the soba noodle (made from buckwheat flour).

Paris 75 Cafe in Olde Dublin is a quaint and simply adorable boutique teeming with European flair and fascination. It’s not a dine-indoors restaurant experience, however they have a patio, a few tables, and chairs to sit on outdoors and snack on the several foreign foods they offer to eat or drink: chocolate bars that offer either non-vegan and vegan milk (almond-based) and chocolate - yes, not the usual dark chocolate. 

Other treats include: handcrafted French macaroons and other pastries (non-vegan, but some are dairy-free and gluten-free); fudge (both non-vegan and three vegan options which are vanilla, rum raisin, and salted-caramel; a cashew nut-based vegan craft cheeze brand from Spain with seven uncommon flavors in the US/vegan market to choose from including bleu cheeze, pimento, onion, white, quince, truffle, and blueberry; as well as delicious pumpkin-based vegan jerky, vegan mayo, vegan pesto, and an herb spread by the same company.

Greenhouse Canteen is a 100% plant-pure vegan restaurant chain headquartered in Australia. Local vegan owner operator Joshua Douglass launched its first US restaurant in Grandview in Oct 2020, in spite of covid. They have still managed to survive through some of the toughest years in business this millennium, as covid dramatically impacted our lives in so many ways.

Chef Jennifer Deehan’s inspiration for creating the next generation of whole, plant-pure, healing food creations is driven by her personal transformation into healthier living after being diagnosed with a cancerous tumor three years ago. She has learned how to significantly decrease her chances of a recurrence by consuming a health promoting diet that is consistent with her love of animals and the planet that provides us life. Please support the success of her debut by attending this event:

Event: Vegan Chef Jennifer’s Culinary Debut 
Address: Mitchell Hall 224 Cleveland Avenue, Columbus (Downtown- Columbus State Community College Campus) 
Day/Date/Time: Thurs, March 10th, 2022 beginning at 6:00 pm
Purchase tickets must be purchased in advance here: https://mix.cscc.edu/#classes
You can follow Chef Jennifer at Instagram: @veganchefjennifer

Last Thanksgiving I wrotethat the country was more divided than ever and it was probably for the best that families had to remain socially distanced from each other after the 2020 election. Now, here we are –– a mere year later –– and Thanksgiving is once again upon us, which means all of our families’ turkeys are coming home to roost. 2021 has turned out to be just as politically chaotic in Ohio and across our country as its predecessor, so perhaps it’s finally time to serve our families some crow and humble pie this Thanksgiving. When eaten, both of these dishes are defined as making the consumer “admit that they were wrong or accept that they were defeated” –– which means family members across the political spectrum will have a chance to reflect on everything they’ve gotten wrong (or right!) in the past year.

Columbus' metropolitan area now boasts over a dozen 100% vegan restaurants:

Ye's Vegan Asian Kitchen (Hilliard) Asian Food

The Little Kitchen (Dublin-Bridgepark NorthMarket)

Green House Canteen (Grandview)

Vida’s Plant-based Butcher (Grandview)

& Juice Co (Clintonville) Fresh Pressed Juices daily, and lovely weekend brunches and a monthly special dinner

Eden Burger (OSU Campus) Vegan Burgers, Fries and Milkshakes, other vegan Americana foods and incredible desserts by Doughasis (another vegan bakery)

Nile Vegan (OSU Campus & Grandview)

Ethiopian 4th & State (Downtown Columbus)

Two-Dollar Radio (German Village/Parsons Ave Columbus)

Lifestyle Cafe (Old Town East) Whole Foods meals from Waffles Soups Salads and Breakfast items and Bakery

Portia's Cafe (and Portia's Next Door in Clintonville)

Portia's Diner (Clintonville) Her latest whole foods restaurant

Seitans Realm (Clintonville in October 2020)

Woodhouse Vegan Cafe and Space (Italian Village -4th Ave just off 670 offramps)

Willowbeez SoulVeg (North Market Downtown)