Dining

Sunday, March 24th 4-6pm
Portia's Cafe 4428 Indianola Ave.
Wanna try something different and tap into your creative side? It's like "wine and canvas", but with snacks from Portia's Cafe instead! Cheyenne Dodge from Iris Rain Studios will be guiding you into painting this cute lil piggie picture! $40 includes canvas, paint and snacks. Limit 12!
Please call 614-928-3252 or come in to pay and reserve your place. :) See you there!

Sat, March 9, 2-4pm
Ye’s Asian Vegan Kitchen, 2469 Hilliard-Rome Rd.
Are you new to veganism or trying to move from a vegetarian or animal-based diet to a vegan one? Or, have you been vegan forever and just became aware to our Columbus Meetup? We will meet at a restaurant every second Sat throughout the slow months of the Winter and to help spread the word about this great restaurant that recently opened on the west side. meetup.com/ColumbusVeganMeetup.

Chop5 Salad Kitchen is a new “create a chopped salad” concept sprouting up in the Polaris area. It makes getting your daily requirements for leafy greens, vegetables, legumes, fruits, and seeds fun and easy!

When 97% of the American population is deficient in fiber consumption, this is a much-needed service to society. While they have many combinations of salad you can choose from, you are also encouraged to create your own masterpiece that the staff then chops and adds dressings to present an energizing, fiber-rich and refreshing delight.

They seek to avoid cross-contaminating plants with animal ingredients on the chopping surface by only adding any animal products to the salad AFTER they chop the greens, beans, fruits and nuts/seeds on the board and place the salad on the plate. While vegans are definitely concerned with animal product cross-contamination, for those with allergies to nuts, dairy or meats (allergies to meats was news to me), this seems like it could be high-risk depending on the attention to detail and protocol compliance of the staff.

Village Taco just launched their new restaurant, spicing up the sprouting vegan scene in the sleepy Alexandria community east of Columbus near Granville. And WOW, they also teamed up with Doughasis and Whit’s (Clintonville) to deliver seriously decadent frozen brownie or blondie dessert combos.

This is a full-service, 100% vegan menu from appetizer (nachos, fries, chili, popcorn chickun) to walking burritos (Rollin Fatties), enchiladas, and tacos, and taco salads, to dessert. Most people wouldn’t know it since they are offering seasoned shredded plant-chickun, seasoned ground plant-beaf and spicy chipotle plant-porq – meat alternatives that are rocking the town into vegan consciousness in ways they never imagined.

Comune opened in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital corridor on Parsons Avenue in mid-November to the delight of the surrounding neighborhood. The Columbus Vegan Meetup community has been abuzz with accolades. Even our celebrity chef of international fame, Del Sroufe of the film “Forks Over Knives,” praised the soup and the chocolate cake as “some of the best ever” for their world-class flavor. If you are looking for a finer dining (though not quite a white tablecloth level) atmosphere and high caliber food, you now have another comprehensive plant-based, vegan-friendly option, from appetizer to dessert and coffee, tea or other libations.  

The holiday season is in full swing with lots of exciting vegan community events to get involved in. VeganShift and the Columbus Vegan Meetup are doing their monthly “Second Saturday Ask a Vegan” lunchtime dine-in event on Dec 8, and It’s All Natural is doing their annual Holiday Pop-up Market on Dec 9. Vegan Shift has partnered with Stomping Grounds to deliver a dinner and dancing New Year’s Eve Party.  

With the latest UN announcements regarding our twelve-year timeline for humanity to adapt to foundationally sustainable practices that mitigate the pollution and cease and desist deforestation that is driving mass global extinction and climate change, there is no better time or reason to embrace a rapid vegan shift in consciousness, policy and behavior. As daunting as this announcement sounds, the good news is – you don’t have to “give up” your favorite holiday meals! The vegans have got you covered and our 100% plant-based alternatives will save you and the rest of the sea and terrestrial dwelling individuals (human and non-human), large and small, who share our world in ways you probably wouldn’t fully grasp until you watched documentaries such as Forks Over Knives, Cowspiracy, Seaspiracy, Racing Extinction, or Earthlings or Dominion. Get connected with us and join The Columbus Vegan Meetupgroup (and/or on Facebook) and attend one of the many gatherings that are happening throughout the holiday season.

Many people erroneously self-identify as being “a vegan” when really, they are eating a plant-based diet, and not living in vegan consciousness on any other level, and sometimes, not even within the diet itself.

Someone who self-identifies as a vegan while eating a plant-based diet, is not embracing the vegan consciousness if they take their family to the zoo, the rodeo, the marine entertainment parks, animal acts or circuses. The same goes for buying animal-based fur, leather, wool, silk, feathered goods, and either breeding or buying companion animals from breeders instead of supporting sanctuaries and rescues.

A plant-based dietdoes not mean 100% plants, unless it specifically says 100% plant-based. It means predominantly plants, still consuming animal products, however, in “moderation” like 3 oz servings 2-3 times a week. Some like to say “like a condiment” which is particularly galling to vegans because these “condiments” were at the ultimate price of the lives of other innocent individuals who wanted to live and did not consent to their lives being taken.

Ye’s Asian Vegan Kitchen just opened in Hilliard’s West Point strip mall just south of the Kroger at Roberts and Hilliard Rome on Sept 16, 2018. While vegan options are expanding in many dietary diversity conscious restaurants globally, Ye’s is now the fourth 100% vegan restaurant operating concurrently in the Columbus metro area (Loving Hut, Portia’s, Eden Burger) where one does not have to worry about any animal product cross-contamination. There are a full spectrum of vegan appetizers, main courses rice-based and noodle based dishes, soups, salads, spring rolls, dumplings and  more. The only thing they have yet to develop is their dessert menu. The Vegan Columbus community has been raving about their Ye’s Asian Vegan Kitchen experiences, so check it out!  

&Juice Co. has three locations around town and has a fantastic variety of 100 percent vegan juice blends as well as allergen-friendly (gluten-free/nut free, seed-based alternative) options in Columbus. I was positively impressed by their brunch at their Italian Village/4th Street location this past weekend.

If your idea of brunch includes a gluten-free waffle, a grilled cheeze sandwich, an Italian style marinara chickpea-based “meatball” sub, a carrot and lox bagel, or a supercharged infusion of fresh juice, this place is for you. Brunch happens every other weekend.

They have a variety of toasts, too: avocado, hummus, deviled “egg” (tofu) salad and an ever-changing list of specials. All produce is 100 percent source identified organic, most coming from within 20 miles – and they are a minority woman-owned business.

Only one smoothie has honey that can be substituted for agave. This is a great, open space with an inviting clean atmosphere, community seating, and peaceful music in the background.

Don't miss the Third Annual Columbus Vegfest today, Saturday, August 25, 10am-5pm at the Whetstone Community Center, 3923 North High Street, Clintonville. There is free admission, free parking and it is adjacent to the Park of Roses. The Columbus VegFest is a day of education promoting sustainable living, healthier bodies and a more compassionate society. We are pleased to welcome special guest speakers, free workshops, compassionate workshops, The Columbus VegFest is a 501 (C) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of the health, environmental, and ethical benefits of a whole food plant-based lifestyle. Our event includes healthy living, animal- and Eco-friendly exhibitors, renowned chefs and speakers from around the country, presentations, cooking demonstrations, food trucks, area restaurants, non-profit organizations, author signings, kid’s activities and more. In 2016, we held the first VegFest in Central Ohio and were blessed with more than 1,000 attendees. We invite you to join us in helping Columbus become more veg-friendly.