Five years ago, Santa Barbara hosted its first-ever Vegan Chef Challenge, a nationwide initiative founded by the nonprofit organization Vegan Outreach that aims to cultivate enthusiasm for vegan food in regions that lack plant-based options.
The concept of the Vegan Chef Challenge is simple. For one month, local restaurants are recruited to add vegan specials to their menus. Diners are encouraged to visit participating restaurants and vote for their favorite vegan dishes. The goal is to entice chefs to experiment more with vegan food — and, hopefully, to keep those options on menus after the challenge — and to inspire non-vegan patrons to try new dishes.
The Vegan Chef Challenge hasn’t returned to Santa Barbara since 2019. Local Vegan Outreach volunteer Jen Smith wants to change this. A vegan for more than 20 years, Smith is dedicated to championing the environmental, ethical, and health benefits of veganism. Recently, she has noticed a number of vegan restaurants closing throughout Santa Barbara, such as Oliver’s in Montecito and Mesa Verde on the Mesa. In response, Smith has become committed to sparking positive buzz about veganism in Santa Barbara, aspiring to boost Santa Barbarans' interest in vegan food.
