Harlem has no shortage of soul food restaurants, but there's always room for one more—especially one with a healthy twist: a mother and son team are poised to open a vegan soul food restaurant next month called the Seasoned Vegan. Using funds raised from Kickstarter and money from a contest sponsored by the Harlem Business Alliance, Chef Brenda Beener and her son Aaron have realized their dream of a opening "a super-strict, 100% vegan soul food restaurant with great appeal to omnivores and carnivores."
Although the venture is strictly vegan, Chef Brenda explains it's not strictly soul food in the traditional sense. "We use the term 'soul food' loosely because we are not referring exclusively to the typical cuisine of the Southern region of the United States," the chef says. "For us, soul food is any meal prepared by a chef who not only includes flavorful ingredients but also infuses tender love and care. With that as a founding theme, Seasoned Vegan gives typical Italian, Asian, Middle Eastern, Caribbean and American dishes a vegan, home cooked, soulful twist."
The menu, according to the Daily News, will include "barbecued riblets” made with lotus roots, “smothered Southern chicken” from a soy-and-seitan medley, and Cajun-style “Louisiana crawfish” that uses yams as the main ingredient. “It’s all the food you love to eat — veganized!" chef Brenda tells the News. Try it yourself on February 23rd, when the Seasoned Vegan opens at 55 Saint Nicholas Avenue.
