With vegetarianism gaining momentum amid the rise of the “meatless economy”, even the most grounded fastfood eateries have launched new plant-based meat items on their menus to attract customers. Since there is no shortage of vegetarian customers, chefs specialising in vegetarian cuisine are naturally in growing demand.
Embracing new vegetarianism trend through culinary arts academy
In recent years, emerging vegetarian eateries in Hong Kong have gradually removed the long-standing labels of them being religion-related and old-school to get a youthful and chic makeover.
Consequently, having a vegetarian diet can finally be easy and enjoyable. Among the local vegetarian eateries, Green Common has emerged as a new force to be reckoned with. Besides having many branches and engaging celebrity spokespersons, it also launches widely-talked about gimmick dishes from time to time. Green Monday, a social enterprise that runs Green Common eateries, has been working relentlessly and launched a plant-based culinary arts academy recently.
Inspiring chefs’ creativity in vegetarian cooking
David Yeung, CEO and co-founder of Green Monday, said that the idea of starting a plant-based culinary arts academy came about because he felt that vegetarian cookery required specialized learning. Compared to traditional dishes, preparing vegetarian dishes is a lot more difficult since the chef can only cook with vegetables and/or plant-based meat alternatives. Therefore, the creativity and knowledge of the chef are essential to make vegetarian cuisine appealing. Establishing a system in addition to training are really an inevitable part of the future of the vegetarian food industry.
The plant-based culinary arts academy came into being during the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic. Yeung said that the epidemic has indeed made people more aware of the many risks in animalbased food systems. Many millennials and Gen Z-ers have consciously embraced vegetarianism. How to be creative in using these new ingredients is a test of the chef’s skills, so vegetarian cookery has gradually become an independent discipline.
Influence of the new generation cannot be overlooked
Yeung added that issues such as food education, climate change and health have always been the core focus of Green Monday. Young people and Gen Z-ers are not only more concerned about climate change, but also more open to “flexitarianizm”. This group is the key to influencing the older generation and consumer decision makers, which indirectly brings new opportunities for the food and beverage industry, thus prompting the industry to accelerate the introduction of more environmentally-friendly, innovative and beneficial cuisine to meet this new generation of customers.
The plant-based culinary arts academy has held three separate classes to date. Yeung revealed that each class currently accommodates 20-30 participants and covers both theory and practice: The theoretical section describes the relationship between food production and the environment, while the practical section involves participants preparing plantbased meat dishes under the guidance of a professional instructor.
Focus on healthy foods to stand out amid epidemic
Yeung looks forward to the plant-based culinary arts academy, the first-ever in Hong Kong, further promoting plant-based diets and ultimately forming a sustainable trend of delicious and healthy diets that cater to the masses. Yeung believes that vegetarian eateries must seize the opportunity to finetune their business models to meet future market needs, introducing environmentallyfriendly, innovative and healthy foods in order to offer customers more choices and pleasant surprises.
