Plants are the new pork belly

Five years ago, in the land of steak houses, giant pizza slices, and Ben’s Chili Bowl, Elizabeth Petty had a frightening wake-up call. After being diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and undergoing traditional medical treatments, Petty turned to alternative methods to aid in her recovery. After seeing remarkable improvement in her health by adhering to a vegan diet, not only did Petty ultimately enter remission, she became inspired to share this knowledge with others. One woman’s cancer diagnosis helped create one of the first health conscious restaurants in D.C., and today, she is one of many serving local and seasonal ingredients to the Washington diners’ delight.

Already the owner of a successful catering company, Petty knew she had to incorporate something more healthful into her business. This was the impetus for launching her restaurant, Elizabeth’s Gone Raw featuring only vegan and raw ingredients. When deciding how to introduce this style of cuisine to a then uneducated population, Petty swung for the fence and created an elevated, fine-dining six-course experience.

“I had no idea people would come. A lot of people told me I was crazy,” says Petty of the initial launch back in 2009. But they did. And while the original clientele was comprised mainly of those with health challenges, plus the small vegetarian and vegan populations, she’s seen a significant shift in diners over the last five years. “Customers are more educated about health and more conscious about preventative health now. They aren’t necessarily vegans.”

Petty acknowledges the financial risk involved with committing full-force to organic, local, and seasonal produce, and is skeptical that DC will see an insurgence of these types of restaurants. She has seen, however, the population’s heightened awareness about food and health firsthand, and while it may not be focused on her particular style, she feels Washington is a great city to lead this change.

Tacos With Meat Are So Two Years Ago

So who could these leaders be? Bettina Stern and Suzanne Simon, the creative, though not classically trained chefs behind the ridiculously delicious vegetarian taco stand (now shop), Chaia.

At first, people were surprised there was no meat in their tacos, but that confusion quickly abated, especially as other D.C. restaurants started to create plant-based menus. “We’re not doing this because of a fad. This is about long-term shifts in the way people are eating - and will need to eat - to save their bodies and the planet,” says Stern.

Much like Petty, the integrity of the ingredients is extremely important to Stern and Simon, who stuff local and seasonal vegetables into freshly grilled corn tortillas, a talent they learned at a cooking school in Mexico. When asked if this commitment is more costly, Stern points out its upside. “Costs can be more because our regional suppliers don’t operate at a massive scale. Yet, buying food at peak season means that we are buying it at its moment of seasonal abundance…Being in direct contact with our supply chain – it removes the cost balanced by general sense that people want food that is grown locally.”

So why aren’t even more restaurants going local? Simon explains, “I think one of the most difficult components for restaurants and small farmers is distribution. They can’t always get their product to the restaurants as conveniently as the larger distribution companies.” That challenge aside, it hasn’t stopped Chaia from succeeding. So much so, they’re opening their first brick-and-mortar shop at 3207 Grace Street in Georgetown in just a few months. (Since the time of publishing, this shop has been open and very successful.)

It All Started With Soup

There’s yet another accomplished, healthy business. Before Petty was creating watermelon carpaccio and the Chaia ladies were grilling up corn tortillas, Sara and Marilyn Polon were whipping up 200+ different soups in a Cleveland Park basement. Fast forward from 2008, the successful Soupergirl delivery service is now a thriving business with two storefronts.

Being one of the first vegan, kosher, and locally sourced food establishments was a lot of pressure on this mom and daughter team. Yet, Sara feels their launch, having been coincided with the health awareness movement, afforded her an intimate view into the changes that have taken place over the past six years.

“More and more people are concerned about their food – the ingredients, how it was cooked, where it was sourced from…While we’re vegan, many of our customers are not. They just know that when they eat at Sourpergirl, they are making a healthy choice.”

And now with restaurants like Beefsteak and Cava sweeping the district with healthier lunches, Sara thinks there is even more potential for growth in this market. And nothing says that more than the marketing term of ‘healthy fast casual’, which is being thrown around like a football on the Mall in summer. Washingtonians have become acutely aware that quick and healthy meals are a thing.

Regardless of the plethora of unhealthy options in D.C., there is a noticeable change in the overall awareness of healthy eating in this community. This is much more than a trend. As Stern says: “We are part of a broad movement really, toward healthy options and more eating choices in general.”

So while the days of late night jumbo slice are far from over, the habit is slowly being replaced by vegan soup lunches, Sunday morning vegetarian tacos, and maybe even an afternoon stroll with a cup of bone broth. There is a future where the jumbo slice is the infrequent indulgence, not the other way around.

This post was originally written for and published by Industree DC in May, 2015.

Image provided by Chaia.