As food costs rise, restaurants plate up Waterloo region produce: Andrew Coppolino

Vegetarian and vegan options at local restaurants are robust — especially at this time of the year with the bounty of fresh produce coming from area farms.

While the pandemic has upset supply lines and has seen the prices for food, including animal proteins, continue to rise, the demand for more vegetables and vegan options is robust.

More chefs are reducing the amount of animal protein that finds its way to the centre of the plate. As well, more and more cooks are adopting vegetarian diets — and they welcome the fresh, local produce that is available now more than any other time of the year.

"More than half of our menu is vegetarian, and although it's not our sole focus I do like to eat that way and I do like to cook that way," said Marc Lecompte of Waterloo's Princess Café. "A lot of our customers lean in that direction as well."

Princess Café recently won an award in an Uptown Waterloo food event for tastiest dish. Their vegetarian "Big Marc" was a grilled halloumi sandwich that riffed on the burger classic (with its 1970s TV jingle): special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun, but without the two all-beef patties of the Big Mac.

Fresher and cheaper produce

Using local vegetables, especially at this time of the year, can save restaurants some food costs. You will regularly find Zeljko Loncar of Kitchener's 271 West shopping at the Kitchener Market, a trip he says he makes weekly.

Flexibility is key too. At Yeti Café across from the Kitchener Market, most dishes can include substitutions to make them vegetarian or vegan, according to cook Harrison Phillips.

"You can basically control the menu and swap and add what you want. We try to accommodate as much as we can, but everything is basically vegetarian and vegan capable," he said.

Though it is met with scepticism, fast-food restaurants such as A&W have heavily promoted their plant-based and sustainability efforts. But many of the finer dining restaurants in the region — the Wildcrafts and Bauer Kitchens of the dining scene — have also grown their plant-based menus dramatically.

At the same time, smaller niche restaurants that have made their name in serving vegetarian and vegan dishes have seen increased demand for what they prepare as they calculate the cost to the environment of eating meat, including how much water is needed in its production.

Having moved from Charles Street to the corner of King and Water streets in Kitchener, Café Pyrus has long been a go-to for vegetarian and vegan options — and their continued quest for sustainable products, including packaging, and stewardship of the environment.

Clientele have climate concerns

Waterloo region recently experienced a smokey haze in the air caused by northern Ontario wildfires; that phenomenon virtually coincided with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report and its alarming findings. 

Pyrus operations manager Tory Shantz says many of their customers say they are looking at food choices in the (hazy) light of environmental concerns.

"I think people are definitely more aware of the climate crisis we are in and eating vegetarian, vegan or plant-based primarily does play a huge role in that. I think people are more aware of that than they have ever been," said Shantz.

The Pyrus kitchen, Shantz said, focuses on local, seasonal and accessible for the community.

"A lot of that is found in our monthly specials with produce we can only get in the summer. This month, we are featuring local microgreens," she added.

The source for those greens is the Working Centre Garden.

Of course, in an era where some diners have been reluctant to go back inside dining rooms, restaurants are eager to please and want to make sure they are accessible and appealing to all potential and hard-won customers.

At Abe Erb Waterloo, the kitchen is re-vamping its menu, after having re-opened under new management, to ensure that there's a wide appeal to more than those diners who want a burger with their fresh, local beer.

"There's going to be a lot of vegetarian items," said Abe Erb executive chef Mike de Jonge. 

"Our veggies that go as sides will be changing so we have more fresh and local. It's more or less to get people who have dietary restrictions or religious reasons to be able to come in and enjoy the food. But also, you don't want to go to a meat-heavy place as a vegetarian and feel awkward in a party."

With its cohort of dedicated customers and fans, Phillips at Yeti says that their popular French omelette uses local vegetables and greens from Fertile Ground of St. Agatha, adding that good quality products simply come of good relationships with producers.

"The best way to do that is with local farms," says Phillips of how much customers appreciate fresh produce. "Ontario local farms are some of the best. Those connections make our end product that much better."