Student demand for vegan options grows
University of Waterloo opens plant-based eatery
WATERLOO — Interested in trying some pulled jackfruit, smoked tofu or candied tempeh ‘bacon’?
Those are a few of the menu items being served up at a new and almost entirely vegan University of Waterloo campus restaurant called Frsh.
“We meet with (students) regularly throughout the year and there’s always more requests for vegan and vegetarian foods,” said Gordon Cooledge, executive chef for UW Food Services. “So, we said let’s make a place that’s dedicated only to vegan and vegetarian so that it’s always reliable, they know that they can go there and get it any time.”
Located in B.C. Matthews Hall just off Columbia Street, the new vegan-based restaurant opened about a week ago.
But it took Cooledge and his team about a year to decide on a location and menu. Ultimately, they chose to revamp the menu at Frsh, a two-year-old campus restaurant that previously served up animal-based products and meats in burritos, salads, smoothies and rice bowls.
The restaurant now offers three basic menu items: flatbreads, salad bowls and hot bowls. Customers can customize each by choosing their ingredients. For example, if you’re interested in a flatbread you can choose your base — naan, tortilla or focaccia — and then select your preferred plant-based proteins, vegetables, vegan or dairy cheeses, and a sauce.
“We’ve got a vegan cheddar, a vegan mozzarella, and a vegan smoked Gouda,” said Cooledge.
The few animal-based products offered include a select number of cheeses, yogurt and a pesto sauce.
Cooledge has a couple of personal favourites on the menu.
“I really like the jackfruit,” he said.
Jackfruit is a tropical fruit that can be used in both savoury and sweet dishes, depending on its ripeness. When cooked, it shreds, giving it a similar look to pulled pork.
Cooledge is also a fan of the candied, organic, tempeh ‘bacon.’ Tempeh is a fermented soybean product.
In the short time the restaurant has been open, there’s been a ton of positive feedback, said Cooledge.
“My inbox is always full with great comments,” he said. “It’s good to see so far.”
The push for more plant-based food options is something the university’s sustainability office has also supported.
“We’ve looked at lots of research and the data behind it, and the environmental impacts of a plant-based diet — versus a meat-based diet — are far better,” said Mat Thijssen, sustainability manager at UW.
“I think when we talk about climate change, for example, a lot of our attention focuses on transportation or energy systems, but actually the global footprint of our food system is quite significant,” he said, adding that raising livestock accounts for more than 14 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Thijssen said for those who are not vegan, even making small changes can make a difference.
“It doesn’t have to be all or nothing,” he said. “It’s hard to try and make the leap fully into a vegan or vegetarian ... but even cutting out one (meat-based) meal a week or two meals a week can have an impact.”