Ridley eatery opens with plant-based comfort foods
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP» Vegans and non-vegan diners alike can delight in a new restaurant that made its longawaited debut recently on the Delco dining scene. The Cheezy Vegan specializes in unique vegan comfort foods that are designed to appeal to the palates of both vegans and non-vegans. The new dining spot has a family-oriented, fun and casual atmosphere, along with efficient and friendly service.
One week prior to Gov. Tom Wolf banning indoor dining again at all Pennsylvania restaurants beginning last weekend, the Cheezy Vegan opened its doors to receptive customers who were eager to sample its 100% plant-based menu, made with all natural ingredients and local products.
The menu, created by Tarik “Chef Reeky” Ryant and chef Barbara Galazeski offers interesting options like Char-Grilled Chick’n Breast, a marinated char-grilled Chick-n Breast topped with apricot and shallot compote; Mushroom Cheeze Steak, Duxelles with shallots, fresh thyme, black pepper, swiss cheese wedged between a garlicky buttery long roll and topped with roasted red wine deglazed mushrooms; Napoleon Tower, a layered marinated and char-grilled portobello mushroom cap, eggplant, beefsteak tomato, red onion, swiss cheese vegetable napoleon covered with tomato coulis, served with garlic bread; and the Beyond Bolognese, made of Beyond Beef crumbles, sautéed peppers, onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery and tomato sauce over linguini, served with garlic bread.
“Chef Reeky and I spent a lot of time and got very little sleep while we were building our menu,” Galazeski said, smiling. “We revised it countless times. He (Ryant) loves to play with different foods and combinations, until he makes them perfectly and gets it just right. By the time we were ready to open, our menu was perfected and re-perfected.”
Cheezy Vegan features a customer-favorite Mac and Cheeze, as well as its Pep
per Steak, Chick ‘n Parm, Cauliflower Cheeze Steak, Cantonese Orange Scented Beef, Stuffed Grilled Cheese, “BYO” Build Your Own Burger, Seitan Wings, and various soups and salads.
“Our mac ‘n cheese is way better than the other vegan mac ‘ n cheese dishes around because we experimented for a long time until we got it just perfect,” explained Chef Galazeski. “It’s gluten-free, non-GMO and non-dairy. When you get all that, a lot of times the mac ‘n cheese is oily. But not here— ours is creamy and delicious. Customers are always raving about it!”
Specials are featured daily, in addition to a variety of smoothies and signature beverages like fresh fruit juices and Chef Reeky’s Magical Punch.
Even dessert is a treat at Cheezy Vegan with specialties like Chef Reeky’s homemade Golden Raisin Apple Bread Pudding.
Breakfast is another whole experience at Cheezy Vegan with selections like Unforget t able Stuffed French Toast, “BYO” Build Your Own Omelet, Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes, Loaded Oatmeal, Chick’n & Waffles, Creamed Chipped Beef and a host of other vegan options or “Foodie Favorites,” as they’re called at Cheezy Vegan. One of its most popular breakfast staples is the McReeky breakfast sandwich, with marinated char-grilled tofu, sausage, cheddar cheese on a sweet and spicy English muffin served with potatoes.
Ryant is quick to point out that the menu and catering choices, although plantbased, are not only for vegans.
“We make all of our food so that it appeals to both vegans and non-vegans,” he said. “Everything is made from scratch so it tastes fresh and delicious.
Non-vegan customers are always pleasantly surprised at how much they enjoy eating here!”
During the state-mandated indoor dining closure, Cheezy Vegan continues to be one of the few spots in Delco where people can still get vegan comfort food through pick-up, curbside pick-up, or delivery through Grubhub, Uber Eats and Menufy.
Located on Fairview Road at the site of the former Frankie’s on Fairview restaurant, Cheezy Vegan is owned by Ryant and longtime restauranteur Frank Dolce. The experienced restauranteurs are part of the same team that owned Frankie’s on Fairview, which closed April 1 during the pandemic’s initial peak period.
The building had some plumbing issues, which took a few months to rectify. With everything brand new again, and since the menu at Frankie’s was already about 40% vegan, the owners decided to remodel the restau
rant altogether and reopen with a full vegan menu and new name and concept.
“Since our menu at Frankie’s was almost half vegan anyway, reopening as The Cheezy Vegan restaurant was just a natural transition,” Dolce explained. “There are very few vegan restaurants in Delco and since we were almost half way there anyway, we decided to go all the way when we reopened.”
Cheezy Vegan’s food is all made from scratch. Much of it is gluten-free and, according to the restaurant staff, many non-vegan diners who eat there say they can’t tell the difference between the vegan-versions and traditional versions of many menu items. Ryant said the kitchen is always happy to customize any dish to the way a customer wants it.
“Cheezy Vegan is up and ready to answer the call for all residential, business, and catering needs,” Reeky added. “We are currently taking holiday catering orders.”
Chef Reeky has been making vegan dishes for decades. For the past three years, he has created four different popular breakfast and lunch sandwiches for Batter and Crumbs Vegan Bakery and Café in South Philadelphia, one of which was voted the fourth best vegan sandwich in the entire city of Philadelphia by a vegan blogger who has over 30,000 followers.
In September, Dolce and Ryant opened Chef Reeky’s at 1301 Edgemont Ave., attached to the Day’s Inn, next to the Widener University campus in Chester. Despite also opening during the pandemic, that res
taurant continues to do well and is open seven days a week for take-out and pickup during the mandated closure period. As a community service to its customers, Chef Reeky’s is offering
25% off its menu pricing to give customers a break during these challenging times. The restaurant also offers a
$3.99 breakfast special, 7-11 a.m., and an on-site outside barbecue on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
“We are all really excited for the community to stop by and try our food, both at Chef Reeky’s in Chester and at Cheezy Vegan in Ridley because we are not your ordinary restaurants — we
are extraordinary,” Ryant said. “We want Cheezy Vegan to be a friendly place, one that the community will embrace because they know that they’ll always get quality food there and good customer service. We want to be the go-to place for both vegans and non-vegans because our food is so good!”
TO GO: Cheezy Vegan at 604 Fairview Road, Woodlyn, is open seven days a week for curbside and regular pick-up, and delivery. Hours are
7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday. and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. The menu can also be viewed online at thecheezyvegan.com. Orders can be called in ahead of time for pick-up at 610-543-2300. The restaurant is also available for catering any event. Customers can contact Chef Reeky for catering at 484-751
3661 or ChefReeky@ gmail.com. For the latest Cheezy Vegan updates and “pandemic daily specials,” follow Cheezy Vegan on Facebook or @ CheezyVeganbyChefReeky on Instagram.