{"id":16541,"date":"2023-04-10T10:31:54","date_gmt":"2023-04-10T14:31:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wasserstrom.com\/blog\/?p=16541"},"modified":"2023-04-25T11:16:58","modified_gmt":"2023-04-25T15:16:58","slug":"top-vegan-a-plant-based-reality-series-that-leaves-you-hungry-for-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wasserstrom.com\/blog\/2023\/04\/10\/top-vegan-a-plant-based-reality-series-that-leaves-you-hungry-for-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Vegan: A Plant-Based Reality Show That Leaves You Hungry for More"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A new cooking show<\/strong>\u00a0is taking center stage but this time, plant-based cuisine is the star.\u00a0Top Vegan<\/a>\u00a0invited eight gifted contenders to\u00a0Mitchell Hall\u00a0<\/a>\u2014 a state-of-the-art culinary facility in Columbus, Ohio \u2014 to participate in\u00a0a series of challenges that assess their culinary prowess<\/strong>, creativity in the kitchen, entrepreneurial savvy, and of course, introduce more people to vegan cuisine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top Vegan, hosted by the talented restaurateur\/actor\/comedian,\u00a0Chad Goodwin<\/a>, will premiere\u00a0April 20th<\/sup>\u00a0on Youtube<\/a>. He, alongside a slew of guest judges from the Columbus food scene, will determine\u00a0who wins $10,000, a business mentorship, and the coveted title of Top Vegan<\/strong>. We caught up with Chad at his restaurant\u00a04th & State<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to find out more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"4th
4th & State<\/a>\u00a0offers traditional American diner fare made from plant-based ingredients.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Portrait of a Vegan Entrepreneur<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What sparked your interest in veganism?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I was raised in a small town in Indiana, with a classic American diet. In fact, the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger at\u00a0<\/a>Wendy\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0was my first love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up, my friends and I had very entrepreneurial spirits. We also had a strong desire to save the world. Then, in 2016, we watched\u00a0the documentary Cowspiracy\u00a0<\/a>and decided it made sense to eat a vegan diet \u2014 both\u00a0eco-conscious global sustainability and animal welfare<\/strong>\u00a0was on the forefront of our minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I noticed you paid tribute to your first love with the Jr. Fakin\u2019 at 4th & State.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I did.\u00a0Maintaining a vegan diet doesn\u2019t mean you have to give up your favorite flavor combinations<\/strong>. Not everyone is willing to jump through hoops for plant-based food. We want to make veganism easier for people. We believe more people will invite vegan ideology into their lives if it is just as easy to find and equally or more cost effective than animal products. So\u00a0at 4th & State,\u00a0we offer traditional American diner fare made from plant-based ingredients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, of course, you can\u2019t force people to change. Our goal is to provide the place and the options to easily explore vegan cuisine<\/strong> and make it a fun culinary adventure. There are a lot of great vegan options in Columbus now, so if they like the food here, maybe they\u2019ll be inspired to try one of the other restaurants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When some people explore veganism, they put immense pressure on themselves to execute the lifestyle perfectly. Is perfection necessary?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When perfection is the standard, it can be very daunting to start.<\/strong> For instance, imagine starting a fitness program by holding yourself to the standards of an Olympic athlete. It\u2019s not necessary. Going for a 30-minute walk every day provides great benefits to the mind and body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life is rarely lived on the ends of the spectrums. So much of it is in the middle. Finding the middle ground means finding ways to compromise and take small steps in the right direction. You don\u2019t have to be perfect.<\/strong> Every bit of effort helps our planet and its inhabitants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are some misconceptions people have about vegans?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The pervasive stereotype is an arrogant individual who feels they live on a higher moral plane and lives on kale and quinoa. On top of that, there is a lot of confusion about veganism <\/strong>itself. How do vegans get their protein? Will I have to give up my favorite foods? A lot of those major tenants are topics we address on Top Vegan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Episode 1 is about classic American dishes<\/strong> to show our viewers that your favorite flavors or dishes from childhood can be remade vegan and be just as good. Another episode tackles the protein challenge. We wanted to show that plant-based ingredients create a comprehensive, nutrient-dense meal within themselves, protein and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Top
Top Vegan is produced by\u00a0<\/a>Chad Goodwin<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a04th and State<\/strong><\/a>, and\u00a0Clubhouse Films<\/strong><\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Producing & Filming Top Vegan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to the show, tell me about the contestants. How did you choose them? What are their backgrounds?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our contestants sent photos, descriptions of their food, and answered a survey, allowing us to assess how comprehensive their dishes were and suss out their level of investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are all chefs that are looking to advance their culinary careers and working towards their dreams. Some own small restaurants, some fulfill their passion as\u00a0a private chef<\/a>. One woman,\u00a0Nowel<\/a>, successfully\u00a0manages her autoimmune disease<\/strong> with a vegan diet.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our contestant,\u00a0Teresa<\/a>, is\u00a0a stay-at-home mom who prepared vegan meals for her family for 25 years<\/strong>. It was her life\u2019s dream to compete because she had seen every season of every cooking competition show out there. Since she had been vegan forever, she never thought there would be an opportunity like that. I almost cried just reading the application. It was great to be surrounded by not just talented people, but kind humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Considering this is an American reality show I have to ask, did your contestants bring the drama?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We did have one mishap referred to as Blendergate<\/strong>. Someone had a blender\u2019s worth of their sauce accidentally thrown out by another contestant. Check it out in Episode 3 \u2014 It\u2019s a wild one in the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truthfully, it was much less cut throat than most American reality shows, and the contestants became great friends. They were people just trying to give it their all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filming in Mitchell Hall<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of the Top Vegan kitchen, as you know Cameron Mitchell Restaurants and Wasserstrom partnered together to build and design Mitchell Hall. Did it work well for filming a reality series?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The space was perfect.\u00a0<\/strong>In the early conception of the idea, my most pressing thought was where in the world are we going to film this thing? I know Gordon Ramsey builds his own kitchens for\u00a0Next Level Chef<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Hell\u2019s Kitchen<\/a>. We, however, didn\u2019t have the funds to start from scratch this time around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A view of\u00a0the Top Vegan kitchen in Mitchell Hall<\/a>. Design + Build by Wasserstrom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I needed a kitchen that was both economically viable and big enough to host multiple contestants all cooking and competing at once. We also did not want our contestants competing for resources. Our kitchen in Mitchell Hall had eight stations, all with flattop griddles, grills, fryers, and really anything a chef could need.<\/strong> With veganism, there is a lot of high-powered blending and food processor action involved and there was more than enough to go around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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