The Ventura Vegan Challenge is in full swing, with several local restaurants offering specialty menu items made entirely from plant-based ingredients. And even if you’re not vegan, it’s still a great chance to taste delicious and innovative dishes that might not be available anytime or anywhere else.
Maybe eating more veggies was one of your New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps you’ve been thinking of going vegan but need a little encouragement. Are there carnivores in your life you’d like to expose to a more plant-based diet? Even if you’re just a passionate foodie looking for the next hot dish, this month-long celebration of meat-free deliciousness is the perfect opportunity to explore.
Because, as Assistant Vegan Chef Challenge Coordinator Roberta “Birdie” Celebrano likes to say, “It’s a food event for everyone, not just vegans!”
Now in its third year, the 2026 Ventura Vegan Challenge will run through Feb. 7, and seven restaurants have signed up so far. While La Jenelle Natural Cafe and Farmer and the Cook are custom-made for this type of competition, a few unexpected locations have thrown their toques into the ring. Aloha Steakhouse will be offering no fewer than four items, including a dessert, while 1950s-style diner Busy Bee Cafe is adding tofu tacos and fajitas, a vegan pizza and stuffed portabella mushrooms to its usual lineup of burgers, hot dogs, fried chicken and meatloaf.
The Ventura Vegan Challenge is part of the nationwide Vegan Chef Challenge initiative. Originally started in 2010 in Durham, North Carolina, it quickly spread, with events now offered throughout the year in several states across the U.S. There was even a Vegan Challenge held in Singapore last year.
Xandra Russell is the Ventura organizer. A longtime vegetarian, she went vegan three and half years ago.
“I wanted to go vegan for the same reason I went vegetarian — to avoid hurting or exploiting animals,” she told the Ventura County Reporter. “I told myself I’d try eating vegan for a month, and I could reevaluate if it was too hard.”
She read about the Vegan Chef Challenge online, and thought it would be a good avenue for encouraging restaurants to offer more plant-based options, making it easier for people to go and stay vegan.
“I love knowing where I can go out to eat with my friends and family, whether they’re vegan or not!” she said.
She along with other local organizers and volunteers began in October 2023, speaking with area restaurants, food trucks and caterers about adding new vegan dishes to their menus for a month. The nonprofit Vegan Outreach helped with social media advertising and administrative duties. The first Ventura Vegan Challenge officially kicked off in January 2024.
As with other Vegan Chef Challenges, diners are encouraged to vote on their favorite restaurants and dishes through an online survey. Award certificates and prizes are given to the ones that garner the most votes — a point of pride for some.
“Several restaurants who have participated in past years still have their award certificates displayed,” Russell said, adding, “Vegan Outreach often has sponsors who give prizes for top winners. This year, TCHO Chocolate, JUST Foods and Oshi Salmon will be providing prizes.”
And sometimes, Vegan Challenge dishes end up on the regular menu — giving restaurants a fresh idea to offer customers, and vegan diners a reason to come back.
“VCCs (Vegan Chef Challenges) are designed to celebrate the creativity of local chefs while responding to the growing demand for vegan cuisine, often leading to permanent vegan dishes added to menus,” Celebrano said.
Russell has enjoyed numerous meals developed specifically for the Ventura Vegan Challenge. She fondly recalled an aloo tikki chaat (potato patties topped with a variety of savory ingredients) served up in 2024 by Indian Rasoi.
“(It) became my favorite restaurant,” she said. “I was also thrilled with everything Chef Kelly made at Paradise Pantry — they won first place last year, and I can’t wait to try their specials this January.”
A few more items Russell is excited about for 2026 are the soy chorizo potato skins and chocolate cake at Aloha Steakhouse.
Another word of advice courtesy of the Ventura-based vegan: Give plant-based a try.
“If anyone is curious to try more plant-based meals, I encourage them to sign up for 10 Weeks to Vegan, a free program from Vegan Outreach,” Russell said. “The challenge offers weekly emails with simple recipes, grocery tips, nutrition guidance and encouragement to help people try plant-based eating at their own place. It’s designed to be welcoming and practical, whether one is considering going vegan or just eating more plant-based meals.”
Whether or not vegan is on your personal menu, Russell thinks that everyone — diners and restaurateurs alike — benefit from the Ventura Vegan Challenge.
“It encourages restaurants that haven’t had vegan options to add them,” she said. “It helps restaurants get the word out that they have vegan options to bring in new customers, and it makes it easier for people who want to help animals, the environment or their health by eating plant-based. For participating businesses, the challenge offers added visibility, increased foot traffic and a low-commitment way to experiment with plant-based dishes while meeting growing interest in these options. For nonvegans, it offers a welcoming, pressure-free opportunity to try plant-based meals at restaurants they already love.”
The Ventura Vegan Challenge will continue through Feb. 7. For a list of participating restaurants and their vegan options, visit veganchefchallenge.org/ventura/.
Dining and Cooking