VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Strong Hearts is offering a vegan Thanksgiving meal in Syracuse
Timmy Wilcox: Most days of the year when people are looking for a lunch or a dinner, they can choose a burger. But if they prefer a meat alternative, they can go to Burger King and get themselves a sandwich like the Impossible Whopper. But what about on holidays such as Thanksgiving. Fortunately, Strong Hearts in Syracuse has a solution. The all-vegan restaurant is offering a full spread for Thanksgiving. The meal includes a turkey roast made from a mix of seitan and tofu along with sides like sage stuffing and green bean casserole, all of which are a 100% vegan. Sydney Hvizdzak, a Syracuse University grad student, says Thanksgiving is about seeing family. She doesn’t want food problems to take away from the special holiday.
Sydney Hvizdzak: One of my previous bosses was actually a vegan and she was telling me about trying to find a good tofurkey and a good meat substitute for turkey, like a vegan option. And she always had a really hard time. So it’s really cool to see a restaurant like this making that effort to support the vegan community.
Wilcox: Along with the main dishes, the $70 meal comes with dessert. Nick Ryan, the co-owner of Strong Hearts, says the meal saves people valuable time.
Nick Ryan: Having the option for vegans to easily access these things without having to put the time in and try to bake it from scratch themselves is what people are most thankful for I’ve found.
Wilcox: Strong Hearts will be accepting online orders for its vegan Thanksgiving meals through Sunday Nov. 17. Those meals can be picked up from Strong Hearts on the Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of Thanksgiving. Jason Leventhal is one of the many kitchen workers at Strong Hearts gearing up for the busy holiday season. Years ago when he stopped eating meat, there were not a lot of alternatives. Now, this offering serves as a learning experience.
Jason Leventhal: Having this in our community raises a lot of awareness that there are options out there and its just something else you can try.
Wilcox: So far, many people have placed their orders. Ryan encourages people who haven’t to order before Nov. 17. Tim Wilcox. NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Strong Hearts in Syracuse is offering a vegan meal for Thanksgiving.
The made-from-scratch meal includes a turkey roast made from a mix of seitan and tofu. The $70 package also includes a dessert box with whoopie pies and cookies.
“It’s really cool to see a restaurant like this making that effort to support the vegan community,” Sydney Hvizdzak, a grad-student at Syracuse University said.
Hvizdzak’s former boss had a hard time looking for a quality meat substitute for turkey. With Strong Hearts’ offering, the community will not have similar issues.
“Having the option for vegans to easily access these things without having to put the time in and bake it from scratch themselves, is what people are most thankful for I’ve found,” Nick Ryan, co-owner of Strong Hearts said.
Eating vegan foods on Thanksgiving can be an “education experience,” Ryan said. When someone decides to eat something different from the norm, Ryan said it can be a conversation starter.
The kitchen at Strong Hearts is starting to get busy, Jason Leventhal, a kitchen worker at the restaurant said. He is happy that Strong Hearts is able to provide alternatives for the holiday.
“Having this in our community raises a lot of awareness that there are options out there and it’s just something else you can try,” Leventhal said.