So, while I’m taking this holiday Monday here in Canada to keep the ball rolling for issue #7 submissions (you have sent in a pitch, right?), feel free to listen to what we had to say about YouTube cat videos, Canada, Newfoundland, Ontario, PETA (I’ll give you two guesses how this topic went), and so much more.

Red Radio Ep. 39: Shootin’ the T.O.F.U. with Ryan Patey

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Why run a vegan-friendly business?

We love animals and we love that we can feed people delicious treats without harming them.

How long have you been in business?

Eight years.

Favourite part about it?

Having a perfectly good excuse to eat cake every day. Quality control is a very important job!

Anything new people should know about?

Lots of new delicious vegan baked goods coming out all the time. Dec 2010 we launched five new healthy loaves, chock full of fruits and vegetables. Early 2011 will see many new offerings from our dedicated Gluten-free bakery on Cawthra Ave in Toronto. Without giving away anything, expect some new GF muffins and cakes.

Who would win in a fight: Cheesecake or a cookie?

We’re lovers, not fighters… we’d compromise with a double chocolate cookie cheesecake.

What’s THE thing a vegan has to do in your town?

Scarf down an entire SFTE cheesecake. No plates. Just cake, a few friends and a few forks.

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In one word, why are you vegan?
“inclination”.

How long have you been vegan?
+/- 8 years.

Who would win in a fight: Quinoa or Cous Cous?
Quinoa, definitely!!

Would you prefer to lead a revolution or to live quietly in the woods?
Lead a revolution in the woods.

If there is a revolution, will it be televised or a Facebook event?
Televised.

Favourite vegan thing in your town (Toronto, Ontario):
Singaporean Cole Slaw from Lee Restaurant, 603 King Street West

“A thin disc of beet-and-red-pepper aspic crowned the drum, which sat on two little sheets of seared green kale dressed with a kombu-plum wine vinaigrette.”

That is just a taste of some of the words James Chatto, the eminent food writer and Gold Medal Plates head judge had to say to Liane Faulder of the Edmonton Journal. Was he talking about another gourmet plate prepared with meat and simply dressed with vegetables? No, Chatto was actually lovingly describing the first vegan meal in the Gold Medal Plates competition, which went on in that round to win silver.

It seems the chef who entered the dish, Carolin Ishii, runs Zen Kitchen in Ottawa. Some of my readers may recall a previous post I made about a trailer for a reality show called “The Restaurant Adventures of Caroline and Dave“, which started sometime in January. This means we have a reality show based on the experiences of a couple opening a vegan restaurant, a chef who just won silver for a vegan dish in the Gold Medal Plates, and the first vegan dish ever entered in the competition all rolled into one. Personally, I think that’s a very positive thing for vegans all around!

Of course, I will not know for sure until I’m able to check this dish out for myself. Maybe I can be the first vegan judge in the competition?

With the new issue being completely digital the whole world has opened up in terms of who can be involved. In fact, I’m hoping I will be able to showcase what veganism looks like in as many places as possible. I also plan on doing it in multiple languages. That’s right, if all goes well the next issue will not be restricted to just English articles. I think it’s only right since veganism doesn’t stop at English, right?

So, if you happen to know of a great little vegan cafe down the road from you or perhaps a place you go online that is cool enough to ship to your small town, let me know. I’ve tracked down everything from a bed and breakfast in the UK that looks amazing (The Sands) to a great little bakery in Ottawa, Ontario (Auntie Loo’s). However, I now know there is so much more out there, and that makes me smile.

Of course, it also makes a guy like me want to pack a suitcase and find out how great all these places are for myself! I’m open to donations to make that happen!

=-)

Wait, so first we kill far more pigs than normal because of a Swine Flu scare, and now we’re going to start trucking the little guys from Nova Scotia to Ontario because the plant in NS could not “source” enough living animals to continue running, but Larsen has contracts to honour?

Yeah, that’s an industry I want to play a part in. Keep up the good work. I’m going to the Sprout.

I’m about to head out on the road again with a friend of mine on the Snowflakes and Cupcakes tour* to Ontario, and I can not wait to get another chance to try various vegan food establishments. I was just tipped off to this one in Ottawa, and I want cupcakes now!

Perhaps I can catch-up with my Ottawa veg* friends again and we can eat a few (too many)?

*Note: the tour is not specifically vegan, but I will be on said tour and possibly bringing T.O.F.U. shirts, so it is at least 33% vegan. Woohoo!