Mere weeks after losing her father to cancer in 2008, Caryn Dugan received her own cancer diagnosis. During the course of her victorious battle with the disease, Dugan made several lifestyle changes. The one with the biggest impact was a pivot to a plant-based diet. In the 14 years since, Dugan (aka STL Veg Girl) has created a platform to laud the benefits of healthy eating. In 2019, she opened the Center For Plant-Based Living, a culinary education hub located in Kirkwood, and plans to take on another ambitious project this spring: a plant-based restaurant week, May 1–7, which will highlight the healthy options on restaurant menus in Kirkwood and Webster Groves.
How did the idea for a plant-based restaurant week come to mind? There are so many plant-based options on so many restaurant menus. It just feels like they’re not always highlighted. So in an effort to get everybody around the same table, I want to see the “regular restaurants” show off their plant-based options during that week. I’m not just highlighting the plant-based restaurants, because they’ve got my heart and soul already. I want to show that you can go to the “regular restaurants” and ask for plants.
Your guide to a healthier, happier you
Sign up for the St. Louis Wellness newsletter and get practical tips for a balanced, healthy life in St. Louis.
How do you hope this might broaden some horizons? Going out to eat can be stressful for both the person who has gone plant-based and their friends or family. The plant-based person is like, “Oh, shoot. I’m going to stress out all my friends and family because we have to go to my vegan restaurant.” Meanwhile, the friends and family members are like, “Oh, shoot. We’re going to this regular restaurant. What are we going to do with this person who only eats plant-based foods?” So the whole thing is education-based. We want to put something down on the table and see if you want to put your fork or spoon into it, grab a bite, and give it a try.
What will be the best way to keep up with participating restaurants? The Center For Plant-Based Living has a page on our website. We also have an Instagram, @plantbasedrestaurantweekstl.
What are some of the other ways you’ve been able to spread the word about plant-based diets recently? Early in the pandemic, I started the Plant-Based Quick Cooking Show. There are 67 [online] episodes. For a time, I was putting out a new episode every Tuesday. Each episode is five minutes and features just one recipe made with seven ingredients or fewer. It seems to have helped a lot of people.
Will you continue with some form of virtual instruction in the future? Yes. One thing I’m really proud of is the Center for Plant-Based Living’s virtual memberships. We have all this content, so we’re Netflix-ing it. We have a streaming membership where you can access all of our past classes, all of our ongoing virtual classes, and then we do a monthly call to check in.
What are the most common reasons people adopt plant-based diets? Heart disease, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, wanting to lose weight… It’s people who are beginning to understand the connection between food and health.
Is there a recommended first step for shifting your diet and incorporating more plants? Support is everything. First, talk with your family. Let them know what you’re thinking, and get their input. Then sit down with your support system and look through a cookbook to see what looks good. Find a cookbook that really jives with the way you like to eat. Maybe it’s Thai; maybe it’s American—whatever it is, dog-ear what you think you might like, and start making the meals.
Are there any particular cookbooks you’d suggest for beginners? The Forks Over Knives series is really good. It goes from beginner to novice, and it’s not super intimidating. Lindsay Nixon also has a series of books called Happy Herbivore, with recipes that are even more beginner-friendly.
What would you suggest if someone only has time or money to make one plant-based change to their diet? Set yourself up for success when you go to the grocery store. If you just keep replacing the foods that you’ve always had, where’s the change going to come from? If it’s in the house, it’s in the mouth. We’ve got to go to the grocery store with intent and make sure we have a list from the recipes in the cookbooks that we’ve dog-eared. It can be overwhelming—it was overwhelming for me. It’s just taking it step by step. Then try making one fully plant-based meal per week, and batch it so you can eat it several times over the week.
How far has St. Louis come during the past decade in terms of the number of restaurants and stores that cater to plant-based diets? The chefs and restaurants have really started to take note. When I first started, it felt like I was swimming upstream. That was the case until about five years ago. Now, I can go anywhere in town and get a good to great plant-based meal.
Which local restaurants seem to be doing a great job of offering plant-based menu items that appeal to everyone? I really like Akar in Clayton, but there are so many others. It depends on what you’re looking for. A great one right now is Diego’s, an elevated Mexican restaurant [in University City]. They have a separate vegan menu, which is awesome. Then there’s Small Batch [in Midtown], which is vegan and vegetarian, but you’d never know it.
Which veggie is having a moment this year, similar to kale and Brussels sprouts in recent years? Cauliflower. It’s a beautiful vegetable. You can mash it up and create some kind of mashed potato. You can steam it, bake it, sauté it, put it in a soup, blend it… It has some real mileage to it.
When you’re looking for fresh ingredients, do you have a must-shop store or market in the region? The Tower Grove Farmers’ Market. One of the reasons I really like that market is because it gives up-and-comers a chance. There are so many small businesses giving it a go there, and it’s so cool to see. It has a great vibe, and there are always new and fresh foods. At the same time, it’s really consistent. You can go there and know that so-and-so is going to be there. It’s the place to go.
How can someone make the most of a standard grocery store run if they’re not able to make it to a farmers market? Don’t poo-poo frozen produce. I always stock frozen vegetables, frozen spinach, even frozen, shredded kale… Sometimes frozen foods are even better than the fresh stuff. They’re picked at their peak and flash-frozen to lock in nutrients.
You’ve been adhering to a plant-based diet since 2008. Are there any meals that you miss? I don’t really miss any meals. I’m a little bit of a texture person, so I really like that tear of chicken—that kind of thing.
Have you found a way to replace that? I’ll make my own seitan, like for chicken wings and things like that. I also think I make good vegan ribs.
What goes into your vegan ribs? Vital wheat gluten, which gives you a lot of the tear. I also use jackfruit, and… I can’t really reveal a whole lot more.
If you could create a St. Louis–specific plant-based entrée, what would it be? A thin-crust, piled-high vegetable pizza. I love our quirky thin-crust pizza—and Imo’s was my first job. I’m thinking grilled asparagus, shaved Brussels sprouts, roasted bell peppers, and grilled diced potatoes atop a generous portion of homemade red sauce from our beautiful heirlooms. To finish, a sprinkle of quick-pickled shaved carrots and radishes, with a scattering of flash- or air-fried spinach and fresh basil. That’s the pizza I want.
