Not so long ago, most of us would not have found a plant-based meal all that exciting. As if something was missing. Or that it was unhealthy. Can we change our views about food? The world-renowned vegetable chef Frank Fol says we can and we do. Here he tells us about a completely new cuisine of taste, colour and magic. This new world is happening in our best restaurants and in our kitchens at home. A new world, he says, that is here to stay.

Chef Fol, who is the Vegetable Chef?

I have been involved in plant-based cooking for over 30 years. From the beginning it was all about creativity for me. About the fact that a chef was making a difference by using more vegetables. That it was done in a creative way by making them the star of the dish, with meat being secondary. This approach was my starting point. Over the years, we have added the health aspect of food. We had to start living healthier and more sustainably, including consuming less meat and more vegetables. It has been quite an evolution over the past thirty years.

In 2009 I started ‘the best vegetable restaurant’, an initiative that resulted in the We’re Smart® Green Guide. At the time, I worked hard to create as many ambassadors as possible. A thousand Frank Fols, who spread the same message as me, all over the world. And we succeeded. I am very happy that today, the general public has accepted this message.

What’s going on in vegetable-based cuisine?

More and more customers are looking for restaurants where you can eat vegetable-based food in a high-quality, culinary way. Today, there is a new generation of chefs who are discovering the added creative value of using fruit and vegetables. And they managed to share this everywhere, in restaurants around the world. And it is with conviction, that is also important: not because it is a trend. It seems that this new perspective in food is structural.

Of course, not 100% of the public is on board yet, and many countries are still in the early stages. We are learning. But people are discovering how delicious vegetables can be. And that you don’t really need anything else. Customers now realise that you can eat gorgeous food in a plant-based restaurant. In a way that is healthy… and with lots of taste. Because we can talk about health, if it doesn’t taste good, people will stop eating plant-based foods. So, everything starts with taste.

“You see that people are discovering how delicious vegetables can be, and that you don’t really need anything else”

What kinds of vegetable innovations are being created?

There are pioneering restaurants and chefs such as chef Emile van der Staak of De Nieuwe Winkel in the Netherlands. He has been making waves with his vegetable kitchen [Editorial: Chef Emile used fresh, wild vegetables and herbs from the local Ketelbroek Food Forest]. Then there is chef René Mathieu from Luxembourg. For two years in a row, our We’re Smart® Awards has rated his La Distillerie as best vegetable restaurant in the world. Just like chef Emile, he uses wild harvest in his dishes. Plus, chef Mathieu knows the medicinal side of what he picks well and is familiar with the lesser-known flavours. He builds a story on it and delivers something very tasty.

What I saw recently in Japan was also very interesting. Japan is a country where nature and the seasons are sacred. There they are part of the culture, and you must respect that. So, in contemporary Japan more and more chefs are making use of nature, and plant-based restaurants are starting up everywhere. That is also a beautiful evolution. You now see the same thing happening all over the world. Chefs everywhere are taking the initiative to become pioneers in their countries. Those are the chefs we are looking for. It is the type of cuisine we want to promote. And it is how we hope to encourage people to choose more restaurants like this.

“Chefs around the world are taking the initiative to become pioneers in their countries.”

What about drinks made with vegetables?

A chef who is also a great example to us, is Rodrigo de la Calle from El Invernadero in Madrid. Not only of his vegetable cooking but also of the custom-made vegetable non-alcoholic drinks he works with. Rodrigo creates truly magical things. He has a drinks list of over 30 drinks, which he has tailored to his food recipes. We are talking about vegetable wines, Kefir, Kombucha, but also about marinated wines. It is incredibly creative and innovative, and for me a new, fun experience. These chefs are all looking for ways to distinguish themselves with vegetables.

“It is incredibly creative and innovative, and for me a new, fun experience. These chefs are all looking for ways to distinguish themselves with vegetables.”

Would you say that different food developments are coming together in plant-based cuisine?

Absolutely! Different food streams are flowing together from the belly of society. We can see that going on a lot today. Take medicinal food. This is becoming popular in restaurants, and we are learning more and more to be creative with this. So, we already know many chefs who work with their own creations of Kefir, and drinks like Kombucha. They make marinades, hot and cold tea, and they work with special herbs. There are so many drinks you can create that go well with food, and without alcohol! That too is an exciting development.

One of the products that will stay with me forever is tofu. We know it from the supermarket. But when we prepare fresh tofu in a restaurant, it suddenly becomes a cream. It becomes a completely different product, not like those blocks we know. The same goes for Tempeh and Kombucha. These products are completely different in a restaurant. I know a good place in Antwerp where you can get Kombucha. Here it is much lighter and fresher than the commercially available Kombucha. All this is intriguing.

Incidentally, food as a proactive medicine is also becoming prominent. It is better to eat healthier than to take medicines, it can be immune boosting. People are becoming more and more aware of this. Let’s hope this goes mainstream too.

How popular is today’s vegetable restaurant?

Restaurants that opt entirely for plant-based and vegetarian foods are fully booked, long in advance. There are still few restaurants that do this. There are many that offer vegetable dishes as well as their classic menu. But those restaurants that go for completely plant-based, or vegan, those are the kinds that are in high demand today. You just have to look at Eleven Madison Park in New York, with Chef Daniel Humm. [Editor: Eleven Madison Park, has been voted the world’s best restaurant in 2017 and became 100% vegetarian in 2020]. It too is fully booked months in advance. Most of these restaurants work with seasonal vegetables. So, chefs work with what is available and tastiest at the time, take the asparagus season in Belgium. As a result, the menus often change.

Chef René Redzepi of Noma in Copenhagen [Editor: Noma has been repeatedly voted best restaurant in the world] works with a “game”, fish and a vegetable season. In June, when the vegetable season arrives, it is fully booked: from day one until three months later. People are looking for those types of restaurants that show creativity with this cuisine. It just becomes a marketing tool.

“People are looking for those types of restaurants that show creativity with this cuisine. It just becomes a marketing tool.”  

Is it easy to begin with vegetable-based cooking?

There are people, and chefs, who struggle with plant-based cooking. It’s all new and not what we’ve learned. But most chefs are open to learning. Because they realise that vegetable and plant-based cooking are the types of cooking of the future. And that future is already here. That’s why we help people get started with our ‘52 culinary techniques.’ It soon helps people understand how much they can do with vegetables and fruit. That’s important because most people do the same thing all the time, which can make food boring. It is precisely thanks to the variation that you can put something beautiful on the table. Making use of various products, techniques, and seasons is when a vegetable kitchen becomes infinitely interesting and creative.

“Making use of various products, techniques, and seasons is when a vegetable kitchen becomes infinitely interesting and creative.”

So there’s no turning back?

Exactly. A lot is happening right now. They say that a change is being made, and that people are starting to approach food differently. We are increasingly aware of the importance of sustainability, health and ecology. You can feel that we have entered a new era. Where about 30% of people are open to eating more plant-based foods, and to going to those kinds of restaurants. Basically, vegetables are now king, and more and more people are incorporating plant-based foods into their weekly eating habits. Plant-based cooking is happening now, there’s just is no turning back.

About our interviewee

Vegetable Chef® Frank Fol from Belgium has been putting vegetable cooking on the map for years. Fol, who has owned a Michelin-star restaurant himself, visits the crème de la crème of vegetable-based restaurants around the world. He selects them for his We’re Smart® World, and other best vegetable restaurants in the world accolades and award ceremonies. He is also an international advisor in the field of healthy, balanced and plant-based cooking. As well as a member of Worldchefs Feed the Planet and a UN Food Advocate of the World Food Programme.

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