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At the age of 35, a frightening diagnosis changed the course of Chef Kevin Dunn's life—and helped shape the future of vegan cuisine. While working as executive chef at the Kellogg Corporation, Chef Dunn was diagnosed with diabetes and heart disease. Determined to regain his health, Chef Dunn adopted a vegan diet and overhauled his culinary repertoire to focus on healthy plant-based cuisine. His passion ever since has been creating and perfecting plant-based dishes, such as Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo alla Carbonara and Mock Eel, that tantalize the taste buds of vegans and nonvegans alike.
As a vegan culinary instructor at Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Chef Dunn instructs the next generation of chefs in the art of plant-based cuisine—an area of expertise that Chef Dunn says is in growing demand. The annual Vegetarian Awakening Conference, chaired by Chef Dunn, attests to vegan cuisine's skyrocketing popularity. The event, which is "devoted to examining and expanding the future of vegetarian cuisine," draws renowned vegan chefs from around the world and features live demonstrations of the most innovative cooking techniques, Q&A sessions with the chefs, and a chance to sample gourmet vegetarian fare. In the hands of talented and passionate Chef Dunn, the future of vegan cuisine couldn't be brighter!
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Chef Spotlight:
Kevin Dunn
Restaurant or Company: Heritage Restaurant, Grand Rapids Community College
Do you have companion animals? If so, can you describe them?
My family and I are Newfoundland dog fans. We currently have only one, and his name is Orly, named after my wife's father. We have had as many as four Newfoundland dogs in our home at one time. They are a big part of our life. Our largest Newfoundland weighed 212 pounds and thought he was a lap dog.
How long have you been a chef?
Twenty-seven years.
What type of cuisine do you focus on?
Fine-dining continental cuisine.
Have you or has your restaurant received any awards?
The evening Heritage Restaurant is run by my students in one of their last classes as they complete Grand Rapids Community College's (GRCC) Hospitality Education Program. We have received several local awards; however, my greatest reward is teaching all students the importance of Plant Based Cuisine (PBC).
Do you have a specialty?
I concentrate on making all vegan food taste great, no matter who eats it. I believe that we should never be satisfied with "just good enough." My goal is never to hear, "That is good, if you're a vegan." I want everyone to enjoy our cuisine. The fastest way to win people over to PBC is to give them a chance to taste great cuisine.
What are the most important elements in cooking great vegetarian cuisine?
I believe the most important element of all cuisine is passion. You must have a true passion for pleasing your guest with your cuisine. I teach my students two very important elements of cuisine: umami and terroir.
Umami is a Japanese term that means a true memory of flavor. One Japanese philosophy relates this to MSG and to a meaty mushroom or seaweed taste. My philosophy is that umami is a memory of flavors created by your experiences. Have you ever driven down the road and been hit with an all-consuming taste for something—say, apple pie—and the feelings are so real that you could taste the apple pie—the cinnamon, the crust, the crispness of the apple? That is umami, and all great chefs possess the ability to bring those flavors into their minds in order to develop keen flavors in their cuisine. I teach my students to taste everything and to try to place those flavors in their memory so that they can call on them when creating their cuisine. I have them taste 25 different soy sauces, 22 different salts, 20 estate olive oils, and 12 balsamic vinegars to help them begin this process.
Terroir is a characteristic that is given to a food from the earth. The ecosystem that surrounds all food helps to create a distinctive flavor. I am from Michigan, and there is nothing better than Michigan dark cherries, blueberries, or asparagus when in season. All food that is grown responsibly and with care is better than commercial food. Think about tomatoes in August, fresh off the vine and eaten in the garden, compared to January's hot-house orange, under-ripened, hard tomatoes. It doesn't take a chef to tell you which has terroir. I challenge my students to support local farmers and organic cuisine. I have never tasted an organic product that wasn't better than its commercial counterpart. The sooner young chefs realize that they have the power to change the way things are grown for them, the sooner we will all get better food, at a better price. I encourage my students to use their purchasing power to make positive change.
All food that is treated and grown with respect is better for us as human beings. Today, we hear a lot about the USDA saying that there isn't any difference between organic and commercially grown food. As a chef who has spent most of my life in a kitchen, I say the USDA is flat-out wrong. The USDA's job is to promote all agriculture, and you can't expect it to give out information saying that one product is better than another. But I say that organic products and locally grown products are better.
What is the key to getting meat-eaters to enjoy vegetarian food?
Make it taste great and stop calling it vegan or vegetarian. I have changed the verbiage on the menu to "Plant Based Cuisine." The sooner we establish that we are just providing great cuisine without proselytizing, we will win more people to our way of life.
What, in your opinion, does the future of plant-based cuisine hold?
The future of PBC is phenomenal. Today, the largest groups of people asking me for help with their cuisine are college-contracted meal providers. The latest studies from these contractors show that 25 to 30 percent of college students are eating plant-based diets. This is the wave of the future. As young people realize that they can eat consciously and eat well, they will help pave the way for others by their example.
There is one other extremely important group: the baby boomers. As baby boomers get older and disease catches up to their meat-eating lifestyles, they will search out PBC for the cure. I was once there, too, and I can tell you, nothing will motivate you more than being sick.
I teach my students that if they don't understand PBC, they as chefs will be left behind. When I am out dining and I see a menu without PBC, I know that the chef is old-school and hasn't seen the light—yet.
Do you have a favorite cooking method?
Grilling, braising, sautéing, roasting, raw—I love to cook!
Where did you train to become a chef?
Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Unfortunately, it doesn't have an emphasis on PBC. Most of the faculty at GRCC also attended the CIA, but we believe in the importance of training our students in PBC. That is why we created the Vegetarian Awakening Conference. This conference allows our students to work with some of the best vegan chefs in the world.
What are your favorite ingredients to work with?
Organically grown produce. When I go to the farmers' market, I just get excited. I plan the menu as I stand in front of the booth.
In your opinion, what vegetarian dish or type of food is most frequently poorly prepared and why?
Tofu—and I don't understand why. Tofu, in my opinion, is a great medium for a chef. Tofu adapts well to all types of flavors and is a great carrier of flavor. I believe you need to use umami and add flavor. You should also learn to adjust the texture of the tofu by different cooking methods to create a great dish.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only eat one kind of ethnic food, what would it be?
Japanese. I believe it is one of the most developed cuisines in the world, and it adapts to PBC very well.
Do vegetarian restaurants face any special obstacles that meat-based restaurants don't have to face?
The only challenge I see is in getting people to try their cuisine. If we get them to just taste our cuisine once, they will be back. I require one thing when I dine out, and it's that the chef hasn't forgotten why he or she cooks—to truly please the guest with the art form. For the most part, I eat in mom-and-pop houses, where the owner's livelihood depends on the taste of his or her cuisine. We need to make sure that we put our hearts into every plate of food.
Can you give us one great cooking tip for aspiring vegetarian chefs?
Taste everything. All cuisine should be based on the same primary tenant: taste. The more you taste, the more you develop umami and your palate. This will make your PBC better. We are chefs, and our livelihood is based on taste—nothing more, and nothing less.
I have been a vegan for more than 12 years and a chef for 27 years. One thing I have learned is that chefs are peculiar. We prefer a life spent in a hot, pressure-filled environment, and we are dedicated to chasing down the very best in flavor for our guests. Our life is not normal, but it is an outstanding way to make a living. If you are ever at a conference where there is a group of chefs doing demonstrations, watch them. They will congregate together and talk about this spice, a great flavor, or the latest technique. We talk about anything that will help propel our cuisine a little further. I was just at the North American Vegetarian Summerfest, and we were talking about putting peas in guacamole and zucchini in hummus—I love it!
What are some ingredients that you recommend vegetarians and vegans have in their kitchens to cook with?
Nutritional yeast—in my kitchen, it's labeled "Magic Powder." If you use a little, you get cheese flavor, as in my fettuccine Alfredo. If you use a lot, you get chicken flavor. With nutritional yeast, I can make "chicken" pot pie using tofu and seitan, which anyone would enjoy. In fact, I have had many guests ask to make sure that it was truly PBC.
Are there any newer vegetarian products on the market that you are particularly fond of?
Raw cuisine—the work of Chef Chad Sarno and many other chefs is absolutely amazing, and they are just getting started.
Have you had any noteworthy comments from or experiences with diners?
Recently, I have served my cuisine to Drs. John McDougall, T. Colin Campbell, Dean Ornish, and Michael Greger. They are all great and gracious gentlemen, and we should all strive to teach as they do—by example and based on good science for the good of all. As a chef, I have had the opportunity to serve royalty, and I am truly grateful.
To young chefs: We are on the cusp of something great. We are creating a new cuisine. You have the potential to touch people with your cuisine and improve their life. Nothing could be more exciting for a chef than that.
Choose one area to give some specialty tips for:
- How best to prepare tofu: Freeze the tofu to adjust the texture, then marinate it and make Southern fried tofu.
- How best to prepare seitan: Use it as a flavor or textural component, not as the center of the plate. It isn't steak or turkey, so don't try to make it into them.
- How best to prepare tempeh: Buy fresh tempeh, and sear or poach it first before making your recipe. This helps to remove the bitter or sour flavor.
- Your favorite way to work with a certain fruit or vegetable: I love mushrooms. Buy them fresh and add them to everything. Each variety has unique characteristics, and I use them all.
California Zinger
Grapefruit-Chili Dressing
Candied Almonds
Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo alla Carbonara
Smoked Tofu Bacon
Cashew Cream (Vegan Cream)
Mock Eel
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Chef: Kimiko Ikeda
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