Long before the arrival of Boca burgers and So Delicious desserts, Chef Joseph Rosolen was a dedicated vegetarian, perfecting his culinary skills without reaching for a single piece of meat. For three decades, this northern New Jersey father of three has been cooking vegetarian meals and, in his spare time, attending yoga class. Today, he is a student and teacher of both. He has taught vegetarian and vegan cooking at the Integral Yoga Institute and at Naturally Yoga in New York City. Practicing yoga for 25 years, he has also been teaching it for eight years. Chef Rosolen has even cooked at various yoga retreats, which, for him, is the ultimate labor of love. Ambitious and hardworking, Chef Rosolen oversees two vegetarian businesses. In 2003, he and his brother started Two Brothers Catering. A few years later, he recognized that busy people needed a fast, convenient way to have delicious, healthy food delivered to them, and in 2006, Online Vegetarian Deli was born. The delivery service offers fresh vegan and vegetarian food and a new menu each week. Customer favorites include Greens & Garlic, Raw Veggie Wraps With Lemon-Tahini Sauce, and Italian Potato Salad (see recipes below).   Fresh, delicious, healthy, convenient ... thanks to Chef Rosolen, it's never been so easy and enjoyable to be vegetarian!

Chef Spotlight: Joseph Rosolen

Do you have companion animals? If so, can you describe them? 
I have one dog and four turtles. My dog is a shih tzu named Penny. She is a rescue. We rescued her after she was hit by four cars and left for dead. With the help of FOCAS [a nonprofit organization that helps local animal companions], we were able to rescue her. She is such a joy and has attached herself to my wife as if she were our fourth child; we have three daughters.

My four turtles are very close to me and respond to my movements and actions.

How long have you been a chef?
I have been cooking professionally for 15 years.

What type of cuisine do you focus on?
Vegan/vegetarian, people-friendly food.

Have you or has your restaurant received any awards?
None as of yet. I have been written up in newspapers.

Do you have a specialty?
I am known for my soups as well as for the many ways I prepare seitan.

What are the most important elements in cooking great vegetarian cuisine?
I feel that taste is the most important, followed by texture. Many people are texture orientated, and I have noticed that texture plays a very important role in people's enjoyment of their food. I also think that making people feel at home and relaxed enough to enjoy their eating experience is important.

What is the key to getting meat-eaters to enjoy vegetarian food?
Making them comfortable and allowing them to have an experience they will enjoy. Most meat-eaters don't know the reasons we have stopped eating flesh foods. Not that meat-eaters need to be preached to, but they do need to be made comfortable in their transition to eating vegetarian foods.

Do you have a favorite cooking method?
Stir-frying; I can do many things with a wok.

Where did you train to become a chef?
I am self-taught. I come from a family that is full of great chefs/cooks. My love and passion for foods and cooking was my education.

What are your favorite ingredients to work with? 
Seitan, tempeh, garlic, onions, extra virgin olive oil, and broccoli.
                                               
In your opinion, what vegetarian dish or type of food is most frequently poorly prepared and why?
Tofu. Tofu is either served as is—plain, bland, and with nothing done to it—or presented in a combination of so many ingredients that it gets lost.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only eat one kind of ethnic food, what would it be?
A very hard question, as I enjoy so many ethnic foods, but if push comes to shove, it would have to be Italian.

Do vegetarian restaurants face any special obstacles that meat-based restaurants don't have to face?
Unlike meat-based restaurants, vegetarian restaurants have to be able to rise above the normal restaurants. Meat-based restaurants just have to open their doors and let people in, without having to explain the menu.

Can you give us one great cooking tip for aspiring vegetarian chefs?
Don't give up on your dreams.

What are some ingredients that you recommend vegetarians and vegans have in their kitchens to cook with?
Tempeh, seitan, homemade vegetable broth, and a wide selection of grains and beans.

Are there any newer vegetarian products on the market that you are particularly fond of?
Well, this one is kind of difficult for me. While I applaud the technology that has brought us [many vegetarian products], I feel that many different types of soy-based foods are used way too much as staples. I feel that we need to remember that eating foods that are closest to their natural form is best. Less processed foods, no mater what, are better for us in the long run. Foods that help people make the transition from eating meat to not eating meat can be helpful but must be used as a stepping stone, not as a steady diet.

Have you had any noteworthy comments from or experiences with diners?
The one common comment I get is "Your food is amazing!"  

Choose one area to give some specialty tips for:

• How best to prepare seitan

I prepare seitan in many different ways, and the way most of my clients enjoy it is when I coat it in cornmeal and sesame seeds (no eggs) and pan-fry it. I make my own seitan from gluten; I don't buy it already made. I can control the whole process from start to finish that way. I serve it with a vegan brown gravy, corn, and broccoli.

Greens & Garlic
by Joseph Rosolen

1 bunch kale, stems removed
1 teapot full of water
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil for sautéing
Salt, to taste

• Wash the kale and set aside in a bowl.
• Bring the water in the teapot to a boil. Blanch the kale and drain.
• Sauté the garlic in the olive oil. Season with salt. Toss with the drained kale and serve.

Makes 2 to 3 servings

Raw Veggie Wrap With Lemon-Tahini Sauce
by Joseph Rosolen

1/2 cup tahini
Lemon juice, to taste
Water for thinning the sauce
1 head lettuce, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced lengthwise
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
2 carrots, shredded
2 bell peppers, sliced
1 cup radicchio
4-6 whole-wheat wraps
Salt and pepper, to taste

• Whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, and water.
• Layer the veggies on the wraps and drizzle with the tahini sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Roll up and serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Italian Potato Salad
by Joseph Rosolen

3 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cubed
Fresh green beans, trimmed
1 red onion, sliced thin
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Red wine vinegar, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

• Boil the potatoes until fork tender. Set aside.
• Cook the green beans in boiling water until tender but still slightly crisp. Drain.
• Gently combine the potatoes, green beans, onions, oil, and vinegar. Season to taste.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

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