A Brief History of Philly’s Vegan Takeover
From Horizons to HipCityVeg, a timeline of how our veggie scene got so good.
Before there was Vedge, there was Horizons. Read on to learn your Philly vegan history. Photograph courtesy Richard Landau
Memo to all the haters: Philly’s greenwashing was a long time coming. (No joke: Benjamin Franklin was writing about tofu all the way back in 1770.) Here’s a brief history of how our meat-loving city became an unlikely vegan paradise.
June 1967
Rich Landau is born.
1981
Alfoncie Austin’s Basic 4 Vegetarian Snack Bar opens as the first black-owned business in Reading Terminal Market. She premieres the “Original Vegan Philly Cheesesteak.”
1985
A Hare Krishna monk (whom everyone calls Hari) opens halal, kosher, 99 percent vegan Govinda’s Vegetarian on the corner of Broad and South streets.
1989
Harmony Vegetarian (later New Harmony) opens in Chinatown, serving meat-free versions of General Tso’s chicken, moo shu pork, and other American Chinese classics.
April 1994
Rich Landau opens Horizons in Willow Grove. It’s a novel concept: fine-dining vegetarian. His goal: “To demonstrate the creativity and satisfaction of vegetable cuisine.”
January 1997
Gianna’s Grille, where the “strictest vegans” will “be able to dine with carnivorous friends and family,” opens just off South Street.
May 2001
Vance Lehmkuhl writes an article for the Philadelphia Daily News on how to feed “those people” (vegans) at your next summer cookout. It requires a sidebar defining what a vegan is.
February 2006
Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby relocate Horizons to Bella Vista after realizing that lots of their customers have been driving to Willow Grove from the city.
January 2010
The vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, refined-sugar-free Sweet Freedom Bakery opens in Grad Hospital and later expands to the suburbs.
March 2010
Steven Laurence launches wholesale supplier and market Vegan Commissary.
August 2010
Grindcore House, a vegan coffee shop, opens in South Philly.
September 2010
Mark Mebus, a Horizons alum, starts slinging vegan pizzas and sandwiches in his new shop, Blackbird Pizzeria, in the former Gianna’s Grille location.
November 2010
PETA names Lincoln Financial Field the most vegetarian-friendly stadium in the NFL.
November 2011
Vedge opens. In a review, Philadelphia magazine calls the cuisine “deceptively vegan,” saying this is not only the best vegan restaurant in America, but “one of the best restaurants, period.”
April 2012
Nicole Marquis, another Horizons alum, opens fast-casual, all-vegan HipCityVeg in Rittenhouse. (Locations in Center City, UCity and D.C. and on the Main Line follow.)
June 2012
Vegan caterer Rachel Klein launches Miss Rachel’s Pantry, an all-vegan cafe in South Philly.
June 2014
The first Philly VegFest, featuring all-vegan food, cooking demos and live music, takes over Headhouse Square.
November 2014
Mayor Michael Nutter names November 1st “Philly Vegan Day.”
March 2016
Dottie’s Donuts opens in West Philly.
April 2017
Steve Cook and Michael Solomonov surprise everyone by opening Goldie, an all-vegan falafel shop, in Rittenhouse.
April 2017
Food & Wine publishes a guide to vegan food in Philadelphia, remarking that the city has “emerged as a surprising destination for vegan cuisine.” A year later, it names Vedge one of the 40 most important American restaurants in the past 40 years.
October 2017
Chef Jennifer Zavala debuts her highly controversial vegan “meatballs” at the South Philly Meatball Contest. She doesn’t win — but her audacity does earn her death threats.
September 2018
The first Philly Vegan Restaurant Week kicks off.
December 2018
Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins tells ESPN he went vegan after watching the What the Health documentary.
March 2019
Citizens Bank Park adds Questlove’s meatless cheesesteak to the menu.
July 2019
Philadelphia Brewing Company hosts its first Vegan Beer Festival.
August 2019
Craig LaBan writes an ode to Bloomy White, a vegan cheese by new local start-up Conscious Cultures Creamery.
Published as “What Cheesesteak?” in the December 2019 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
