Known for its traditional Tex-Mex foods, the Rio Grande Valley might be the last place you’d think of when looking for vegan options. Vegans in the RGV have long had to settle for soggy side salads and fries when searching for plant-based options.
That is until a few vegan aficionados decided to spark the creation of a local scene, offering delicious foods without the negative environmental or health impacts associated with standard diets.
Eating a diet that excludes meat and dairy products has often been viewed as a passing health craze. With ever-changing health buzzwords being tossed around, it’s clear why so many tend to stick to their widely popular westernized diets. Many are quick to turn their noses up to anything labeled plant based, or god forbid, the infamous v-word (vegan). Despite all of this, veganism has found a way to thrive in the Valley and has only continued to grow over the past few years.
If you’ve recently visited your local grocery store, you may have noticed the newly designated plant-based aisles, filled with foods that don’t look much different than the standard items you’re used to seeing and eating. Many locally owned restaurants have followed suit, with chain businesses not far behind. With so many options, going out to eat as a vegan is not as daunting as before.
WHY PEOPLE CHOOSE VEGAN
A vegan diet, often confused with vegetarian diets, consists of abstaining from all animal products, and people’s reasons for going vegan, or simply eating more vegan meals, are vast.
For some, it is a way to do their part in helping mitigate the effects of global warming. A study done in the United Kingdom, comparing the environmental impacts of various diets, found that a vegan diet results in less water use, less biodiversity loss and the lowest amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
Others pursue plant-based eating for the health benefits. With the high rates of diabetes, heart disease and obesity in the RGV, it is certain that following a vegan diet would largely benefit our community, as it is free of cholesterol and low saturated fats.
Metanoia’s Kitchen, owned and operated by head chef Oscar Rico and Natalie Gonzalez, was opened to bring plant-based options to the Lower Valley. Its locations in Brownsville and Harlingen offer Mexican street-style tacos and panchos packed with flavor. Vegan does not entail bland food. Rico shares, “Anything you can imagine can be made vegan.”
Rico believes that simply implementing more plant-based meals, even without being fully vegan, has tremendous effects on our bodies and the environment, citing the multiple positive changes he personally underwent after making the switch.
Similarly, The Boocha Bar and Taproom, based in Weslaco, shares its love for healthy cooking, offering delectable kombucha and handmade pizzas made with simple, clean ingredients. Co-owners Noe and Liz Acevedo are proud of their scratch kitchen, sharing that they can name every ingredient used in their food. They chose to go vegan as a health journey during Liz pregnancy and then started sharing the Kombucha and food with others and then Boocha Bar was born!
RGV BOASTS MANY VEGAN EATERIES
Foods labeled as vegan have often been written off as inaccessible, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Many of our cultural foods are already accidentally vegan, such as rice and beans.
Pitbosses Barbecue, based in Brownsville, offers vegan flautas, pollo asado and chicharron en salsa verde, for example. Carlos Cantu, chef and owner, shares, “Many Hispanic dishes can be easily made vegan by leaving out ingredients such as lard, meat broths and dairy.”
Adopting a vegan lifestyle does not mean giving up your favorite comfort foods. All sorts of dishes can be vegan, even fettuccine alfredo and chilaquiles. You don’t even have to give up your favorite Gansitos, as Sweet Craft Vegan in Brownsville bakes a fresh vegan version daily. Sweet Craft’s owner and operator Amanda Nolan gets customers from all over the Valley, even those who may not consider themselves vegan, trying her conchas, donuts and cookies, among many other delectable pastries. This is a trend, happening at many Valley-based vegan eateries.
At the end of the day, good food is good food, no matter what label it carries.
OPTIONS FOR VARIOUS FOOD NEEDS
Food has long been a means of connection. The food we consume tells a story about where we come from. Connecting people from different backgrounds and flavor profiles, food should be available to meet every person’s vastly different needs.
Meggan Leal, co-owner and mastermind of Pasta La Madre, opened her Harlingen-based restaurant for this very reason, alongside co-owner and kitchen manager Luis Orozco.
Offering allergen-free, hearty soups, creamy pastas and plant-based cheeses, Leal aims to create a space where loved ones can share a meal together despite their dietary restrictions, after she struggled to find places for her children to eat with their many allergies.
“I realized that in eight years of being a family, we couldn’t ever eat at a restaurant together, and I wanted to do something to change that for other families in the Valley that are in the same sort of predicament,” shares Leal.
Community is everything when it comes to plenty of vegan eateries in the RGV.
Agape Harvest & Grain, owned by personal chef Denise Cuellar, named her McAllen-based business Agape to represent the pure, unconditional love she puts in her cooking.
“Agape is meant to bring comfort while still being plant based and whole food based, as I strive to stay away from processed foods,” says Cuellar. ”Whenever I cook, I aim to share a little piece of me with the community and spark a memory of love.”
Similarly, Ingrid Monserrat and Alberto Sanchez noticed there were not many places selling vegan options, so they decided to open Maria Cruz, a plant-based restaurant and bar in McAllen. Their food is inspired by Monserrat’s grandmother’s recipes and legacy.
“They are her recipes that she passed down to my mom, and then passed down to me,” says Monserrat. “With the mixture of cultures in the RGV, we eat a lot of foods that are high in calories and saturated fats. We want to provide foods that are still true to the culture but are better for you.”
CELEBRATING THE VEGAN LIFESTYLE
The growth of veganism in the Valley has even led to the creation in 2022 of a local festival showcasing how easy and fun leading a vegan lifestyle is. Since its debut, the event has expanded. In 2023, the Harlingen Vegan Fest featured 57 vendors, up from about 40 the year before. “In its inaugural year, the festival was, to our surprise, very well attended, and this year, all of our expectations for attendance were definitely exceeded,” says Jared Castaneda, cofounder and director.
With plenty of welcoming chefs throughout the Valley serving mouth-watering plates, it is evident that plant-based eating has gained popularity here over the past few years … despite the stigma surrounding the v-word.
