Appalachian Vegan with Grand Rapids Chef Evan Scott Edwards
Grand Rapids-based chef and educator Evan Scott Edwards knows a thing or two about vegan gastronomy — and that’s us being humble on his behalf.
Evan is about as active as one can be in the good food community, coordinating his neighborhood’s community garden while sitting on the board of the Grand Rapids Food Co-Op and working to promote the interests of wage workers in the hospitality industry through the Grand Rapids Service Industry Workers Coalition.
But Evan has also thought longer and harder about food and our relationship to the living things we eat than most, having received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from DePaul University in 2022 with a doctoral dissertation on the philosophy of food and plants. The good doctor argues for a more reverent approach to plants that perceives veganism through a lens of abundance and nourishment rather than the absence of animal products.
He has taught at a number of universities and colleges, including DePaul (where he currently teaches in the Environmental Studies department), and Thoreau College in Viroqua, Wis., where he acted as chef and home economics coordinator while on a research fellowship in 2020.
In addition to being a certified doctor of philosophy, Evan is also a chef, specifically at Gaia House Cafe, the oldest vegetarian restaurant in Southwest Michigan.
So trust us when we say dinner with Evan is as much an emotional experience as a culinary one. Bringing forth his awe-inspiring Appalachian roots and the unique cuisine of the region to the Frame tables, Evan is in town for just one night, connecting us to the deeper values of Appalachian ancestral knowledge, the culture of the land, and the bounty of Western Michigan farmers.
We’re crushing hard on this menu. Evan, welcome to the Frame-ily.
Appalachian Vegan Dinner Party Menu
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Table Goods
Pickled Vegetables, Salt Rising Bread, House-Made Vegan Butter
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Autumn Roasted Root Vegetable Salad
Umami Chips ᐧ Orange Sorghum Sauce, Sprouted Greens
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Buttermilk Cornbread Soup
Toasted Sour Cornbread Points, Beet Green Pesto
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Roasted Winter Squash
Spicy Peanut Sauce, Smoked Butternut
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Brown Bean and Heritage Grain Tempeh
Hominy, Pot Likker Wilted Greens
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Apple Crisp
Sorghum Ice Cream, Candied Nuts