A big, juicy burger. A warm, sweet cookie. A nice, round pancake. All foods not traditionally vegan friendly but sought after by many.

Over the course of September, international nonprofit Vegan Outreach hosted the Eastern Iowa Corridor Vegan Chef Challenge with over 200 people voting for their favorite vegan dishes at restaurants all over Eastern Iowa.

Six different restaurants in Johnson County were recognized for their delicious vegan dishes.

“A big part of this event is just showing people, ‘Hey, try this food,’” Austin Simmons, vegan chef challenge organizer, said. “You don’t have to personally be vegan to enjoy it.”

Oryza Asian Cuisine & Bar in Iowa City won second place and best overall menu in the challenge.

Oryza owner Kevin Sun said the restaurant began offering vegan options in 2018 but created three new dishes for the challenge: loaded eggplant, tofu ball, and triple delight.

“It was a good representation of Asian cuisine, and then also us targeting the vegan community,” Sun said.

The competition helped with additional exposure for the restaurant and exposed the staff to veganism as a trend, Sun explained. Even non-vegan customers were pleasantly surprised by the flavorful options Oryza had to offer.

“We’re very thankful for the organization that put [the challenge] together and for the people that invited us, and we’re very happy with the turnout,” Sun said.

Vegan and avid foodie Gina Howe participated in the challenge as a super voter, a diner who ate and voted for three or more restaurants during the challenge.

“I think it’s a good outreach program for people that wouldn’t otherwise consider any vegan food options at a restaurant,” Howe said.

Of all the restaurants Howe ate at, she said Oryza was and continues to be her favorite.

Simmons said the challenge aims to reduce violence against animals and show that vegan food can be delicious and accessible.

“We know that the animal agriculture industry is responsible for a lot of the greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. “So, if this kind of food can be, you know, really delicious, amazing and accessible, we would think that people want to move more in that direction, too.”

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Amy Holcomb serves as the secretary for the board of directors at the Iowa Farm Sanctuary, a vegan farm animal sanctuary in Oxford.

Though Iowa Farm Sanctuary is not a restaurant, they were able to participate in the competition as well, serving vegan cookies, baked by Holcomb, at a bake sale in September. Iowa Farm Sanctuary received the award for best dessert.

“It’s always good to promote vegan products and meals,” she said. “The competition was throughout the corridor, of course, at restaurants that don’t have just vegan food, so it was nice.”

Field Day Brewing in North Liberty was recognized for best burger. Kyle Theil, director of taproom operations, said they offered a variety of vegan options, including appetizers, entrees, and desserts, which helped them engage with the local vegan community. The award-winning burger is now a permanent part of the restaurant’s menu.

“If people want to come in and try an award-winning burger, whether they’re involved in that lifestyle or not, they always have that option,” Theil said. “It’s just kind of a feather in our cap toward our chefs and our culinary program.”

Though the pancake stand Griddle Me This does not have a permanent brick and mortar facility, the tent at the Iowa City Farmer’s Market was able to bring home the award for best breakfast.

Owner Liz Georges said customers were happy to have filling, traditional vegan options. They offered a variety of options, including caramel apple, spiced plum, and funfetti pancakes.

“We really were not expecting to win anything,” she said. “We just kind of did it because it’s something we had been thinking would be good. We’re really open on Saturdays to the public, so we were pleasantly surprised to get the award.”