Chefs in Germany Serve Plant-Powered Plates During Veganuary

Nine chefs from Aramark Germany got together to create new tasty, nutritious dishes that will inspire customers to take steps toward a more plant-based diet.

The recipes, launched in January 2023 to celebrate Veganuary, offer a way for diners to try innovative new dishes that are healthy, use no animal products, and are better for the environment.

"Plant-based meals offer a climate-friendly alternative, and we are seeing increased demand for them in our accounts,” said Arnd Rune Thomas, President, Aramark Germany. “Vegan, vegetarian, and plant-forward meals are good for people and good for the planet—and we will continue to expand our range of plant-based dishes as part of Aramark’s sustainability strategy.

Culinary Innovation: The “V Like” Team

In preparation for Veganuary, nine Aramark chefs were selected to team up to discuss ideas, share their best plant-based recipes, and plan menus that would be well received across client accounts in Aramark Germany.

Called the “V like #veganlovers” team, the chefs also invited Sophia Hoffmann, a renowned vegan chef, sustainability pioneer, restaurateur, and cookbook author from Berlin, for a lecture to gather even more inspiration for the recipe development.

Through the culinary collaboration and workshop, dishes were created including Chef Betti Gladisch’s vegan twist on a classic street food meat kebab, Chef Maurice Kinnett’s pulse-forward plate of curried beluga lentils with baked sweet potatoes, and Chef Matthieu Amori’s seasonal plate featuring four kinds of parsnips with pears and smoked almonds (pictured).

While the team created the dishes for Veganuary 2023, they will be used through the year in Aramark client accounts across Germany.

"Veganuary has become an important annual highlight for the food industry," said Dirk Geyer, Marketing Director, Aramark Germany. "Our 'V like' team shows the expertise and passion we have when it comes to plant-based food. The dishes look fantastic, taste great, and show that you don't have to sacrifice flavor when eating plant-based."

Moving More Plant-Forward

In October 2022, the team in Germany introduced its Aramark Planetary Health Diet, a series of plant-based recipes focused on reducing a recipe’s environmental footprint while having a positive impact on people’s health.

Also in October 2022, Aramark announced that by 2025 44 percent of its residential dining menu offerings at more than 250 colleges and universities in the U.S. will be plant-based. The announcement was part of a longstanding collaboration between the company and the Humane Society of the United States.