Rochester Eatery Nabs PETA’s National ‘Vegan Roast Boast’ Award

For Immediate Release:
November 11, 2022

Contact:
Lauren Kent 202-483-7382

More people than ever are expected to celebrate a meat-free Thanksgiving this year, and Grass Fed—Rochester’s neighborhood vegan butcher shop and deli—has won a national Vegan Roast Boast Award from PETA for its Holiday Roast with mushroom, fennel, and leek stuffing—a succulent solution to 2022’s soaring turkey prices and rampant bird flu outbreaks.

Owned and operated by foodie husband-and-wife duo Rob Nipe (“The Butcher”) and Nora Rubel (“The Butcher’s Wife”), Grass Fed was borne of Nipe’s desire to create the perfect vegan sausage breakfast sandwich. It has since expanded and now offers everything from chicken cutlets to brisket and bacon, all 100% animal-free.

“Juicy and packed with delicious veggie stuffing, the holiday roast at Grass Fed is the perfect centerpiece on a compassionate holiday table,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “This ‘ThanksVegan,’ PETA is celebrating local businesses that make it easy as dairy-free pumpkin pie to enjoy a bird-friendly feast.”

Not only are vegan roasts free of saturated animal fat and cholesterol, they also spare animals immense suffering: More than 45 million turkeys will be killed for this Thanksgiving alone. During their short lives, they’re forced to stand in their own waste and inhale ammonia-laden air inside dark warehouses. The birds are even genetically manipulated to make them grow unnaturally large, which cause their legs to break beneath them.

The other nine honorees include Green New American Vegetarian in Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona; The Herbivorous Butcher in Minneapolis; Monk’s Meats in Brooklyn, New York; and Planted Table in Oakland, California. Each eatery will receive a framed certificate from PETA, which offers a “ThanksVegan” guide.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.