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

For Immediate Release:
November 11, 2022

Contact:
Robin Goist 202-483-7382

More people than ever are expected to celebrate a meat-free Thanksgiving this year, and local eatery Green New American Vegetarian has won a national Vegan Roast Boast Award from PETA for its Seitan Turkey Breast with “Giblet” Gravy—a succulent solution to 2022’s soaring turkey prices and rampant bird flu outbreaks.

Owner and chef Damon Brasch credits his grandmother’s welcoming home, especially her kitchen, with being the inspiration for Green New American Vegetarian, which specializes in vegan twists on classic comfort food and fast-food favorites, such as the Big Wac (two all-plant patties with all the trimmings) and the tSoynami (cookies, candy, and other toppings blended into dairy-free tSoft tServe). Its special ThanksLIVING menu—available for pre-order and pickup from its Scottsdale Road location on Wednesday and Thursday, November 23 and 24—also includes cranberry stuffing, roasted garlic smashed potatoes, smoked paprika sweet corn, and fried Brussels sprouts.

“With its crispy coating and juicy interior, Green New American Vegetarian’s holiday roast offers a hearty helping of Thanksgiving flavor, right down to the ‘giblet’ gravy,” 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. In their short lifetimes, 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 often causes their legs to break beneath them.

The other nine honorees include Lovin’ Spoonfuls Vegan Restaurant in Tucson; 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.