In Sydney, Nova Scotia, the vegan scene is booming
Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia is known for its lobster and chowder. But now, a new interest in plant-based cooking, driven by local chefs and restaurateurs, is landing more vegetables on the plates of Cape Breton Island inhabitants and visitors.
Amy Lane had to watch a lot of animal butchery videos when she was earning her prestigious Red Seal chef certification. “I’ve always known that I didn’t really want to eat animals,” she said. “When I had to train to do the butchery, I just said that’s it.” She finished her chef training in June 2018. Two weeks later, she went vegetarian. In December, Lane launched Nourish, a service that provides weekly vegetarian and vegan meals for pickup.
“There’s kind of a stigma in Cape Breton that we’ve always been 20 years behind,” Lane said. She partially credits a big influx in international students with expanding local palates. The nearly 2,000 international students — mainly from India, but also representing everywhere from China to Zimbabwe — who’ve enrolled in Cape Breton University in Sydney make a big impression on a city of 32,000.
“I think the food scene is really driving the whole community into coming into today’s day and age,” Lane continued. “Up until the last couple of years, it was like we were back in the 1990s. But our food scene now, it’s exciting here.”
Vegan acceptance
A few months before Lane started Nourish, chef Joey Matheson hosted a special vegan dinner in Sydney. “I created The River Filly Plant-Based Dinners as a little side project, because the options in Cape Breton at the time were slim for a good vegan sit-down meal,” Matheson said. Both Lane’s and Matheson’s businesses rely on social media to advertise their meals. “We sell our seats in advance,” Matheson continued. “That way we know what to have made and to limit food waste. Our first dinner we did, we sold out in less than one hour. It was incredible.” The emphatic response inspired him to offer the River Filly as a monthly event.
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Matheson turned to veganism to improve a health condition. In general, he believes local vegan acceptance is increasing. “Veganism in Sydney and Cape Breton has been seen in a more positive light as of lately, especially with the new Canada Food Guide that was introduced not too long ago. Obviously, you still get a few people here and there that are not so open-minded about it, but all in all, from what I have seen, our community has been very accepting.” The first guideline stated in the 2019 government-issued Canada Food Guide is that “Vegetables, fruit, whole grains and protein foods should be consumed regularly. Among protein foods, consume plant-based more often.”
But Lane has found some chefs slow to embrace the ascension of vegans. “Up until this, my whole professional circle was chefs. They’re just not as welcoming. A lot of chefs, maybe it’s a little bit of an inconvenience if a vegan comes in and they have to make something special. They might be a little bit put out by that. Because we’re all trained that the most important component on the plate is the protein. And by protein, they mean meat.” However, she can name at least half a dozen local restaurants that now offer something good for vegans, whether it’s the vegetable curry at Flavor on the Water or a taco with cauliflower, corn and vegan cilantro aioli from Little Rollin’ Bistro.
The cost of veganism
Cape Breton Island has had an embattled relationship with Halifax, the more affluent capital of the province. Some locals have intermittently proposed a secession movement. Historically reliant on coal mining and steel works, those industries have tanked. Now, more locals find themselves competing for lower-paid service jobs in tourism.
“We do have a depressed economy, so we have to keep costs down,” Lane said. “There’s a high unemployment rate, and not a lot of good jobs around here.” But when the going gets tough, the tough get resourceful. Lane has a full-time job in the local culinary school cafeteria, where she manages to promote more plant-based foods to students. She rents out the kitchen at the West Mount Fire Hall on her day off for Nourish meal prep. Depending on what she’s offering — Singapore noodles are one of her top sellers — 75 customers from her 950-member Facebook group might order a plate. Lane estimates that 30 percent of her customers are vegetarian, 10 percent vegan and the rest are omnivores. She and her twin sister, Angie Lane, assemble the to-go plates in one long day.
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Lane keeps her per meal price at $13.75, including tax. She shops at local stores, buying Atlantic ingredients when possible. “If I find something really cheap, that will drive the menu, because vegetables are expensive,” Lane said. She points out that a lot of people in Cape Breton live paycheck to paycheck. “Of course, I want to make a little bit of money, but I want it to be a win-win. I want people to get really good food and not have to pay an arm and a leg for it.”
Matheson and Lane both emphasize the unity of the local vegan scene. “It has been overwhelmingly amazing,” Matheson said. “I swear some days I get emotional about all of the great comments and support we get from the community.”
Written by Teresa Bergen
