As a traditional burger lover, Top Chef alum and chef Spike Mendelsohn was surprised to find how much he loves the vegan version.

Since Mendelsohn lives with a vegan—his wife, Cody—he tested out plant-based Beyond burgers, and found they fulfilled his need for animal proteins. Now, he’s partnered with the brand to showcase how vegan burgers can satisfy even the hungriest of carnivores.

Parade chatted with Mendelsohn about why he loves Beyond, the plant protein revolution and how Top Chef changed his career.

Why do you love Beyond Meat products?

I’m a big burger guy. We just celebrated our 10th anniversary at Good Stuff Eatery July 5, which is a full meat burger place. I eat meat, but my wife is vegan. For me, it was a product that was not only delicious with a similar texture of a burger, but it was healthier for you. The primary source of protein comes from peas, it’s a non-GMO product and it’s delicious.

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Do you think the plant-based food trend will stick around?

I think this trend with plant protein and conscious eating is here to stay. What I think is amazing is that people aren’t just paying attention to the food they’re eating, but where it comes from and the effect it has on the environment. It’s growing at a rapid pace all over the world, and other massive brands are starting to get it. There doesn’t need to be only animal protein, and in fact, it’s better if you have more of a balance.

You were on Top Chef season four in Chicago and came back for Top Chef: All-Stars in season eight. How did your experience on the show impact your career?

I was straight out of New York kitchens and didn’t have any type of recognition. It made my career. It literally put me on the map—probably sooner than I needed to be. But you work through that stuff, and it’s a learning process. Once I got to All-Stars, I knew what this thing was about. I took a laid-back approach to All-Stars. To me, it was about having fun and getting exposure and doing something different in the culinary world.

How do you think Top Chef has changed over the years?

I mean, you have world-class chefs competing now. Not that we weren’t world-class before, even in my season we had a pretty epic crew. What I loved about this show is that it brought different aspects of the culinary world, not only professional chefs, but catering chefs or home cooks. I think you see a little less of that now. You mostly see [chefs] that are coming out of real kitchens and they’re working for someone that was on Top Chef.

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What else do you having going on now?

Right now, there’s all sorts of great stuff going on. We launched a new concept this year, which is Santa Rosa Taqueria. We recently launched Plate of the Union podcast, which is focused on food policy and we’ve had fantastic guests talk about why food matters. My new big concept is a sports complex that I’m working on in Springfield, Virginia. We’re going to be serving everything from healthy to hearty foods.