SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The menu at Teddie Eddie’s will be built around burgers and fries—just like many other fast food restaurants.

But at Teddie Eddie’s, the burgers are made with brown rice, sunflower seeds and vegetables. The fries, made with purple sweet potatoes, are air-fried with no added oil. There’s no ice cream in the milkshakes. Instead, you’ll find cauliflower cookie dough or a mint chocolate chip shake made with spinach and other vegetables.

Owner Teddie Kopytowski is already scouting locations for his future namesake restaurants—yes, multiple. He’s bold, assertive and confident. He said his ideal locations would be right next to existing fast food restaurants.

“We want to be the whole food, plant-based McDonalds,” Kopytowski said.

Sweet potato fries from Teddie Eddie's.Teddie Kopytowski

In the meantime, the public can get its first taste of Teddie Eddie’s at the upcoming Taste of Syracuse festival on June 7 and 8 in downtown Syracuse, where Kopytowski will be serving up sweet potato fries and plant-based burgers served plain or topped with cashew-based cheese sauce and bacon made with shiitake mushrooms, all on a sprouted grain bun.

Even the ketchup is made with spinach, tomatoes and butternut squash.

Kopytowski started the business, the name of which comes from his mother’s nickname for him as a child—his full name is Theodore Edward—in March. He doesn’t yet have a timeframe on when the brick-and-mortar restaurants would open, but wanted to get out into the public and “let people experience what we have to offer.”

“This [the Taste of Syracuse] is our grand launch," Kopytowski said.

Teddie Kopytowski, owner of Teddie Eddie's, a new plant-based food business in Syracuse.Teddie Kopytowski

Kopytowski works as a fitness coach at Strides of CNY, a gym near the city’s Inner Harbor. After his friend Michael Derecola, the gym’s owner, suffered two heart attacks, they converted to a plant-based whole-food diet, which served as the catalyst for Kopytowski to create Teddie Eddie’s.

“He was the heart behind this,” Kopytowski said.

Whether it’s the relaunch of vegan festivals or the introduction of new businesses, plant-based and vegan-friendly foods are moving into the mainstream both in Central New York and across the country—and Kopytowski wants to lead the charge.

“The conversation is already changing,” Kopytowski said of Central New York’s acceptance of plant-based foods. “This is the way of the future.”

The plant-based burger that Teddie Eddie's will be serving at the 2019 Taste of Syracuse.Teddie Kopytowski

Jacob Pucci finds the best in food, dining and culture across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 282-8611, or by email at jpucci@syracuse.com.

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