× Expand NuVegan Cafe chick'n drummies with macaroni and cheese and garlic string beans (Photo by Eileen Mellon)

Crab cakes. Macaroni and cheese. Crispy fried chick’n drummies. All vegan. Could it be? Is it possible for soul-warming comfort food to be made without animals or animal by-products?

NuVegan Cafe, the first 100 percent vegan fast-casual restaurant in Richmond, plans to show diners that eating vegan doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor or choices when it opens Saturday, June 30, at 417 W. Grace St.

“Part of our mission statement is to change the perception of vegan cuisine and the experience,” says NuVegan President Vernon Woodland. “[Consumers who think of vegan food] think salads, think of veggies, and even though everything is plant-based, there’s more to it than just that.”

Vegan and vegetarian food options have been popping up at restaurants across the country. The Meatless Monday movement encourages diners to go without meat once a week; fast-food chains such as White Castle and Domino’s Pizza now have vegan options; and the “V” symbol for vegan choices on restaurant menus is a common sight.

In recent years, RVADine has experienced a surge in vegan options. Restaurants including Lemaire and Havana 59 offer vegetarian-friendly foods and/or the option for menu items to be prepared vegan. Bakeries such as WPA and Idle Hands sell vegan baked goods and other sweet treats. Fresca on Addison, Ipanema Cafe, 821 Cafe and Strange Matter focus on offering a wide variety of vegan/vegetarian options. Hardywood Park Craft Brewery even has a designated vegan food truck court once a month — featuring Go Go Vegan Go, Goatocado, The Hungry Turtle and Mean Bird — in coordination with the Richmond VegFest, a vegan festival that recently celebrated 16 years.

Vegan dining is having more than a moment, and ethical concern for animals is part of the impetus behind the push toward plant-based options, along with consumer health. According to a 2016 study by the Vegetarian Resource Group, 20 years ago there were only 55 all-vegan restaurants in the country; by 2016 there were more than 660. That same year Richmond made PETA's list of Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Cities in the country.

× Expand NuVegan Cafe franchise owner Jason Jackson (left) and President Vernon Woodland (Photo by Eileen Mellon)

NuVegan Richmond franchise owner Jason Jackson, a VCU business graduate, slowly transitioned to veganism; he cut down to eating meat once a week, was vegetarian for two years and then made the full commitment to eating vegan in 2016.

“I was seeking out a healthy lifestyle change, and I just wanted the challenge. I felt much better,” says Jackson.

In early 2017 a friend told Jackson about the NuVegan Cafe food truck in Washington, D.C. Jackson saw crab cakes on the menu, and his stomach started growling. The next day he hopped in his car and made a trip to D.C. to experience vegan crab cakes for himself; he was hooked.

“I said to Vernon, ‘Hey you need to come to Richmond,’ ” Jackson recalls.

Woodland was on board. He had plans to expand into Virginia, and Jackson’s encouragement was the push he needed.

Woodland became a vegan in 2002 when he met his wife, Lynn. He had a culinary background — having attended the New England Culinary Institute on scholarship and a vocational high school in D.C. with a culinary arts center — but never envisioned opening a vegan restaurant.

“She converted me,” Woodland says of Lynn, laughing. His four children are all vegan. “I always had plans of opening my own restaurant but didn’t know what kind. When I met her, I felt like God put her in my life for that reason, to go in this direction, and that’s where I put my energy and focus.”

The first NuVegan Cafe opened in 2009 in D.C., followed by the food truck in 2013, and then a College Park, Maryland, location in 2015.

Woodland says transitioning to veganism required him to approach his meals differently. He was used to a piece of meat being the main attraction of the meal, accompanied by two sides. Woodland says meat being the source of protein is a common misconception and it’s hard for people, including himself, to shatter that fallacy.

“I would say, ‘Where’s the protein? This is not a complete meal,’ ” says Woodland. “I had to change my thinking of what protein is. [I was] looking for animal protein because that’s what we're told protein is. Once I got past that, I realized protein is in a lot of stuff.”

In 2016, The Vegetarian Resource Group conducted a Harris Poll and discovered that 37 percent of Americans order meals without fish, meat or poultry on a regular basis, while only 3.3 percent of U.S. adults actually identify as being vegetarian.

“We want to cater to the transitional eater like Jason was,” says Woodland. “You can get that comfort food, or you can get real healthy and go raw or juice. We wanted to create something that meat eaters would want to eat and come up with recipes that fit the alternative, but also cater to the vegans that exist.”

× Expand A wall inside NuVegan showcases the restaurant's philosophy and mission. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)

NuVegan Cafe’s menu aims to please hard-core vegans, curious meat eaters and vegetarians alike with an array of comfort food and home-style dishes.

Everything on the menu is made from soy-, wheat-, or other plant-based proteins. Jackson and Woodland say menu items people can't get enough of are ginger collards (raw, soy- and wheat-free), the infamous crab cake sandwich (soy- and wheat-free) and their cheeseburger (soy- and wheat-free).

Some of their dishes have been known to turn heads, especially the chick'n drummies.

“When they see the menu and see the fried chicken they’ll order it — and it looks like fried chicken and tastes like fried chicken — they get stuck and think, 'What is this?' ” says Woodland, laughing.

Other twists on popular food items include lasagna, tacos, barbecue roast, and a steak and cheese sub. For dessert fans, NuVegan bakes cinnamon rolls, dubbed one of the Top 10 Vegan Sweet Treats in the country by PETA this year, as well as cheesecake, pies and cupcakes.

A long counter along an exposed-brick wall in the eatery is home to a juice and smoothie bar. Pressed juices are made to order, and smoothies, including flavors such as strawberry cream and tropical delight, can be prepared with a soy, rice, almond or hemp base.

NuVegan Cafe's hours of operation will be Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.). There are plans to offer delivery service via a third party, as well as online ordering.