Maintaining a vegan lifestyle is not always easy – and one of the hardest parts may be when you have to prepare enticing foods for your carnivorous family and friends. Fortunately vegan options are becoming more and more diverse, tasty and convenient – and veganism has taken another step forward with Veggie Brothers, a company that provides delicious, healthful vegan comfort foods. In an effort to provide homemade “vegan cuisine for the mainstream,” Michael Balducci created Veggie Brothers, the first online vegan restaurant, which brings healthy and delicious classic American dishes right to your door. Balducci sat down with Vegan Mainstream to discuss his passion for vegan comfort food.
Vegan Mainstream: In 1999 you were suffering from various illnesses — why did you think becoming vegan might solve your problems?
Michael Balducci: I had been listening to a holistic health expert, Gary Null, on the radio for some time. People who had participated in his holistic detoxification programs were giving amazing testimonials - he seemed to have reversed pretty much everything under the sun. At the time, I had such horrible health — my back was truly against the wall and I almost couldn’t function anymore. My doctor had told me that I was going to have to stay on the medication I was on for the rest of my life, and the side effects were killing me. I finally said, I’m not doing this anymore. I’m going to try a holistic approach, and that approach included a vegan diet along with supplements and juicing, exercise, meditation and other stress-reducing techniques.
VM: How has your health changed since 1999? What have you noticed? What have other people noticed?
MB: My former health issues disappeared, I was able to wean myself off the addicting and harmful medication, my energy and vitality picked up, and in the first three months of being vegan, I lost 25 pounds. What was amazing was, if you looked at me, I had never looked like an overweight person. So one has to ask, “How did you lose 25 pounds if you looked the same before and afterwards, especially when someone can lose five pounds and you can notice a difference in them?” As I learned from Gary Null – and [this was confirmed] later on when I attended the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, when you eat high amounts of dairy and animal products your whole life, in addition to white flour and other non fibrous food products, as I did (and many Americans do in excess), these foods are very hard to digest. They contain no fiber, little nutrition, and they stick like glue along your intestinal lining and they do not get properly digested. That is what came out of me in those first three months as I took certain fiber supplements that would do just this — it wasn’t fat, because I wasn’t fat. It was all of this putrefying undigested meat and dairy in pockets all around different parts of my insides that would have eventually caused cancer or some other horrible illness to have manifested. I truly believe that if I hadn’t gone vegan, I would be dead right now.
What have people noticed? At first, people thought they were noticing someone who had gone cuckoo. That’s one of the reasons I formed Veggie Brothers - so people could see that someone could be on a vegan diet and not eat bland, boring food – or foods that would threaten an individual’s culture, tradition, or identity – foods that would not alienate the world around them. We provide all your favorites, but meatless. The most important thing I noticed in myself was that I had more of an awareness, like someone put the right eyeglass prescription on me and I could finally see. I had a mental clarity and spiritual intuition and a connection to nature that I never had before. It was like breathing fresh air for first time when you have spent your whole life to that point breathing car exhaust. With this clarity came a natural commitment to doing good in the world and to helping others, the planet and animals. [I want to dedicate] as much time, effort and resources as I can to walking the talk and to trying to help this upside-down world get turned right-side-up again.
VM: Tell me about your online restaurant Veggie Brothers — why did you start it and what does it offer consumers?
MB: When I went on a vegan diet I completely relieved myself of all of the illnesses and conditions I was having, as well as future physical impediments down the road. But I have to say I was on a very bland and boring, and somewhat macrobiotic type of diet that alienated everyone around me — and my taste buds were beginning to revolt. Quite frankly, I was getting sick and tired of it…I wanted to come to a table with my family and friends where we could all share the same foods. I wanted to bring the couples at the table together whether they were carnivore or vegan. I was also tired of the limited prepared vegan choices that were too low in protein for my body’s needs, and the lack of authentic flavor or taste in the frozen food aisle at my local health food store. I wanted to be able to not have to eat the same thing over and over again. I didn’t want my vegan diet to be a chore - I wanted to make it a genuine culinary dream come true and give my taste buds something special on a day-in, and day-out basis, without compromising my need to remain vegan and stay healthy.
After traveling a better part of the country to every health food store and vegetarian restaurant I could find, I finally found a few cuisine styles that really spoke to my past and the people around me. I figured if I could bring these foods to the people around me, for sure, they would no longer think I was weird. [I thought they would see that not all] vegan food tastes bland and boring. If these foods were really good and tasty, I might even be able to get the people around me to try some other things and institute [vegan food] as part of their lifestyle and have that be a first step to taking back their health. That’s exactly what happened, and if I can do it with my family, it can be done in anyone’s family, circle or friends, community, or anyone on this entire planet. Veggie Brothers works because we have some many options (over 150), so you don’t feel like you are limited ever again. I truly feel our testimonials page does a better job than I can in explaining the benefits people are receiving from Veggie Brothers.
Follow Veggie Brothers on Twitter and Facebook.
VM: How is the food prepared differently since it’s shipped to people in the U.S. and Canada?
MB: Our food is prepared differently from normal frozen products in that it is made by hand and not by machine — our food is chef made. Then it’s vacuum-sealed and flash frozen to lock in the flavors. When our products are reheated, they truly taste as fresh as if a chef had just made them in your kitchen. This is what we hear from our customers all the time. And what truly sets us apart from everyone else is flavor, flavor, flavor — it just jumps right onto your taste buds and wakes them up…Hey, I’m trying to transition people who don’t want to know anything about veganism, holistic health, saving the planet or animals. I need to make sure our products are above and beyond what one would expect in order to change people’s minds and paradigms. Our products can be enjoyed by vegans, but [they can also be used] for enlightening our non-vegan friends, family members, and colleagues.
I have often said that if all of the vegans remain vegan and all of the carnivores remain as they are, there is no societal growth. There’s no movement in the right direction; there’s no change and the world continues in its downward spiral. We have to make a significant effort to try to get as many people to move off a meat-centered diet onto a plant-based diet as fast and as easily as possible. The world is in a race against time. People we love who are eating a toxic, unhealthy meat-centered diet are in a race against time. Why not be of service and show others that they need not give up their favorite foods – [and you don't even have to] slave over the stove mastering the art we have perfected.
VM: Your online restaurant has been dubbed “vegan cuisine for the mainstream” — what are the most popular dishes you sell?
MB: Our Southern Fried Steaks, Char Grilled Flank Steak Au Jus, Grilled Soy Chicken Cutlet with Garlic Lemon and Herb Sauce, Grilled Mahi Mahi with Organic Rosemary, Vegan Chicken Pot Pie, Pioneer Burger, Black Bean Burger, Lentil Walnut Burger, Hot and Spice Buffalo Wings, Chocolate Chip Cookies. All of these dishes are vegan.
Check out Veggie Brothers’ top 20 customer picks here.
VM: Many cultures take pride in their meals from the ingredients and preparation to the presentation — how does your food stand up to traditional (for example) Italian meals made with animal products?
MB: I was finding that a lot of people jumped off the vegan diet because they got bored and they started to crave the taste of meat. They couldn’t find enough dishes they liked due to limited choices and unflavorful products…I think Veggie Burgers solves this need better than anything I can think of. It’s delivered right to your door and it has flavor and authenticity. We’re famous for fooling an Italian wedding with our meatballs and for fooling a Jewish grandmother with our chicken noodle soup.
VM: Your products seem to be very high quality, are they very expensive?
MB: No, not at all. Quality, luxury, convenience, chef made – these are unique dishes with superb taste and flavor that are not found anywhere else on earth, and those features will always command a higher price. However the question is, is it reasonable when you look at alternative options? I think our testimonials will answer that. I think if someone one wants easy-to-prepare, guilt-free, healthy food that is delivered to your door, they will quickly see the value in our services. Having said that, our products provide exceptional value because they are very filling – often my wife and I have to split a dish as we have a soup or salad to accompany our meal. We offer first-time customer discounts, sales, family-sized packs, special promotions and lots of ways to make this work for people, even if they are on a tight budget.
Subscribe to receive regular newsletters and check out these cost-saving ordering tips.
VM: For the upcoming holidays, what are some products you recommend to families? What are your personal favorites?
MB: I recommend the Chicken Pot Pie and Wellington Supreme, because these are true decadent treats that many people reserve for holidays and special occasions such as birthdays. However, more traditional holiday foods would be the Herb Roasted Chicken, Meatloaf, Autumn Medley, Agave Spiced Hams, Chicken Noodle Soup, Butternut Squash and Split Pea Soup…Our Herb Roasted Chicken and Southern Style Drumsticks paired with the Country Gravy would be perfect for Thanksgiving.
There is no better time or occasion than a holiday to break out these foods and let people [dig in], especially with finger foods such as Vegan Chicken Nuggets, Southern Fried Drumstix, Barbecue Ribs, and Hot and Spicy Buffalo Wings. Watch peoples’ expressions when they say, “Wow, this is good. I can’t believe it’s vegan.”
My favorite product is the Chicken Pot Pie…I have always loved chicken pot pie — the really unhealthy kind, unfortunately. One of the reasons why I formed Veggie Brothers was I longed for the foods that I grew up loving, knowing, enjoying and sharing with family and friends. I love our Lentil Walnut Burger tremendously. I put sliced avocados, sprouts, lettuce and tomato on a spelt English muffin. I also like the taste of it so much that I crumble it up on a great big salad that includes not just the greens but purple and yellow cabbage, sprouts, avocado, lettuce tomato, shredded carrots and beets, cucumber, radishes and my favorite flaxseed oil dressing. I love the Chicken Noodle Soup, Southern Fried Steak and Wellington Supreme. I love everything really.
We have a lot of soups I love too. People in general do not consume enough soups, which is unfortunate because making soup like we do can be a healthy, healing nutritional powerhouse. The vitamins, minerals and nutrients in soups are just outstanding, especially when you use organic ingredients. They’re great if you want to lose weight, or have foods that are lighter if you’re doing a cleanse.
View more appetizers, soups, sides and entrees here.
VM: Do you have plans to turn Veggie Brothers into a sit-down restaurant? Or will the food be available strictly online?
MB: We feel that having a national chain or franchise of Veggie Brothers cafés or restaurants would create the paradigm shift this country needs. However, we need some partners and investors to help us expand the business in that capacity. We would be very open to speaking with anyone who is in a position to help us who might be reading this. In the meantime we’re trying to find the funding to expand from an Internet-based business into a retail-based business. We’re 95% of the way there with packaging that’s designed for four of our top sellers in the retail market.
