The Economist has declared 2019 “the year of the Vegan” and Forbes predicts that this will be the year that more people will “embrace a plant-based lifestyle.” This riding on rise of last years vegan food boom – U.S. sales of vegan foods rose 10 times faster from January to June 2018 than food sales as a whole.

Here in Fort Wayne, the vegan movement is growing too. Local certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator at The Veg Academy and founder of Fort Wayne Veg , Heather Dahman, has witnessed the growth over the years. “When I became vegan ten years ago, we had one vegan restaurant and very few options other than a salad at most others,” says Dahman. “Today, more and more restaurants are working hard to make a variety of delicious plant-based options.”

For over 10 years, Dahman has been helping people in our community make better choices when it comes to food. Now, she wants to make finding places to get these better food choices easier with the release of the Fort Wayne Vegan Dining Guide, an online guide of vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants.

The Fort Wayne Vegan Dining Guide lists almost 30 (and counting) restaurants that have several on-menu plant-based options. Restaurants include such local gems as 800 Degrees Three Fires whose Vegan Pizza Sundays have been such a huge success with vegans and nonvegans alike that they have started offering some of their vegan pizzas during the week as well; Bird & Cleaver who offer a number of options for lunch, dinner, and their popular Sunday brunch; and even Baker Street Steakhouse who recently added a vegan/vegetarian menu due to increased demand; as well as Fort Wayne’s 2 all-vegan restaurants Loving Cafe and Savery Vegan Grill. The guide also includes some national chains and where you can get vegan ice cream! The interactive map included on the guide will help users find what options are closest to them.

You can find the guide at veganfortwayne.com. Check back as more will be added as local restaurants continue to keep up with demand.