Cooking for Vegetarian Diets

Vegetarian diners are an important and growing segment of the dining public. In the United States, for example, it is estimated that about 15 million people consider themselves vegetarians. Young people, in particular, embrace many forms of vegetarianism. In college dining rooms, the proportion of clients choosing vegetarian options may be as high as 40 percent. Clearly, food service cannot afford to ignore this segment.

It is important that cooks and chefs who want to please their customers know something about the needs of vegetarian diners. Beyond the financial benefits of serving foods that appeal to the widest range of customers, chefs find other benefits as well. Vegetarians are often more knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their dining choices because they have thought more about them. Accomplished cooks often say that meeting the challenge of cooking for knowledgeable diners is one of the most satisfying aspects of their jobs and that vegetarian menus give them new opportunities for creativity.