At one outpost in West Knoxville, Rocky Top’s going completely meat-free.
Sanctuary Vegan Café is an all-vegan restaurant with numerous gluten-free options available as well. The restaurant opened Dec. 15, and although it’s the first of its kind in Knoxville, owner Leslie Naylor does not expect it to be the last.
“(Other restaurants are) already becoming aware of providing options. That’s happening,” Naylor said. “I welcome and am excited about any other people that may come because I want to go there and eat too. So it will be different options for me as well, so that’s the exciting part.”
The menu features common food favorites made vegan-friendly, specifically foods traditionally considered Southern comfort foods. With options like grilled chao cheese and gluten-free mashed potatoes and gravy, Naylor and her chef, Jeff “Chef Dino” Godfrey, want to make vegan foods accessible to everyone in the Knoxville area — even those who aren’t currently vegan.
“You know, there is a misconception that vegans just eat twigs and bark, and I want to change that. I want to show them, ‘Hey, you can come here and have meatloaf, you can have mac and cheese, you can have wonderful mashed potatoes and gravy.’ But they’re all veganized,” Naylor said. “They are all made with plants. They are all made with compassion. And I believe that offering those everyday items allows everybody to come in and find something they want to eat and enjoy together.
“So, I welcome non-vegans to come in. I’m excited for them to come in and try the food and love it. That’s a great thing for me.”
Naylor hired Godfrey at their first meeting after he responded to the Craigslist ad her daughter put up. Since then, Naylor has praised Godfrey for his talent and helpfulness throughout the restaurant opening.
“When I met him, I knew. I just knew on the spot that this was the person to make this happen with me, and he has not let me down yet,” Naylor said. “He is right here with me, going strong, and he is a great force for our restaurant. And his knowledge has helped me so much. I wouldn’t be where I’m at now if I didn’t have his help, I’ll just put it plain fact.”
Godfrey and Naylor work hard to make their food appealing to both vegans and non-vegans, providing options they hope are are tasty and appealing alternatives to their non-vegan counterparts. Naylor specifically recommended the tofu fingers to those customers who consider themselves carnivores.
“Tofu fingers with a buffalo sauce and incredible ranch dressing. No one has walked away,” Naylor said. “I’ve had die-hard meat eaters that when I’ve said, ‘Try those,’ they have absolutely loved them. So, I haven’t had one complaint on those yet.”
While Naylor wants more non-vegans to come in to taste the food and learn what the vegan lifestyle is truly like, she also wants to make sure her restaurant gives vegan members of the community a reliable place to go eat. Naylor wants to ensure she offers everyday foods for people who are unable to eat common entrees due to dietary restrictions.
“There have been some people who want a little more variety and not everyday foods that they have at home. And I understand that as well, and we try. We definitely want to diversify. We are going to change our menu often to go with what people are looking for,” Naylor said. “But at the end of the day, comfort foods are still very important to me, and I will always carry those.”
The vegan community has responded with excitement to this culinary addition. Molly Ott, junior in psychology, is one of those customers.
“For some people who are vegan, it’s very difficult to go throughout the day finding things to eat out or even buy safe ingredients to cook and prepare meals at home due to the lack of places that provide strictly vegan products,” Ott said.
And combating that struggle is one of Naylor’s main goals by creating an environment that makes the vegan lifestyle easier for those who have chosen to take it on.
“I feel it’s just another step Knoxville can take towards open-mindedness and understanding different cultures and views,” Ott said.
Naylor said she hopes this is only the beginning of her journey to transform Knoxville into a vegan-friendly city. She plans to open an animal sanctuary in approximately a year as well as a downtown location that serves craft beer and vegan appetizers.
Although Naylor is excited about the downtown location as well as her current spot, she is most excited about the potential for the animal sanctuary. At the current restaurant, she is setting up the sanctuary as a non-profit, allowing electronic tips to go into a savings account for the sanctuary.
At the moment, however, Naylor is excited to watch her restaurant grow alongside Knoxville and encourage growth in the city.
“I want this to be a Nashville,” Naylor said. “I think it’s time for Knoxville.”
Inside the Sanctuary Vegan Cafe.
