Although satisfied customers may think Janet Hudson is a graduate of some famous culinary institute, the Carlsbad, California, caterer is entirely self-taught. Her professional training is as a veterinary technician, and it is her lifelong love of animals that convinced her to make the shift to a vegan diet 11 years ago. Her love of cooking is what convinced her to make that diet switch into a career change; she started her own catering company, Vegan Feast, in 2000, and has since attracted a loyal following. Over the years, Janet has created and perfected more than 400 mouthwatering vegan dishes, which she has assembled in a cookbook, The New Vegan: Fresh, Fabulous, and Fun, published in early 2005. Now, Janet’s catering clients can find out the secrets to dishes such as her famous “Beef” Burgundy Fondue, which has fooled die-hard meat-eaters into asking where she found such tender “beef” (answer: in the mushroom patch!).

Chef Spotlight:
Janet Hudson

Chef: Janet Hudson

Age: ’59 model

Restaurant or company: Vegan Feast Catering

Do you have companion animals? If so, can you describe them?
Oh yes—we share our lives with Punkin, my B-E-A-U-T-I-FUL sis, a Catalina macaw, Pepe, our grumpy Orange-Winged Amazon, Violet, an amazing Siamese cat, and our little Tokie baby, a Norwich terrier.

How long have you been a chef?
Ever since I discovered that I loved to cook—when I could hold a spatula…in all seriousness, though, professionally since 2000.

What type of cuisine do you focus on?
Fusion Vegan

Do you have a specialty?
I enjoy melding fresh ingredients into delicious flavorful sauces and dressings—my food processor and I have this thing going on….

What are the most important elements in cooking great vegetarian cuisine?
Use the freshest ingredients possible—the dishes that you prepare should be based upon the fruits and vegetables that are in season and at the peak of ripeness. Don’t compromise on quality.

What is the key to getting meat-eaters to enjoy vegetarian food?
Combine seasonings and textures in order to conjure up memorable favorite dishes and meals—with today’s soy-based meats, cheeses, and wheat alternatives, all it takes is the right blend of seasonings to send that meat-eater over the top and think twice about ever going back again!

What, in your opinion, does the future of plant-based cuisine hold?
It can only get better—I think that we will see more raw foods—sprout- and nut-based foods as well as dehydrator cooking methods. Look at how far we have come in the last 10 years!

Do you have a favorite cooking method?
No—I love to bake, stir-fry, and sauté with the best of them. I do recommend, when sautéing or stir-frying, use fresh herbs and spices and add these to a hot pan in order to release the aroma into whatever vegetable, fruit, or veggie meat you are preparing—sears in the flavors, and that helps make for a delicious dish.

Where did you train to become a chef?
I am self-trained in my kitchen—by thinking out of the box, I experimented with many foods and techniques in order to feed my family vegan-style.

What are your favorite ingredients to work with?
Soy products—they are easy to find and easy to cook with, as well as provid[ing] plenty of protein. And I never met a Brussels sprout I did not like...

In your opinion, what vegetarian dish or type of food is most frequently poorly prepared and why?
Tofu dishes—often tofu is not properly seasoned or marinated, and it ends up giving vegan or vegetarian foods a bum rap.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only eat one kind of ethnic food, what would it be?
Anything that I could wrap, dip, and eat…so, depending upon the time of year, which side of the equator I ended up on, and what is in season...I would make a taco, a spring roll, or a lettuce wrap.

Do vegetarian restaurants face any special obstacles that meat-based restaurants don’t have to face?
Produce must be fresh and preparation time as close to show time as possible—that means prep time is crunch time because there is more preparation with vegetarian cuisine—cleaning, cutting, slicing, marinating.

Can you give us one great cooking tip for aspiring vegetarian chefs?
Don’t be afraid to experiment by blending different flavors together—I recently prepared a new dish, stuffing grape leaves with rice, fruit, and spices, and then [I] caramelized them in Shagbark Hickory Syrup (available online)—sweet and tangy...humm humm!

What are some ingredients that you recommend vegetarians and vegans have in their kitchens to cook with?
I consider these staple ingredients—I use Smart Balance vegetable margarine for any dish calling for butter…nut milks, vegetable broth, Vegenaise, Tofutti brand sour cream and soy cheese, and I always have fresh herbs and flowers in the garden, ready for plucking.

Are there any newer vegetarian products on the market that you are particularly fond of?
Vegan Gourmet brand cheeses—they melt! When I am pressed for time and don’t have a sorbet ready to go, Tofutti or Soy Delicious brand ice creams are great!

Choose one area to give some specialty tips for:

• Your favorite way to work with a certain fruit or vegetable...

Mushrooms! I love mushrooms—especially stuffed as an appetizer, a lunch time sandwich, or as a main course. Always prepare by gently brushing clean whatever type of mushroom you are using; I use a paper towel—never submerge in water. Use every part of the mushroom—portabella gills make [a] delicious sauce for other vegetables when combined with fresh thyme, vegetable stock, seasoning, and an organic Chardonnay. Before stuffing baby ’bellas, sauté them in vegetable margarine for optimal tenderness—they will melt in your mouth. Try oyster mushrooms in salads with a sesame vinaigrette…and white mushrooms finely diced, then sautéed, heighten the flavor in an olive tapenade. So many mushrooms—so little time!

• Safari-Style Rolled Tacos

• Piquant Pistachio Wrap With Tamarind Drizzle

• Dessert Dolmas in Caramelized Shagbark Hickory Syrup

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