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Don’t have the time or the culinary flare to create tantalizing vegan fare? Then trust your taste buds to Chef Mary Lawrence, the owner of the personal chef service Well on Wheels—she'll do all the planning, shopping, and cooking for you! Chef Lawrence, who always takes the time to “appreciate the simple pleasure of using the five senses to experience the whole food in its natural state,” learned the how-tos of healthy and humane cooking first at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City and at Manchester Community College and then later in the gourmet galley of It's Only Natural restaurant, under the tutelage of chef extraordinaire Mark Shadle.
When not providing clients with mouthwatering masterpieces like Root Vegetable Bisque, Mediterranean Fusilli, and Cocoa Truffles, Chef Lawrence gives private cooking lessons; holds cooking classes at the Wild Oats market in West Hartford, Connecticut; and teaches adult-education cooking courses. She’s also a frequent guest on a variety of local radio and television programs.
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Chef Spotlight:
Chef Mary Lawrence
Restaurant or company: Well on Wheels, LLC
Restaurant or company:
I run Well on Wheels, a vegan personal chef and cooking instruction business based in Connecticut. I am also the development director of Our Companions Domestic Animal Sanctuary, an animal welfare organization in Ashford, Connecticut, that will soon have a vegetarian café on premises.
Do you have companion animals? If so, can you describe them?
I share my home with one delightful dog, a 10-year-old collie-Lab mix named Lily, whom I rescued from the Hartford Dog Pound when she was a puppy. She is a fan of tummy rubs, long hikes in the woods, and tofu.
How long have you been a chef?
I’ve loved to cook ever since I was a child, helping my grandmother roll cavatelli on her ancient wooden pasta board. Since 1997, I’ve honed my skills as a vegan chef by cooking for family and friends, and I became a professional chef in 2003.
What type of cuisine do you focus on?
I have clients with varied dietary needs—those with food sensitivities and allergies who require restrictive menus, and others who wish to eat healthier and request no added salt, fat, or refined carbs. It’s a challenge to make their meals not only healthy but also delicious, and I enjoy the creativity involved in the process.
Have you or has your business received any awards?
In 2005, I was named “Best Vegan Chef” by the Northern Connecticut Vegetarian Society—quite an honor since there are many fabulous cooks who are members of this organization.
Do you have a specialty?
Desserts. Considering I'm always asked to make chocolate truffles whenever I cater dinner parties, I suspect they’re a particular favorite.
What are the most important elements in cooking great vegetarian cuisine?
Focusing on fresh seasonal produce guides me to create meals that are appealing for their color, taste, and texture. Something that looks beautiful on the plate always tastes delicious.
What is the key to getting meat-eaters to enjoy vegetarian food?
It would be impossible to generalize, since we’re all different and since many of us were once unenlightened meat-eaters as well. Patience, kindness, and understanding are important for starters, and we have to remember that compassion to all creatures also includes flesh-eating humans. It also helps to master one wicked good dessert recipe to share with family and friends who are skeptical of that crazy vegan cult you belong to.
What, in your opinion, does the future of plant-based cuisine hold?
I'd like to see Wild Oats and Whole Foods join forces with George Soros to buy out McDonald's and replace its menu with one consisting of soy-based faux meats cooked with nonhydrogenated oil. Barring that, a little organic garden goes a long way. Raw foods are getting trendier and more creative—and more accessible to the self-sustainable homesteader with a Waring blender. The closer we get to nature, the happier we will be.
Do you have a favorite cooking method?
I love quick stir-fries made with fresh spring produce like bok choy, snow peas, asparagus, and collard greens. I usually blanche the veggies for a few seconds to bring out the color, then combine them with a light tamari, ginger, sesame oil, and garlic sauce just before serving.
Where did you train to become a chef?
I'm mostly homeschooled as an avid vegetarian restaurant patron, but I also participated in the culinary arts program at a local community college and apprenticed at It’s Only Natural restaurant in Middletown, Connecticut.
What are your favorite ingredients to work with?
Fresh greens, particularly collard and kale. They're very versatile and are suitable to any weather and climate. I love them chopped fine in soups, in stir-fries, tossed with pasta, in quiche, sautéed with olive oil and garlic, or raw in a salad.
In your opinion, what vegetarian dish or type of food is most frequently poorly prepared, and why? Pasta. When I go to a restaurant with my nonvegan friends, usually the only items on the menu I can eat are salad or pasta with marinara sauce. Refusing to resort to iceberg lettuce, I instead opt for the humdrum pasta (as long as it isn't made with eggs). Inevitably, I find myself wishing I had hidden a shaker of vegan Parm in my pocket. And a little salt goes a long way.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only eat one kind of ethnic food, what would it be?
Presumably, there'd be an ample supply of coconuts on said island so that I might while away the solitude feasting on Thai coconut curry with a squeeze of lime and fresh mangoes for dessert.
Do vegetarian restaurants face any special obstacles that meat-based restaurants don’t have to face?
Within the context of the U.S., there are far fewer vegetarians than carnivores, and therefore the market for vegetarian restaurants is smaller. Fortunately, more and more people are experimenting with vegetarian cuisine, allowing for cross-over and potential for converts. So, with adversity, there is always opportunity. And we all know that vegetarian foodies will drive for hours just to check out a new vegetarian restaurant rumored to have the best vegan cheesecake on the planet.
Can you give us one great cooking tip for aspiring vegetarian chefs?
Always remember to use the secret ingredient—everything tastes better when it’s prepared with love.
What are some ingredients that you recommend vegetarians and vegans have in their kitchens to cook with?
A base for nearly any soup, sauce, appetizer, or entrée is a good extra-virgin olive oil and fresh pressed garlic. I also like having vanilla rice milk for sauces, soups, and baked goods. If you're a former cheese addict like me, it helps to always have a bag of nutritional yeast around too.
Are there any newer vegetarian products on the market that you are particularly fond of?
While it isn’t necessarily “new,” it's new to me: Annie's Naturals Green Goddess dressing. I like the name and the label, and it tastes delectably tangy on a salad.
Have you had any noteworthy comments from or experiences with diners?
Many of my cooking clients and students in my classes are nonvegans who are pleasantly surprised by the food I make for them. I consider it a success when I hear, quite often, “I didn't realize vegan food could taste this good.”
Choose one area to give some specialty tips for:
As a snack, in a stir-fry, in a wrap, or as filling for summer rolls, baked tofu can't be beat. It helps when you use The Bridge extra-firm tofu, found locally in Middletown. A simple marinade for a 1-lb. block of tofu cut into triangles is about 1/4 cup tamari and 2 Tbsp. sesame oil. Bake on an un-oiled cookie sheet at 400°F for about 10 minutes on each side, or until browned and firm to the touch. Simple and delicious.
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Chef: Scot Jones
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