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Not only are the students at University of Pennsylvania getting a top-notch education,
they’re also being treated to vegan fare that is in a class
of its own—right in their very own cafeteria! As the executive
chef, Tim Zintz has brought a wealth of vegan options to the thankful
throngs of students who desire delicious, healthy, cruelty-free fare
in their dining hall. Before University of Pennsylvania, Chef Zintz worked his magic
at New York University, where, as the executive chef, he created a
renowned vegan dining program that was regularly featured in PETA’s
Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Schools list. With the help of Chef
Zintz, University of Pennsylvania, with its almost 20 percent vegetarian population,
is also well on its way to making it onto this illustrious list. Serving
a cornucopia of bountiful salad bars with vegetarian protein options,
pasta dishes, and fresh vegetables, with favorites like sesame vegan
nuggets and vegan chili thrown in, students are giving his vegan menu
an A-plus.
Chef Zintz also stays busy cooking up some of his favorite dishes—Fettuccine
With Vegan Tomato Artichoke Alfredo, Crispy
Fried Tofu With Pineapple Chutney, and Vegan
Carrot Cake With Tofutti Cream Cheese Icing—for his special
Thanksgiving Meatout
and March 24th Meatout menus. |
Chef Spotlight:
Tim Zintz
Age: 46
Q. Do you have companion animals?
A. No, not yet. But I recently moved to this area and hope to get
a dog.
Q. How long have you been a chef?
A. Twenty-five years.
Q. What type of cuisine do you focus on?
A. I like the new trends involving fresh ingredients and interesting
flavors. You are never too old to learn.
Q. Do you have a personal specialty?
A. I make a mean Wild Mushroom Strudel. I also enjoy making soups from scratch.
Q. What
are the most important elements in cooking great vegetarian cuisine?
A. You have to have a center-of- the-plate offering. Vegetarian cuisine
should not be a plate of side dishes. You have the ability to mix variety,
textures, and flavors in today’s market. Your offerings should also
have a great mouth-feel.
Q. What is the key to getting meat-eaters to enjoy vegetarian food?
A. Offer fresh, easily identifiable options and present them as you
would any entrée. Keep it interesting yet don’t turn them off
with bizarre ingredients.
Q. What, in your opinion, is in store for the future of plant-based cuisine?
A. It will continue to grow as more and more people turn to vegetarianism
due to health reasons, personal beliefs, or animal rights. Look what the
mad cow scare did to restaurants in Europe. They all offer vegetarian options
on their menus.
Q. What are your favorite ingredients to work with?
A. Fresh garlic, fresh herbs, and vine-ripened tomatoes.
Q. In your opinion, what vegetarian dish or type of food is most frequently poorly prepared and why?
A. I believe we miss the boat on pasta dishes because there are so
many ways to prepare a quick, easy, fresh pasta dish, and we too often fall
back on baked ziti or lasagna. You have wheat pasta and olive oils and fresh
vegetables available to make some really unique and flavorful pasta entrées.
Q. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only eat one kind of
ethnic food, what would it be?
A. Asian cuisine has so much variety and so many flavor profiles;
it would take quite a while to get bored with it.
Q. Do vegetarian restaurants have any special obstacles that they face versus meat-based restaurants?
A. Buy-in from nonvegetarian customers. We really have to educate
our patrons that vegetarian cuisine can have substance and be sexy.
Q. Can you give us one great cooking tip for aspiring vegetarian chefs?
A. I have two: Think outside the box, [and ask yourself], would I
order this if I were out to dinner?
Q. What are some food ingredients you recommend
that vegetarians and vegans should have in their kitchen for cooking?
A. Mushrooms, root vegetables, legumes, and vegetable broth.
Q. Are there any newer vegetarian products on the market that you are
particularly fond of?
A. I’ve been pleased that tofu has evolved from a slimy block packed
in water to more varieties of flavors and textures. Now you can do everything
from baking to sauces to grilling with it.
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Chef: Scot Jones
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