JUST, a plant-based food startup company, is expanding its groundbreaking JUST Egg to Washington, D.C. The vegan egg alternative (formerly called JUST Scramble) will be served at Equinox, a D.C. restaurant by Chef Todd C. Gray beginning on June 26.
Equinox will be the second restaurant in the US to serve the new JUST Egg; it first debuted at San Francisco’s Flore. The innovative plant-based product is made with mung beans, which provide ample protein and the proper texture to replicate a chicken egg scramble. Chef Gray said in a recent interview, “It’s a remarkable product—it really does mimic a real egg and scrambles like one.”
Although not a vegan restaurant, Equinox does offer several vegan options, as well as a plant-based tasting menu for dinner and a weekly Sunday vegan brunch. Chef Gray commented, “We’re always seeking out new and innovative ways to enhance our plant-based offerings and JUST [Egg] fits the bill.” To introduce the new menu item, the restaurant will host a plant-based brunch featuring several items made with the JUST Egg. Chef Gray continued, “I’ve enjoyed experimenting with ways to use JUST [Egg] in a variety of dishes including berries and sabayon, an egg sandwich, and a creamy Hollandaise sauce that’s gotten rave reviews from our staff (most of whom are omnivores).”
Versatility seems to be the key to expanding plant-based products in restaurants. Chefs need to be able to experiment and transform ingredients to suit their specific style and to offer variation in their menus. This may explain why products such as Omnipork and the Impossible Burger have been successful in non-vegan restaurants. The Impossible Burger has been transformed into meatballs and shepherd pies, and Omnipork has come across high-end Hong Kong restaurant menus in the form of dumplings and wontons. JUST Egg can also be found at the Green Common in Hong Kong.
JUST teased on its Instagram page, “You’ll be scrambling soon,” though the company has not disclosed where the product will appear next. In the meantime, the ambitious startup has also launched a line of vegan cookie doughs, and it has promised to bring its clean meat to the consumer market by the end of this year.
Image Credit: JUST
