by Plant-based meat substitutes for favorite dishes, like burgers and hot dogs, have taken the restaurant world by storm, and now New York City delis are hopping on the “beyond” meat trend.
These plant-based meat substitutes have been around for a long time, but the newest food trend gained steam with Burger King announcing their new Impossible Whopper and a slew of other restaurants announcing their own “beyond” and plant-based meat dishes.
As a result of the growing plant-based meat trend, there’s been several different companies popping up offering their own plant-meat products to restaurants.
Beyond burgers are specifically made by the Los Angeles-based Beyond Meat company, whereas impossible burgers are made by a different company, Impossible Foods.
And now, there’s a new contender which has its sights on the New York City deli scene — Mrs. Goldfarb’s Unreal Deli.
Mrs. Goldfarb’s created her company in October 2018, and she started by cold-calling Los Angeles-based delis like Canter’s, Factor’s Famous, and Art’s.
She also pitched her product on Shark Tank in November 2019, which helped her score a quarter-million-dollar investment investment from billionaire Mark Cuban.
Now Goldfarb’s plant-based meat products are in the kitchens of New York City, which is arguably the delicatessen capital of the United States.
New Yorkers can now order a Reuben sandwich with 100 percent plant-based meat at Sarge’s Delicatessen & Diner in Murray Hill.
Ironically, Sarge’s owner, Andrew Wengrover saw Goldfarb’s pitch on Shark Tank weeks before she even approached the deli owner.
Goldfarb herself is the great-granddaughter of Jewish New York delicatessen owners, and she’s hard at work trying to get more old-school Jewish New York delis on board with her Unreal Deli meat.
“New York has always been my biggest prize,” she said. “But Jewish delis are tough. Many haven’t put anything new on the menu in 100 years — and it’s not like there’s a new turkey club or matzo ball.”
Don’t be afraid to hit that #vegan deli with some spicy mustard. Just hit that vegan Deli…💃💃💃… pic.twitter.com/FIujdWWtoS
— UnrealDeli (@DeliUnreal) February 7, 2020
Of course, Unreal Deli meat isn’t going to stop at New York City — it’s been popping up at various delis and restaurants around the country. You can now see Unreal Deli products in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Dallas, Texas, and Los Angeles, California. You might even spot some sandwiches in Whole Foods.
Time will tell if the plant-based meat craze will ever simmer down, but it’s certainly making a huge splash in the food world now.
