The Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge, a distributed cooking competition, engages over twenty restaurants and over a thousand diners in creating delicious, widely-available vegan dishes each year.

Masala Fire Tacos, winner of last year’s TC Vegan Chef Challenge! This dish is now on Namaste Cafe’s permanent menu.

Compassionate Action for Animals has been organizing Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge since 2019, initially launching the program with support from Vegan Outreach. Each year, many hours of invisible, behind-the-scenes work from both volunteers and restaurants help to create a widespread, delicious chef challenge.

Committee members help to recruit new restaurants, update the website, create certificate names, and more. Enormous thanks to all of the challenge’s current and past committee members who have created such amazing programming! The Challenge could not happen without their work. Want to be part of the team? Come to this meeting to learn more and find your place.

Meeting & committee details:

• Hybrid Interest Meeting: This interest meeting is hybrid. If you join the committee: All regular committee meetings are also hybrid.
• Joining via Zoom? Here’s the link for the April 30 Interest Meeting. If you join the committee: the link is different for regular committee meetings. You’ll get the link at or after the interest meeting.
• Joining in person? Here’s directions to the NE Mpls office (34 13th Ave NE, Ste 108, Minneapolis MN 55413). We will have a vegan dinner at the interest meeting. If you join the committee: In-person attendees enjoy a vegan dinner together each committee meeting and trade off the cooking.
• Agenda: At the interest meeting, we will:
  • meet other attendees
  • (if in person at the CAA Community Office in NE Mpls) enjoy a vegan dinner together
  • learn what specific tasks are involved in each committee position
  • figure out what position, if any, best suits your preferences and skills
  • submit a form with your contact info and interests
• Remote volunteering: Many committee positions can be done remotely. People from all areas are welcome to join the planning committee!
• Two interest meeting dates: There are two options for the interest session: Thursday April 30 or Thursday May 7. They are the same information; you only need to come to one date.
• No-commitment interest meeting: Coming to this April 30 meeting does not commit you to volunteering. It is only to learn more about volunteering.
• Committee Schedule: Committee meetings happen 6pm-7pm on every other Thursday. The 2026 committee meetings will run May 14, May 28, June 11, June 25 — every other Thursday out until September 22.
• Social events: The committee gathers for a few casual social events throughout the year, including:
  • an evening walk along the Mississippi River at the office after our first meeting, Thursday May 14
  • free beginner’s yoga class at Union Depot at 9am on Saturday, June 6
  • a celebratory dinner dine-out at 6:30pm on Thursday, September 17
  • other items we decide together; bring your ideas!
• Questions? Comments? Contact abbey.feola @exploreveg.org

Currently-open committee positions:

• Dine-Out Coordinator (With guidance, help to schedule some of the dine-outs we run during August)
• Secretary (Taking detailed notes and making tasks during meetings)
• Social Media Content Creator (Helping to create social media posts)
• Restaurant Recruitment Helper (Messaging restaurants on Facebook & Instagram to inform them about the Challenge)
• Restaurant Follow-Up Coordinator (Sending follow up messages to restaurants)
• Website Coordinator (Updating the webpages with this year’s Challenge information)

One-time volunteer positions:

• Delivery (During July 26-31, help to deliver the publicity and voting materials to all participating restaurants)

There may be other positions open as well. If you have another passion area or professional skill, come to the meeting and talk with us afterwards to help sort through possibilities!