Photo by Elena Veselova
A former Piedmont Healthcare executive services associate, Anne Onyeneho never planned on being a chef. But after her sister was diagnosed with fibroids, she was determined to change her eating in hopes of preventing the hereditary tumors. She started putting together recipes based on learnings from an herbalist she followed online. Her focus was creating non-acidic, plant-based versions of all the foods she loved, such as burgers and tacos.
After documenting her journey on social media, she began writing a cookbook. After she hit $10,000 in presales, she knew she’d hit on a need. PlantBaed—named for viral Turkish chef Salt Bae—was born. “I wanted to find a way to make plants sexy,” Onyeneho says of her company name.
Photo by Elena Veselova
PlantBaed started popping up at Zeke’s Kitchen & Bar in Smyrna on Mondays and delivering plant-based meals via delivery apps. Onyeneho was also catering and offering meal-prep services. With items such as walnut meat street tacos, a falafel burger, and fried mushroom “oysters,” demand was high. So, this month, she launched the first permanent brick-and-mortar PlantBaed location in Vinings, sandwiched between Arden’s Garden and TheraSolv Botanicals & Co. There, she sells loaded walnut meat nachos (ground down and spiced to feel and taste like ground beef), Bolognese over kamut noodles, and an “MLT” made with mushroom “bacon.” Offerings are primarily made to order with select salads available as grab-and-go.
Drinks include a soursap colada (pear, key lime, agave, and ice) that Onyeneho says “tastes like a vacation,” and a cookies and cream smoothie (coconut milk with black tahini) reminiscent of Oreo flavor.
“It’s more health-centric than just vegan,” she says. “We only use whole-food ingredients. It’s not just about the animals—it’s about the humans, too.”
Onyeneho hopes to open two additional PlantBaed locations in the next 18 months.
Photo by Elena Veselova
