Does the thought of peanut butter, jelly, and pickled jalapeños on a cheeseburger make you cringe?
If so, you may want to reconsider and give it a try. Because the Spicy PB&J Burger is a big hit at Berlin’s new soulful vegan restaurant.
One reviewer wrote, “I ordered the spicy PB&J with regular fries, and this is a contender for the best burger ever, including the meat burger.”
In 2022, this unusual burger was sold at Big E’s Soulful Vegan food truck and won as the tastiest snack out of hundreds of vendors.
“They (customers) are saying, ‘I can’t believe this actually works,'” said co-owner Calvin Vaughn, who said the burger helped make them famous.
Vaughn and his wife, Alison Vaughn, who are both vegans, opened the brick-and-mortar store in late November, and it’s been so popular that it’s “just between my shoulders” most weekends, Alison said. Vaughn said.
Soulful Vegan sells vegan burgers with all kinds of toppings, as well as vegan hot dogs, chili, fries, chicken sandwiches, salads, shakes, and more.
The menu is small, but customers say it’s full of flavor.
Alison Vaughan says she carries the types of foods that vegetarians and vegans crave or miss from their meat-eating days, but aren’t easy to find.
“People say they haven’t had hot dogs like this in 30 years,” she says. “Because it’s cooked over an open fire.”
They flame-grill their products for that special taste, cover their fries and other items with vegan bacon, and use tons of vegan cheese sauce made from scratch.
“The vegan community sees us as a fast food option, and the non-vegan community sees us as a healthy alternative,” Alison Bourne said. “We cater to everyone’s needs.”
Alison Vaughn said that while the couple’s cooking is well-received by vegetarians and vegans from around the state and beyond, most of their customers are not vegans and are instead looking for healthy food.
“Taste first, vegan second,” Alison said of their philosophy on food. “We’re in an era where habits are changing. Most people aren’t vegan, but they might have a meatless Monday.”
Her chili is so popular and coveted that it’s made with a “secret” recipe that “I still haven’t told Calvin,” she said.
The Spicy PB & J Burger was playfully created by Allison Bourne for her husband, paying homage to his love for PB & J sandwiches.
“I said, ‘Here’s your burger, you’re going to like it,'” she told him. “I didn’t take it seriously at first.”
Indeed he liked it so much that they added it to the menu.
The burger has grapes (or another flavored jelly) and pickled jalapenos on the bottom of the bun. The top bun is smeared with peanut butter.
Customers say “magic” happens when a freshly grilled cheeseburger is sandwiched between the buns.
When the peanut butter touches the cheese, it feels like a combination of “gooey and creamy,” she says.
“When you bite into it, you get a creamy, gooey flavor on top and a salty, sweet taste on the bottom,” Alison Vaughn said.
One online reviewer who ordered a spicy PB&J burger with sweet potato fries wrote: The combination of flavors was truly genius. Sweet and salty fries with a hint of burger spice? Chef’s Kiss, my friend. ”
Another wrote: “Spicy PB&J burger is by far the best thing since playschool.”
Alison Vaughan said there was a need for “real” vegan food in the area.
“You won’t feel bloated or heavy after eating our food,” she said.
Bones started the business in 2021 with a food trailer, added another one in 2022, and then opened a brick-and-mortar store. The restaurant has some seating, primarily for takeout, but also has an added patio.
She went vegan in 2017, and a few years later, at age 35, her doctor told her she had high cholesterol and needed to take medication.
The couple also drew inspiration for their trip from the Netflix movie “What the Health.”
“I’ve seen plant-based diets change people’s lives,” he said.
Calvin Vaughan said of becoming a vegan that he thought, “If this is what I need to do to stay drug-free for the rest of my life, then this is what I have to do.” It’s all in your diet. ”
The couple has three children, ages 9 to 17, who are not vegan.
Alison Bourne said the timing was right to change her husband’s eating habits. Because she was in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, where she had to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a year, and she had time to try out vegan recipes.
Before starting the Soulful Vegan food truck, Alison Vaughan had a good corporate job and thought she would retire to a corner office.
But she cashed in her severance pay and quit her job in February 2021. She opened a food truck by May.
Approximately 200 people attended the food truck’s grand opening, even though it was a weekday.
“So we knew something was going on from day one,” she said.
The couple is focused on customer experience. “We have a real sense of home,” Alison Vaughn said.
Alison Vaughan said she loves the “community involvement” of the business, especially when she finds food that kids can eat.
“I had a 9-year-old here and she was so excited that she was able to drink a shake,” Alison Vaughn said. “Those kinds of things move people.”
Calvin Bourne said it was “satisfying” and “humbled” to see what they had created.
“I appreciate it,” he said.
Since we both became vegan, we have felt a positive change.
Calvin Vaughn, who was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 250 pounds, is now down to 210 pounds and has no knee pain.
Alison Vaughan said her sleep quality was much better, she felt “like a baby” and her “mental strength” had improved.
