When you visit ZoJu Foods in Hartford, you'll find Anthony Solano in the kitchen.
“Well, my role is chef and owner, but I'm still trying to get used to my new title.”
This is an entirely new role for Solano, who opened the business just five months ago in the CREC building on Charter Oak Avenue.
A former film and acting teacher at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, he changed careers to change the way we think about vegan food.
“Really carry on the passion, love and need for the community for high-quality, healthy food,” Solano said.
And he does all the cooking, chopping, and seasoning before serving his signature vegan dishes.
“We talk about diabetes, heart, disease, cancer, obesity, all of which plague this country, but especially those of lower socio-economic status, our Black and Latinx brothers and sisters,” Solano he said.
Solano is using her culinary talents to make a difference in her community by providing a place where people can enjoy healthy plant-based meals for breakfast and lunch.
“Every entree is served on long-grain rice and a side of vegetables,” Solano says. “Our garlic spinach is very popular. We make roasted carrots, then marinate buffalo tempeh for 24 hours and finish with our homemade buffalo sauce. It has a beautiful texture.”
Solano said she is trying to change the way people think about vegan food by educating the community that it is flavorful, filling, and most importantly, healthy.
“This was something new and very, very, very good. It actually shocked me,” said Deon Elmore, a Manchester resident.
Wednesday was Elmore's first visit to ZoJu Foods. Although he's not vegan, he says he thoroughly enjoys what this store has to offer.
Anthony named it ZoJu Foods after his twins, Zoe and Jacoby, who are now 4 years old. He says they are a constant source of inspiration and symbol of his commitment to helping people in his community eat and stay healthy.
“Everything is rooted in the idea of twins, in that we are companions and partners. We are here in life, and that is what matters, what matters most, and what We recognize that.”