Chef Tal Ronnen will be visiting the San Francisco and Palo Alto communities next week on Wednesday, August 3, through Friday, August 5.

He also wants to talk to YOU, so join us for our next

LOVE YOUR FOOD EVERYDAY Chat on Facebook & Twitter:

Thursday, August 4, 2011
4 pm Central (2 pm Pacific / 5 pm Eastern)

What would you like to ask Chef Tal?

When you think of devouring your burger, you’re likely picturing sinking your teeth into a juicy all-beef patty with all the fixings. You probably have scoffed at the thought of vegetarian or tofu burgers. However, the stereotype of bland, cardboard tasting fake meat burgers is being dissolved away.

In fact, many chains are giving veggie burgers a chance on their menus, creating not only healthy alternatives but tasty too, for both omnivores and carnivores alike.

Burger behemoth Red Robin has a veggie burger — so does Johnny Rockets and even fast-food giant, Burger King. What’s fueling so many restaurants to hop on the veggie bandwagon?

It’s a way to cater to the growing consumer segment called “flexetarians” — a term to describe those who are not 100% vegetarian, but looking for meatless options whenever they can.

Some operators like Burger King and Red Robin use premade vegetable patties but some have their own special in-house recipes. The Wynn Resorts, for instance, plan to introduce a veggie burger made of soy, quinoa, wheat protein and pea blends.

Additionally, LYFE Kitchen, the new up-and-coming socially conscious healthy fast-food chain in which Synergy was hand-picked by Mike Roberts (former president of McDonald’s) and the team to help bring the concept to life, aims take beloved menu items like burgers and transform them into truly healthy meals as well. While collaborating with the LYFE Kitchen team and chefs, we developed a spectacular menu that also includes vegetarian and vegan options.

Keep your eye out on more beef-less burgers as the demand for vegetarian options is growing

Our own Dean Small and Danny Bendas were present at the LYFE Kitchen Fork Lifting in Palo Alto, CA. today with Founder Stephen Sidwell and CEO Mike Roberts among other esteemed food industry professionals and celebrity chefs.

LYFE  Kitchen (Love Your Food Everyday), the restaurant brand promoting healthy and good-tasting food, launched its “Fork Lifting” today to showcase their dishes to the special crowd.

“Eat Good. Feel Good. Do Good. “– that’s the LYFEstyle this brand encourages through their thoughtful and socially responsible practices. Be on the lookout for a LYFE Kitchen near you soon.

Synergy was hand-picked by Mike Roberts and the team to help bring LYFE Kitchen to life by collaborating with celebrity chefs and principals to build the organizational and operational infrastructure needed to roll out the brand.

Synergy managing partners Dean Small and Danny Bendas played an integral role in developing operating strategies and creating best practices while the Synergy design team captured the vision by designing a look that supports LYFE’s transformation guest experience.