Vancouver native and Virtuous Pie executive chef Jim Vesal was in his fourth year at UBC and contemplating a career in law when he had an epiphany. He developed a passion for food and cooking while working in the kitchen at Earl's and decided to switch gears in order to pursue a culinary career.
After serving as a chef for a local catering business, Jim started planning his next move. He began meeting with like-minded individuals who were interested in making a difference on the Vancouver food scene. In 2016, he teamed up with partner Lia Loukas and opened Virtuous Pie. “A lot of people think that eating a vegetarian or vegan diet, you have to sacrifice taste and texture,” says Jim. “We want to show people there’s a better way to eat and still have great tasting food.”
Despite some of the naysayers, it wasn’t long before the plant-based pizzeria at the corner of Main and Keefer became a neighbourhood hotspot, attracting vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. “The response has been overwhelming and we have line-ups out the door quite often,” says Jim. “In the early days, we had to close early because we were going through three days worth of dough in less than a day.”
