A vegan eggplant and veggie dish from Loving Hut. Three restaurants from Cape Coral will participate in Vegan Restaurant Week, Feb. 12-26. They include Cafe YOU, Life — The Vegan Drive Thru and Loving Hut. PROVIDED

The inaugural Vegan Restaurant Week kicks off today in Cape Coral and Fort Myers.

The Feb. 12-26 event is sponsored by Lifestyle Solutions Healthy Planet (LSHP) and Millennial Brewing.

One of the planners for the event for LSHP, Mary Ann Parsons, said the event was started in part to help small local restaurants survive the pandemic.

It’s also spread over two weeks to give people enough time to go to all six restaurants.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a meat eater or omnivore,” Parsons said. “There’s something on the menu for everyone and it’s delicious.”

A plant-based burger from Life - The Vegan Drive Thru. Three restaurants from Cape Coral will participate in Vegan Restaurant Week, Feb. 12-26. They include Cafe YOU, Life — The Vegan Drive Thru and Loving Hut. PROVIDED

Lifestyle Solutions Healthy Planet is the same group that put on SWFL Veg Fest in Fort Myers and later in Bonita Springs.

The all-volunteer-based group is dedicated to the health and wellness benefits of a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle. Their mission is to promote optimal health for all, using the cornerstones of lifestyle medicine, exhibiting compassion for animals and helping curb climate change.

“We chose the restaurants because they offer organic, healthy and delicious food,” Parsons said.

There will be three participating restaurants from Cape Coral. They include Cafe YOU, Life — The Vegan Drive Thru and Loving Hut.

Fort Myers restaurants include Green Cup, Chef Brooke’s Natural Cafe and Living Vine Organic Café.

These family-owned restaurants will offer vegan and/or vegan-inspired menu items.

Customers who sign in at each restaurant have a chance to win $100 cash and gift certificates totaling $50.

Customers are asked to wear a mask in all participating restaurants and to check each restaurant’s events, hours of operation, addresses, phone numbers and specials.

“The mission of this event is to support our local, plant-based restaurants and to spread awareness of the benefits of a plant-based diet through a fun, innovative and community-based experience,” said Dr. Sal Lacagnina, President of Lifestyle Solutions Healthy Planet. “A diet rich in whole, plant-based foods has many evidence-based, health benefits.”

Café YOU has worked with LSHP in the past and has been involved with vegan events in the community for the past four years, so they were a natural fit.

The restaurant, at 1423 S.E. 10th St., No. 1a, will be offering $5 tasting plates.

Some dishes include the soup of the day served with a house-made crostini, various types of avocado smash on chef-made sourdough toast, the bowl of health, hummus and pita chips, baked butternut salad, Asian slaw bowl, korma bowl, Spanish chickpea bowl and homemade cakes.

For a description of these choices, visit http://www.cafeyou.com/.

Manager, Michelle Perfito, says the avocado smash is one of the best-selling items.

She’s also wanted to put together a tasting plate featuring the popular dish for a while.

“I wanted to give locals a chance to branch out and try new things and attract new people in the vegan community,” Perfito said.

The korma bowl is her favorite.

It consists of chickpeas, kale and sweet potatoes. It’s served with basmati rice and a mild yellow coconut milk curry.

“I’ve seen a lot of people who don’t know what Indian food is be converted,” Perfito said. “It’s warm and hearty and delicious.”

While the event is focused on the vegan community, non-vegans are encouraged to attend as well.

“One of the greatest things about us is that we have non vegan food as well,” Perfito said. “A lot of couples will come in and one is vegan and one is not. We get couples who are both able to find something on the menu.”

Some of the cakes available during Vegan Restaurant Week, which Café YOU offers all the time, include a blueberry coconut almond tart, chocolate avocado cake, chocolate hazelnut cake and apple cinnamon cake with a spicy glaze.

Loving Hut will offer its normal menu during Vegan Restaurant Week.

Owner, Tom Nguyen, is happy to help promote a vegan diet.

“It’s a benefit to the general public,” he said. “With the pandemic, beginning a vegan diet is the way to go, if you do the research on what a vegan diet can do.

Nguyen recommends the documentary “Forks Over Knives” to learn more.

“We have been promoting a vegan diet since 2009 when we first opened,” he said. “And we’ve survived for 13 years. A lot of my customers eat a vegan diet and they benefit from it and they come back.”

Loving Hut is at 1918 Del Prado Blvd. S., No. 3.

Life – The Vegan Drive Thru, which opened last year at 3310 Del Prado Blvd. S., will offer its normal menu and some special dishes.

There will be a barbeque pulled jackfruit sandwich with coleslaw on top served on a soft crystal bun as well as a coffee cocoa smoothie.

They’ve also created a new “sausage” patty, which will be available during restaurant week, and will be a permanent new addition to the menu.

Owners Ryann Urban and Wulf Schaude are excited to be involved.

“I think it’s an exciting way to bring in people who aren’t necessarily vegan to try vegan food,” Urban said.

If you’re curious about vegan food and the plant-based lifestyle, Urban and Schaude say to come out and try something new.

“Be unbiased,” Schaude said. “If you’re not familiar with it, most people will feel differently after they eat plant-based food. If you eat meat and dairy, you feel sluggish. That’s not the case with vegan food. It’s way easier to digest.”

“You don’t have to be vegan to eat vegan food.”

Urban agreed.

“You can take steps in a small direction for a plant-based lifestyle,” she said.

For more information about Vegan Restaurant Week, visit www.eventbrite.com/d/online/vegan-restaurant-week.

Cafe YOU

Where: 1423 S.E. 10th St., No. 1A

When: Monday through Saturday, 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Closed, Sunday Information: 239-600-0966 and http://www.cafeyou.com/

Life – The Vegan Drive Thru

Where: 3310 Del Prado Blvd. S., Cape Coral

When: Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information: 239-599-2291 and https://thevegandrivethru.com/

Loving Hut

Where: 1918 Del Prado Blvd. S., No. 3

When: Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.; Sunday, closed Information: 239-424-8433 and https://lovinghut.us/capecoral/