UnchainedTV: Why Chicagoland is America's New Vegan Mecca!

0:01 Welcome to Unchained TV, featuring best-selling author, TV journalist, and the founder of the Unchained TV free streaming network, Jane Valez Mitchell. You're about to hear a secret solution to the problems that plague our world. If you want to revolutionise your health, get truly joyful, and jump to the next phase of human evolution, all it takes is one simple choice. Now, here's your host, Jane Valez Mitchell. Discover Unchained TV and transform your life for free. Unchained TV is a non-profit organisation producing plant-based content filled with tips and tricks to spice up those healthy veggies, grains, and legumes.

0:48 For more information on Unchained TV Productions, just visit UnchainedTV.com. That's UnchainedTV.com. And boy, do we have a show for you today. Nemanja Golubovic and Tamika Price, two superstars from Chicagoland as the Midwest becomes the new vegan Mecca, and they've got a fabulous new show called Kale Crew on Unchained TV. It is tantalising. It is an adventure. It is so exciting, and you're going to meet the host today, Nemanja, who's also the owner of Kale My Name, and Tamika, who is a social media influencer, and guess what?

1:33 They were matching outfits, as you can see. Kale Crew is so very exciting. These guys are going to really give you this look at Chicago. You know, people think that the vegan movement is sort of a New York, L.A., Berlin thing. No. The Midwest is going vegan like crazy. They go to Alice and Friends restaurant at the Glen in Chicago. It is super, super fun, and without further ado, I would love you to meet these two powerhouses, so let's do it. Thank you so much for joining us, guys.

2:15 Nemanja, I want to start with you because we got this idea. We were at a party together, and I said, wow, Chicago is an amazing vegan scene. Why don't we do a show? And you just said, yes, and next thing you know, boom, you did it. The next thing you know, I was texting Tamika because, in my mind, Tamika is the face of a vegan Chicago foodie, and she just does that normally. She goes to these places and often drugs me with her, so we just do that naturally, and when you mention it, that there is a lot of things that you have in New York, in L.A., and you didn't have in Chicago, I immediately thought of Tamika, and I was like, if I'm going to do this, it is going to be with her, so I immediately texted her, and she said, boo, you already know.

3:07 We've been talking about this. We've been waiting for an email. I told you, Jane, send me an email, and the second that email was sent, we came to an agreement and the show started, so. So, Tamika, you bring such life energy, verb, sophistication to this show. Thank you. Tell us, you are a social media influencer. You've been on the Rachel Ray Show, WGN News, all sorts of media. Why is this a passion for you? Oh, my gosh. Jane, first of all, thank you for having me. And secondly, it's definitely a passion, because once I was able to realise just how much it's done for my health, how much it's done for, you know, just my overall quality of life, and then how I've fallen in love with animals, like, I want to farm.

4:01 I had to just share the lifestyle. I said, if it helps one person, I'm doing my job. So, I just hopped on and just started having fun and just sharing and just wanted to connect with other people like me. Well, I want to show a clip, because this is such a fun show. Again, I kind of trusted Nemanja. He's extremely successful. Kale My Name Restaurant in Chicago is the bomb. Like, everybody talks about it. He is literally, when you say Kale My Name, everybody is like, wow. So, let's show a clip, because I think you've really, really woken me up about how extraordinary the vegan scene is in Chicago.

4:47 Hello, Hungry Kales. Welcome to our show, Kale Crew. I'm a little hungry, Kale, today. You want to come on a tantalising adventure? Absolutely. I cannot wait. My name is Nemanja Golubovic. I'm Samika Price. And we are in Chicago, where vegan options are everywhere. North, south, east, west. Well, we cannot go that much east, because we're going to end up in a lake. Lake Michigan, okay. Okay, but we can go some other directions. Yes. So, where are we going today? Okay, so we're going right outside of Chicago in Cicero, Illinois. It's called Taste of Bree. They're known for their tantalising vegan eats and meal prep. Mm-hmm. I cannot wait. And that's west, right? Yes, it is just west.

5:28 Let's run west. Oh, okay, okay. Yes! I graduated from La Cordon Bleu, and I did a year there. I learned so much. And I really love making plant-based dishes. I feel like the creativity is endless. Yes. And you can just make so much, and it's good for you. So, that is so, you've made it fun. I mean, so many people consider veganism some kind of sacrifice. You really show them that it is the most fun lifestyle. I think it's a life... Go ahead. I'm sorry. No, hurry. Go ahead. What was it? I'm sorry. I was just going to say, when you said that, Jane, it just instantly made me think, like, I truly feel like this vegan lifestyle is a life of abundance and joy.

6:17 It is, and that's the thing. It's like trying to convince people, Namanja, that this is not a sacrifice, that it's a really glorious adventure. You're making that happen with this show. It is really an adventure because I start from my personal experience. I immediately thought, before I was vegan and unaware, I thought that it's restrictive, that I'm going to give something up. But it's so not true. There's a whole new world that you get to explore and enjoy, and so many things, I didn't even know it existed. Back in time, when I would be eating everything, as people would say, I wasn't just eating everything.

6:59 I would be eating three different dead meats and potatoes, and that would be my lunch and dinner over and over and over and for the majority of my adult life. And then once I discovered the vegan food, now I'm like, what else is out there? You're discovering a jackfruit and all the fun ways that you can be preparing them, and I'm discovering more things. I don't know, how to make your own seitan, how to make your own proteins. Even some fruits, I just fell in love with a dragon fruit that I didn't even know it existed before. So many things. Tempeh, I never heard of it before going vegan.

7:39 There is so much, and I'm honestly exploring something new every day. Just yesterday, Tamika and I ate a chips that was made out of beets, and I was like, who thought of this? This is such a good chips. And I'm like, there is something new every single day, and that's what veganism is all about. It is absolutely not restrictive, but it opens so many new doors that are just incredible. And what it can do to you, it's almost like a magical miracle. That's what your show does. It shows people. So we're going to go to the callers. Paige in Los Angeles, your question or thought for Nemanja and Tamika.

8:25 Oh my gosh, I just love your show. You guys are amazing. Thank you. Here's my question. What is your biggest challenge? And I want to hear from each one of you. What are your challenges on making the show, being vegan? Pick one. Thank you. Good question. What are your biggest challenges, Nemanja? Because you walk around town like you ain't got no challenges. It feels that way. I would mostly say not as challenging as making the show, because that's been really a smooth experience for us.

9:09 And the reason for that is because we both enjoyed so much. We love it. We are texting each other the day before shooting an episode. We are going like, oh my God, we are so excited. And we just know we're going to have a great time, because that's our experience. And those are our personalities. So when it comes to shooting a show, there is not much of a challenge. Well, there would be one. We cannot go to every single place out there. Because Tamika said one fun thing to me when I said, oh, you know, we're doing a season one. We know we're doing the 10 episodes. We will see if we are doing this more. And then Tamika said, boo, we can be doing this for years. Because there's so many places where we can go.

9:49 So that would be the challenge, that we cannot make every single restaurant in Chicago that we want to. But we'll try. Well, you know, it's funny you should say that. Because, OK, I'm going to confess. When you said, I'm going to do a show, I thought, well, how many episodes? Because how many vegan restaurants do they have in Chicago? And I've been blown away. And over the course of this hour, you're going to see that they have an entire vegan, not just supermarket, like a mall. I mean, it's mind-blowing. And I didn't know about this till I saw Kale My Name. So watch it on Unchained TV. We've got more callers. Niloufar in Dallas, Texas, then followed by Tiffany. Niloufar. Hi.

10:29 In general, restaurants have a 60% to 80% failure rate. What inspired you to leave a very successful career in hospital management and to launch a potentially risky vegan restaurant? Wow. I like your provocative questions. OK, Nemanja, take it away. We can't get away from the fact that this is very true. The restaurants are like one of the highest failing businesses. And the majority of them fails only within the first year because it's a rough business. And I think it's even rougher for the vegans because we are counting on that particular community and niche to come and support us.

11:14 But what I had in mind is creating the food that everyone's going to like. So in the sense that I don't depend on the vegans. All you need to do is try. And I have a good way around convincing people just to try the food when I slip them a cauliflower wing. Then they are kill my name customer lifetime. They don't even have to be vegan. They keep coming. And honestly, like I gave it all in this. Like I entered with my entire heart. And I think that's the reason why it's our fifth year. We've been four and a half years in Chicago and now in the two locations. And I think the reason for that success is my passion for it.

11:54 I'm extremely passionate about veganism and also the food that is for everyone. So that I don't have to count on vegans because sadly, like I'm going to be honest with you, if only vegans aided kill my name, we would not be able to live because there are many vegans, but it's just not enough for every single day for us to put like 100 to 200 orders out there, how much it's needed for us to operate smoothly. So I feel like a good food, a passion, a hard work and a good team. Absolutely. Okay. We've got more callers. Tiffany in Los Angeles, your question or thought for the Stars of Kale crew.

12:35 Yes. Good afternoon, Jane. And I just discovered the show from Unchained TV in the last couple of weeks. And I've been obsessed. I love both of your chemistry together. And it just, I want to go to Chicago and go to the vegan places. I was wondering, have you thought about taking it on the road, the show? I mean, I guess it would be expensive, but have you thought about visiting some other states or areas? Wow. Good question. Tameka, you are a very successful social influencer and you're also a very busy lady, but wow. Since everybody's loving the show, what do you think? I love hearing stuff like that so much.

13:16 And not only have I thought about it, like, like I just get grander plans. Like I know that that is something that can totally happen. So hopefully it'll be on Unchained TV and then we can go all across the world. That would just be so awesome. And your chemistry together, which a couple, several people have mentioned, is so amazing. You have, it's clear that you're having fun. Yes. When you have fun, the viewer has fun. So what, what is the secret to your tantalising, adventurous chemistry, Tameka? We're just, we're friends. Like Neiman invited me to like a Halloween party at Kale My Name, a birthday party.

13:58 And we just started hanging out more and more. And I'm just like, he is hilarious to me. He cracks me up. If I'm feeling a little low energy being around Neiman, that's going to change in a hot second. So I think that we just really bounce off vibrancy off of each other. So it just works. And the show is so much fun to watch. Again, Kale Crew streaming on Unchained TV. And literally I feel like I'm taking a flight to Chicago every time I watch another episode and learning all about these different neighbourhoods, like the Glen and all sorts of Cicero. I had no idea.

14:39 I've been, I was in Chicago once during a snowstorm for 24 hours and it's a blur. So thank you for turning us on to the Midwest vegan scene. All right. We've got Michael followed by Michelle, followed by Lindsey. Michael, your question or thought? Oh, hey, thank you. By the way, I love your guys' energy together. It's really amazing. But my question basically is, what was the thing that made you go vegan in the first place? Personally for me, I did it for the animals. But I love it when people go vegan maybe for health or, you know, diet reasons, whatever. And then they become, you know, they realise the connection between animals and, you know, food.

15:21 So I'd love to hear like, you know, just really shortly your journey. I'm with you, Michael. Thank you. I'm with you. That was my reason. So Tamika can answer differently. Yeah. Thank you for that. I initially started for health. I battled with asthma and I watched What the Health after, you know, dealing with doctor visits and inhalers. And I was in, like, I developed it in my 20s and I was so confused as to why that could be. So watching What the Health, it, you know, it really focused on the health aspect of that. So when I did do it, I said, OK, I'm going to give it 30 days. And within a week and a half, my asthma completely cleared up.

16:05 And so I just I've been sticking with this lifestyle since 2019 solid. And the way that it's just, again, transformed my entire quality of life and really heightened my compassion for, you know, animals. So I always tell people, if you're like on the fence about the lifestyle, if you feel that nudge or that pull, definitely immerse yourselves in the in all of the documentaries that are available to us. So watching all the ones that are for health, but also that are about animal agriculture, because I truly know like when we know better, we tend to do better. So thank you. I'm going to ask you a follow up. We got a bunch of callers, but you're saying to me you were suffering from asthma.

16:49 Your life was miserable. You were going to doctors. They were giving you inhalers and you went vegan after watching What the Health and boom, your asthma went away. You want to know what's crazy, Jane, is I remember being in in my car and I had an asthma attack. And this was when I was first experiencing asthmatic types of symptoms. And I had an asthma attack in my car literally out of nowhere. There was no warning for it. And I honestly, honestly thought I was going to die. I thought, OK, should I pull into a pharmacy and just ask for an inhaler? And just thank goodness, it just ended up dissipating and passing on its own.

17:32 But that was definitely a wake up call for me. So that's when I got on my laptop the next day and I was like, I have to figure out a natural way to cure this because this cannot be my this cannot be my quality of life. Wow. And so it's that's truly, though, like an endorsement of veganism. And I hear these stories all the time. And yet you go to doctors and hey, I'm a believer in doctors. I go every year. I you know, but this you know, I've been given an inhaler, actually, because when I was living in Manhattan, it was such smog. And I realised I don't need this. I don't need this. It's amazing. So let's go to the rest of our callers.

18:14 We've got so many more clips to play for you guys. OK, we got Michelle in Los Angeles. Your question or thought for the Stars of Kale crew. Hi, you two fabulous people. Your show and you two are so enthusiastic and passionate and it's so genuine. It comes across. I wanted to thank you for that. I want to know, how do you pick your restaurants? And specifically, each of you, what are your favourite foods that are vegan? And which do you think tastes the most like the regular meat foods? Oh, Nemanja, you want to hit it? Yes. One thing that we have to agree on when we are picking a restaurant, we both have to like it, OK, which is not a hard thing because we are food lovers and like we love a lot of food.

19:05 And honestly, some of the places we went to are like mutual favourites. Lately, lately for me, I've been more into like health food and I really love to explore like eating mostly food that it's fully focused on a plant. Rather than the mimic of a meat, I mentioned I went vegan for the animals now that I didn't like meat. I loved it. So meat substitutes were great for me. But lately, I just been really into that. And right now we are seeing that broccoli situation that was like so good. And that's how we how we decide. We both have to like it.

19:45 And then it has to have something that we just love on the menu. And the herbivore next door is putting out some of the episodes. You can go to watch.UnchainedTV.com and you can see all the episodes or you can just go to UnchainedTV.com and just literally just click on UnchainedTV.com. There's a button that says streaming and all the episodes pop right on. It's so easy. Everything is free. We do not charge. We are a 501c3 nonprofit.

20:27 Our sole aim is to get people to watch this content so they can see that going plant-based is an adventure. We're a happy group. We're not a glum lot. Man, we are having a good time. I mean, one of my biggest challenges is can I go to all these parties? Can I go to all these restaurants? Can I experience all this fun stuff? There's only 24 hours in the day. Okay, Lindsay and Tarzana, your question or thought for the stars of Kale Crew on UnchainedTV. I'm just so excited to hear that Chicago has such a large vegan community because like Jane, I was there many years ago and there was like nowhere to eat, but it's wonderful.

21:14 And I just wonder if you have any advice for people just turning vegan in terms of, you know, how do they do it at home? Like, do you have some easy or some advice of how to find easy recipes they can do when they first start out? Thank you. I have perfect advice for that because like, as I just previously mentioned, like I went vegan for the animals, so like I wanted all the foods. So I think the most beautiful advice for everyone going vegan is to try to eat the same foods that they normally eat, but just the vegan version. There is now available vegan version of everything. I cannot think of the foods that you cannot make vegan.

21:56 So what do you normally eat? It's the best. That's how I started. And later on, I learned to love some things. Like I just, my love for plants increased over time. Like I remember I didn't like tomato. Like now I'm eating tomato as if it was apple, just like, just like that. So I think that's the best way to start what you would normally eat as a non-vegan, but try to make that as a vegan version. When it comes to recipes, there's so many available. There's so many books, internet, luckily in 2024, it's so accessible. You can find a free recipe for everything. So I would start, I would start that way. Okay. I would start at unchainedtv.com, where we have thousands of recipes and we have a video that explains each and every recipe.

22:43 And then you have the entire recipe. So I just put up a category called desserts. I woke up and I go, you know, I love desserts. Why the hell don't I have a category that just takes us to vegan desserts? So lickety split, I put up a category and I'm telling you these desserts, I look at, I look at the images and I'm like, I want to make it right now. And they're healthy. Like we have Chef AJ, we have, she does incredible desserts without any sugar. She uses dates. I love that. It's absolutely amazing. Well, this is just so fun. I want to ask you about Chicago, but first what I'd like to do is play another clip.

23:23 And this is a clip of Plant X. I was not aware that there was a vegan, literally shopping centre in Chicago. And I only found out when I was watching your show on Unchained TV. Did you know Chicago has entirely vegan food hall with six vegan restaurants inside, grocery store and vegan bar? Well, you're about to find out. I'm feeling like these Los Tamales. Tamales. And I think I am feeling Los Tacos. And now we are in front of the Bodega. Yes. That's a new word for me. Bodega. I didn't know what that meant, but explain to me.

24:04 It's kind of a smaller version of a grocery store. Yes. Which one you got? I get the Herbed Feta and then I will make it with chickpea pasta. And then I just melt it in with the pasta and it's easy breezy and it's tantalising. Oh my gosh. Easy breezy and tantalising. I want to say, first of all, I'm a huge fan of Plant X. There is a Plant X market here in Venice, California, where I live. And I go there all the time and it's absolutely fabulous. Like I go in, I always find something incredible. They have all the latest vegan products. So, wow. Where is Chicago when it comes to the big vegan cities?

24:48 You deserve more respect, my friends, in Chicago. I agree. Tell me about that, Tamika, because people talk about LA, New York, Berlin, and London. Well, I just, in my opinion, Chicago is one of those cities that is a food city. Everybody knows it. So, like, it's really an honour to be able to help make that also true for vegan food. So, there's this, I'm telling you, I still have not been to a bunch of places. I was just, like, researching places and, like, bookmarking places. Like, I have to go check this out. I have to go check this out because there's that many options.

25:29 And people are, like, the restaurant owners are consistently seeing the value. They're starting to see the value in the vegan market. And that even if you're not vegan, that you may still want to dabble in it. You may be plant-based or part of the time plant-based or something like that. Or you just may be plant-forward. So, it's definitely an awesome thing to have a more inclusive menu to allow a separate vegan menu. And I just love sharing it. And Karen LaCava says she's excited to visit Chicago. Karen, who's a friend of mine, the two of us should go to Chicago and explore this incredible Chicago vegan scene. That's what made me want to do it. Your show makes me want to hop on a flight and go to all these incredible places.

26:14 What has the reaction been to the show in Chicago, Nemanja? I have to mention the Plan X Market first since I don't think I responded to that. I just love, like, how community is coming to hang out because there's so many events. It's really a lot of space. So, besides, like, being just about food, there are a lot of fundraisers. There's a farmer's market. There are people who are not even part of the Plan X Market that they're coming on a Saturday and Sunday. And they're able to set up, like, a little stand and, like, sell their products, engage with the community. Like, we just had a sanctuary that we were raising money for.

26:55 So, I really love being a part of the Plan X Market. And it's going to almost be a one -year anniversary over there. I'm very excited about that. Now, to answer how Chicago reacted to our show. Well, I really think Chicagoans are proud of us. And you hear people want to travel to Chicago because of us. We bring tourism to the city, baby. So, I really think the reactions have been amazing. People are excited about the new episode. Every time we pause, somebody, like, engages with it and even say, like, we cannot wait for the next one. So, I think response from Chicago was great. But, like, what makes me even happier is that there are people even outside of Chicago watching the show.

27:37 Which it is, was an ultimate goal of it. But it makes me really happy that it's, like, not just Chicago viewers, but seems, like, from everywhere. Like, look at California calling us today. So, I love that. Yes. You know, to me, what's really important is that there are industries and there are people who are out to kill the plant-based movement. And, you know, The Guardian just did an article saying the meat industry has, like, a giant facility in Denver, Colorado that is churning out all sorts of negative stuff. Oh, meat processed, you know, vegans, vegan meat alternatives are processed.

28:19 They don't mention that processed meat from animals is officially cancer-causing. According to the World Health Organisation, it is a carcinogen. And red meat is a likely carcinogen. So, I urge everybody to be very careful because the news media, which I was in for more than 30 years, they take things and they reprint them and they don't really do a deep dive. And, unfortunately, there's been some success with that. Now, let me just say this. We didn't create veggie burgers and, you know, vegan chicken wings mostly for vegans. We created it for meat eaters who said, I could never give up chicken wings.

29:00 I could never give up my burgers. I could never give up my cheese. So, then we say, okay, hold on a second. We're going to create alternatives for you. And then they turn around and they go, well, that's processed. Well, guess what? Mother Nature has always been providing fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and legumes. You always have that option. And I also try to eat whole food plant-based. I have fruits and vegetables. Actually, it started during the pandemic, but I keep it going because it encourages me to eat that way. I have them delivered to my house once a week. It actually saves me money, too. So, let's throw out this old canard about being vegan is more expensive. You know, you can get a sack of brown rice, a sack of black beans, and some potatoes and live for a month.

29:42 Okay? So, there's a lot of false stuff that's put out there by industries that are profiting from people eating animals and getting sick. Heart disease, cancer, all sorts of things. So, for me, what's so important about this show and one of the reasons I'm so excited about Kale Crew, our new series on Unchained TV, if you're just joining us and you can go to unchainedtv.com and just click on streaming and it's right there. We've already got five episodes. The sixth is coming in. I'm excited because it shows that this is a grassroots movement that is the entire United States. In fact, the entire world. It's not just the way they try to make it like a bunch of super cool, you know, hippie-dippies in Venice.

30:30 But it's not just me. I'm kidding. I'm not super cool, but I do live in Venice. So, the point is that this really, the power of the Kale Crew show and this series, this shows that this is happening across America and in communities of colour. African-Americans, correct me if I'm wrong, Tamika, are the fastest growing demographic switching to vegan. 80%. 80%. What? 80% of African-Americans in the United States are vegan. So, I get those demographics all the time because I'm in the restaurant industry, so I want to know. And that's amazing and I love that.

31:14 So, Tamika, you know, in your series, you're emphasising a lot of entrepreneurs, owners of vegan restaurants that happen to be African-American. Yes. It's very personal and near and dear to my heart because before becoming Plant Based Tamika, I've, you know, had storefronts with my boutique standout style. So, I understand, like, how it can feel or how it can be when it's slow or if people don't know that you're there and things like that. And just, I just wanted to show people that look like me that, hey, this is not something that is not for us, too. Like, we can, you know, we all can eat vegetables and we can all thrive and we can all just be healthy and also help save the animals, too, along with it.

31:58 All right. We've got yet another caller, Karen, in infamous Venice, California. Karen, what is your question or thought? Hi, you guys. First of all, I love your energy and I love vegan soul food. It's awesome. So, I'm a vegan chef and I do a lot of parties. And I'm wondering, what are your favourite vegan party foods that you like to eat when you're at parties and that you like to make for parties? Well, I can chime in on that. I would say my favourite thing to make and that has been a consistent hit for any time I'm entertaining.

32:40 It's on my website, too. It's basically the veggie loaded hummus flatbread. No one really realises that it doesn't involve cheese and it doesn't involve any meat. And they're just all, like, tantalised by all of the flavours of the veggies that are roasted, seasoned, and then the flavorful hummus on there, too. So, just cut those up into little squares. And to me, that's just like a very vibrant, easy kind of plate that's also somewhat filling, too. So, that's kind of like my go-to thing when I'm entertaining. But when I'm at parties, like, look, I'm not going to pretend. Like, my absolute favourite food is pizza. Sushi comes next. So, if those two types of items are there, I'm a happy girl.

33:23 And I love the fact that you guys coordinate your outfits, clearly. And it just started happening like that, Jane. We didn't even do it like it just started happening. I love this outfit. And this is Alice and Friends you visited. Now, this is a very, I would say, gourmet cuisine. Tell us a little bit about the variety in the cuisine. Because we're going to cover one that does more fast food alternatives. But this is just really gourmet, Asian-themed cuisine. Correct, Nemanja? That is correct, yeah. And that's when we knew we want to do it. Because it is so fun.

34:03 The food is so good. Samika and I both personally love it. I've been a customer of Alice and Friends for a really, really long time. We are even friends with Omar Moon, who's been incredible. That's a general manager of their kitchen that creates a lot of recipes and just does incredible, incredible things. Like, I honestly said, like, I know it's a big of a statement. But I think they made the best mac and cheese in the world. Vegan or not, it's just simply the best mac and cheese in the world. Like, it's so good. Everybody got to try it. And I think their secret is, like, after the macaroni are boiled, they're going in a pan on a grill. And, like, I don't know, that does some miracle to them.

34:45 They just get a little crispiness. And then, like, a cheese gets even more melty. And just the whole situation, it's so good. And then, particularly not, like, an Asian-inspired dish. And it's weird that an Asian restaurant does it the best. But it's, like, so good. They do have diversity in the menu. They're also known for their desserts. And the end of that episode, Tameka and I get surprised by the owner with the two incredible desserts that were to, like, lick your fingers. Guys, I'm getting really hungry. I'll see you later. I want to go to another one, which is, yes, there is vegan fast food style. What I find so annoys me is, I drive down Lincoln Boulevard, for example, it's like one fast food restaurant after another.

35:31 Where are all the people beating their chests? This isn't healthy for you. Then we come up with plant-based alternatives to fast food, which is automatically healthier because there's zero cholesterol in any vegan product. Challenge me, go up and down the supermarket aisles. Every single vegan product says zero cholesterol. And essentially, we mimic some of the look of fast food. But if you think about what's in it, it's actually vegetables mushed together to make a patty. So let's, you know, let's take a look at this one restaurant, which I want to visit as soon as I get to Chicago.

36:13 Can't believe it's not me. I'm Tameka Price. And welcome to another tantalising adventure. Tameka, where are we going today? I'm so glad you asked me. We are going to one of Chicago's top spots for tantalising vegan eats. Can't believe it's not me. Can't believe it. Can't believe it's not me. It's a fun vegan junk food restaurant. So because when my family and I have become a vegan, we couldn't find things that was just like, you know, really fun stuff that my son and my family miss. You know, my son, he still wanted fun stuff. Chicken nuggets, burgers, like cool fast food stuff. But everything then at that time was just like a lot of, you know, mushroom based quinoa.

36:55 Like everything was just like not aimed towards fast food. We found a boy there and I was like, that would be wonderful to open up a restaurant like that. But it came from, I would let my family eat it that was not vegan and they'll taste it. And they'll be like, I can't believe it's not me. I can't believe it's not me. The food is mouthwatering. I mean, all of the restaurants you visit, but boy that, the burger shakes, fries. And just tell me about that restaurant and the woman who started it. Yeah, Chef Fab is wonderful. My mouth just literally started to water watching it. I was like, oh my gosh.

37:35 So yeah, I do love that. They cater to also not just like the vegan junk food, but a lot of, there's like Chicago classics that they also make. And it's just all just so, so, so good. Like that was one of the first restaurants that I visited. And it made me, when I said I was going to do 30 days, you know, plant-based, I was like, maybe I could do this a hundred percent. So that was one of the places. So it's so good. Well, you guys are very important. Go ahead. Go ahead, Nemanja. I just want to say that like Tamika's favourite is there like a Philly cheesesteak, which is like a very traditional take on like a Chicago dish. And that patty melt from Can't Believe It's Not Meat.

38:15 It's like, I don't remember patty melt being that good. Honestly. Cause like it was not like my favourite thing back in time. It's been for me like nine years since I had meat. But like that patty melt from Can't Believe It's Not Meat is literally one of the best. Yeah. And everybody's sharing. And so many people are saying we've got to go to Chicago road trip. Oh, wow. This is making me hungry. I want to go to Chicago road trip. Oh my gosh. I think that we're going to get a whole crew. You know what we could do? I'm always cooking up different little adventures in my head.

38:56 That's how I get into trouble. We could do a group road trip from LA to Chicago and do the tour of the restaurants that you profile. I love that. You should follow us on the way too. Yeah. Absolutely. That would be fun. We probably, I don't know, but it should be a long tour in the sense that if we went to every single restaurant in two days. Well, every time you're hungry. Every time you're hungry, we could go to a new restaurant. Every time you're hungry, which could be four to five times a day. Now let me ask you, Nemanja, you're, both of you are social media influencers. You have your pulse, your finger on the pulse of the nation.

39:37 Where are we? Because, you know, I've been vegan about 28 years and Tom says, let me know when you're here. We will, Tom. Don't worry about that for sure. But I've been vegan about 28 years. When I first went vegan, you know, there were like two restaurants and they were mostly like macrobiotic, nothing against macrobiotics. My parents were actually macrobiotic for quite a while, but I knew everybody. They were empty, you know, and now a lot of times it's hard to get a table at the hot vegan restaurants. I mean, we've got a lot of hot vegan restaurants here. I don't want to leave any out, but just to throw out a couple, Planta, Crossroads, Cavendish, Gracias Madre.

40:21 A lot of times it's really hard to get a table at those and nothing makes me happier. Honestly, I can tell you, nothing makes me happier than having to wait for a table at a vegan restaurant because for so many years, I fantasised about that scenario. So where are we? Because there's, that's a good point there. But on the other side, as I mentioned, you have these very powerful industries on the attack because they're scared. They see people going vegan and they see money, money, money going away and they want people to keep eating the same food that's making them really, really sick. So where are we, Nemanja? And then we'll go to Tamika. Jane, you just reminded me of a joke where like getting mad at the grocery store that the vegan supplies, it's sold out, but then being happy because that means it's in demand.

41:09 So you just reminded me of that. As you said, you enjoy waiting for a table at a vegan restaurant, which is funny. I think, I agree with you. The meat industry, the dairy industry is desperate. And I spoke about that on my podcast. I really think they're so desperate that they're trying to pull like the last rows of like to save themselves. But I think people are recognising those and I don't think it's doing much, particularly not for the dairy industry. When it comes, oh, Kale, Kale, my dog is present. Anyway, when it comes to the meat industry trying to, Kale, come here, come here.

41:50 My dog, it's just, you know, it's a live show. So like that can happen. Kale, my name. And yes, exactly. That is my everything. Anyway, meat industry. I recently chatted with my cousin who was, my entire family went vegan. I convinced them all, but my cousin didn't. And I was recently chatting about it and then she was trying to convince me that it's not a good option. And I asked her, why are we even having this debate? I was like, mine, it's to support life and yours is to support death. You will never win this, so let's just end it. And that is my opinion on like where this is going, right?

42:31 Like they will never win because we want to support life. And I think that's it. Absolutely. And also for the climate. I mean, climate change is no longer some theoretical thing out there. It's hitting people. And one of the reasons I started Unchained TV is because having been in the news media for decades, I saw that they would cover all the catastrophes, but then when a solution comes up that's a clear cut solution. And I'll give you a very specific example. I've got it right here. Let me find it because it's worth, here we go. Put down that hamburger, save the planet.

43:13 New York Times. Researchers examined the diets of 55,500 people and found that vegans are responsible for 75 % less in greenhouse gases than meat eaters. Now, that means that if everybody went vegan, we would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75%. That's a solution. Hello? No coverage. No coverage on any of the major networks or any of the minor networks. I mean, we're the only ones that are talking about it now. Kudos to the New York Times for publishing that. It was kind of buried. The article wasn't. It should be a headline. They do headlines about the catastrophes, the fires, the floods, the buildings collapsing, all of these things. And then when a clear cut solution is offered, they completely ignore it.

43:57 So that's why I started Unchained TV. So if the clock is ticking, we have to get people on board. And then, you know, when they lose their house in a fire, is it going to take that for them to get the connection? That they could have been part of the solution? So this is one of the reasons I started Unchained TV, because the reason why you won't see it on mainstream television is look at the advertisers. Fast food and pharmaceuticals. Your thoughts on that, Tamika? Yeah, it's ultimately, to me, it's a money issue. It can be a cognitive dissonance issue with individuals, but ultimately this is like this is about big business.

44:44 I just think that the best way for us individually to influence people and just let them see what's going on is just to continue to share and let them let them get to that point themselves, because a lot of times when people feel forced or that their arm is twisted and things like that, you'll be met with more resistance. So that's honestly why I just try to share the joy and, again, the abundance of this lifestyle, because for me I already know that the way social media is going to break things down, they're going to show my content to the people that love it and they're going to show my content to the people that hate it. So I'm just looking to help sway somebody to just say you can help out the planet, you can help out yourself, you can help out your health by a plant-based diet.

45:34 And check out... Everyone's complaining how hot it is, and we don't get that much snow in Chicago anymore. I remember when I came here in 2015 there was like four months of snow. Last winter we had two days of snow, Jane. It's Chicago, for the love of God! I agree with you, and again, that's why I started Unchained TV. So it's a vegan Netflix. Okay, that's the craziest thing I've ever heard. I love Unchained TV. Unchained. Unchained TV. Your life will change. It's just that easy. Unchained TV has all sorts of content for everybody. Unchained TV changed my life. Unchained TV is crushing it.

46:15 I love Unchained TV. Unchained TV is my go-to. Unchained TV. Who knew? Unchained, baby! And you can just go to if you want to go straight to the streaming network, watch.unchainedtv.com We also have our website hub, unchainedtv.com, either one. And we also produce hundreds, even thousands of articles. And we have very exciting development to tell you about that connects with Kale Crew. We have now launched on Fast Channels and this week we are going to start showing Kale Crew on the Fast Channels and those are going to open this message up to a whole new audience.

47:06 So we're very excited about that. You guys are literally changing the world, saving the world and I just have to say, coming full circle back to when I met you at a party, Nemanja, and I said, we were just talking and I said, oh, Chicago, why don't you do a show in Chicago? And you were like, okay, and then like two weeks later you have your first episode. I was like, oh my God, I've never seen anybody move that fast and that efficiently and you just keep churning out the episodes. I mean, what is your secret sauce? Because I would say I'll have what he's having. One thing about Neiman, Neiman moves quick and I'm excited about things and what I'm passionate about like I just want to do.

47:55 I have to tell people who watch already all the episodes, the reasons to stay tuned. It's going to be like a teeny tiny spoiler alert for what is coming. But we're going to also have like a dessert ice cream episode. It's going to be absolutely fabulous and it's coming out already this Friday. Anyway, for the episode after that that still has not been recorded but I have to say something because the caller previously said that long time ago in Chicago she barely had any options. Well, I also didn't know about this but the episode eight will be at the vegan place in Chicago that's been existing for 40 years.

48:35 What? That's why I stay tuned on Unchained TV for the episode eight of a Kel Crew show because 40 years ago they didn't even have a vegan word established so they called it vegetarian restaurant. Even though it was 100% vegan, they just didn't know how to call it differently but they called it a vegetarian restaurant. So I think vegetarian is still somewhere in their name or they switched it to the veg now. But anyway, you're going to find out more about this in an episode eight and I just wanted to give like a little preview so you guys can be excited about it and look forward to episodes to come. Well, that's really exciting. It reminds me of when I was in Zurich and they said that the world's oldest vegan restaurant existed.

49:19 The world's oldest vegetarian. And I went there and it was a buffet style restaurant. That's what it is. It was almost 100% vegan. In fact, I didn't see anything that wasn't vegan. They called it vegetarian but that was one of the highlights of my life, honestly. Because I'm trying to remember the name of it but I was like, really? The world's oldest? And I went there and it was just like magical. It was like when I saw Santa Claus for the first time, you know? I just had that feeling of like, wow! So, oh! This is so very exciting. We've got another caller.

50:00 Annie in Sherman Oaks. Your question or thought for the stars of Kale Crew on Unchained TV. Oh my goodness! Thank you for having my call, Jane. Oh my goodness! I'm so excited to be here with you guys. Your energy is so, oh my god! I love it. It just gets through everybody, through the channels and everything. I've been sharing like crazy. I love your energy. How did you two get together and make this happen? This is so beautiful. What you're doing is incredible work. I love everything you're doing and I can hardly wait for us to come there. Let's do it! Road trip! We're on!

50:43 I can't wait. I can't wait. Okay, thanks Annie. Go ahead. Mika and I met inside of Kale My Name. She was previously a guest of Kale My Name where we didn't meet. She was sitting on the patio. I was not there, but like I know she had some pictures from it. It was one of her friends' birthday party. Jane, when I tell you, they showed up. It was really a ball for them. They dressed up. They looked so good. They booked our fabulous tea party at Kale My Name. I don't know if you know that Kale My Name does tea parties. You can dress up, put a tea party hat. There's a whole tower.

51:25 I've been there and I just stared at them. I was like, they're so beautiful. I'm going to drop a picture. I have to put this on our Instagram so people see how fabulous our guests are. That's how we met. We just clicked. We switched social media handles. Then later on, visit by visit at Kale My Name, we started even working together because Tamika promotes all of these places. I wanted us to do a little business together. I invited her to come and create some super exciting reels from Kale My Name, which she did. They were really, really, really good. Then we just started talking a lot. I think our friendship really turned into friendship, friendship, where we came to the idea to visit Atlanta together for food.

52:10 We went to Atlanta and ate at five restaurants a day. What? How do you keep that girlish figure? Listen, it's a vegan food. It's a vegan food. We walk a lot. We walked a lot and we got wet because it rained. We were running at that point. Maybe we ran. I think the thing I like the most about your show, if I had to summarise it, is that you make veganism so fun. It is so fun. You're not just putting it on.

52:52 I would say my worst day as a vegan is better than my best day as an omnivore. I have a certain joy. We just also launched a new show called Doctor Moms. It explains that your serotonin levels are determined by your gut biome. Your gut biome is determined by what you eat. All these people who are taking antidepressants, if they switch to a plant-based diet, I think they might do better, Tameka. It could definitely help. We need an adequate amount of sunlight. We need to be one with nature. That includes plants. It really, really does.

53:32 I remember when I was an omnivore and I just loved burgers and pizza and all that kind of stuff. I remember every time I would eat, every single time, I would feel like I had to go to sleep, like I needed to take a nap. That is not the case anymore. I would have went plant-based sooner if I would have known that the energy was just going to shoot through the roof. At this point, being in my 40s, I'm just like, I need every drop of energy now, especially for all these goals and dreams. I'm so happy to be plant-based. Oh my gosh, yes. First of all, I think there's going to be a whole group and they want to know when we're going. I think early September might be a good time to go to Chicago, right?

54:17 That could easily be a good time for Chicago. There might be something fun for the Kale Crew show, but you're going to have to stay tuned. Make sure to follow both Samika and KaleMyName on Instagram, so you'll be informed of all the fun things that are coming your way. Somebody says Chicago Diner. Does this have any meaning for you? I know what they're saying. I know what they're saying, but just watch Kale Crew. All right. I am so excited. I literally have to say that this is beyond my wildest expectations because you know what? It's not easy putting together a show. Let's give a shout out to Dajon, your incredible videographer, editor who's done such a great job.

55:04 It's a team effort. Let me say that everybody is, I mean, Nemanja and Tamika are volunteers. I'm a volunteer. None of us get paid. We are here doing this to spread the word. I just want to say that people go, really? Aren't you monetising? I go, you know what? Money isn't going to mean that much if we walk outside and can't walk a block without collapsing because of the heat. Money isn't going to mean that much if our houses are destroyed or, as is happening in California now, insurance companies don't want to insure because there's so much risk involved. While I'm nothing against money, We love money.

55:47 Yeah, we love money, but the point is that this is a passion project and we all share the same passion is to wake people up. We are pretty much out of time. Ten seconds from each of you and then we're going to call it a day. Tamika? I just want to say thanks so much for having me and I really appreciate everybody that tuned in and engaged with us and also, Jane, I want you to know and Neiman, I want you to know that the money is coming because we're doing this as a passion and a love and the content is just so, so just awesome. You can feel it. You can feel the genuineness. So I just want to say thank you all so much. Well, we thank you for your participation.

56:30 Namasha, ten seconds. Thank you, Jane, for just taking a chance with us. Thank you, Tamika, for saying yes to me. Thank you, Diane, for our videographer and editor and thank you, Hungry Chaos, for tuning in from episode to episode and making our show the number one must-watch show on Unchained TV. It is exciting! Woo-hoo! We want to say come back next time. Discover Unchained TV and transform your life for free. Unchained TV is a nonprofit organisation producing plant -based content filled with tips and tricks to spice up those healthy veggies, grains, and legumes.

57:15 For more information on Unchained TV productions, just visit unchainedtv.com That's unchained TV.