Few foods are as delicious as a piece of piping-hot fried chicken smothered in Buffalo sauce, piled with crisp lettuce and onion and a juicy slice of tomato, stacked in a toasted bun. At The Vegetable Hunter, this classic comfort food is made without a single animal product.
As one of Harrisburg’s few vegan restaurants, The Vegetable Hunter’s menu features a host of vegan takes on well-loved dishes, like the banh mi sandwich, featuring savory tofu and pickled carrots, or "not dogs"—made with seitan, a plant-based substitute that mimics the texture of chicken—garnished with chipotle black beans and vegan nacho cheese or chana masala and sriracha mayo.
“A lot of people are still surprised that there is a vegan restaurant in Harrisburg,” says Kristin Messner-Baker, owner of The Vegetable Hunter. “Being vegan myself, I know how hard it can be in some areas [when] you can’t find anything [and] you just have to find something that might not be your ideal choice, like french fries or something.”
In 2005, Messner-Baker purchased a building in Harrisburg to bring her dream of owning a coffee shop to fruition. Her plans took a detour when she met her partner, John Baker, and started a family shortly after. While raising their kids, Messner-Baker and her husband rented out the building, but she kept her love for cooking alive by making meals for her family. Little did she know, each meal she made served as a test run for the dishes she would eventually serve customers at The Vegetable Hunter after she and John opened the establishment in June 2014.
True to the original vision, The Vegetable Hunter began as a coffee shop that served vegetarian fare. It received great reviews and even several local awards right upon opening, recognizing the exceptional quality of food being served. Messner-Baker decided to capitalize on her strengths and transition the business to a restaurant rather than a coffee shop, leaning into what set them apart—their meatless menu.
Messner-Baker was a vegetarian for many years before committing to a fully vegan lifestyle. Through research and many conversations with customers and people in her life, she learned the processes behind how common animal products are created. She viewed many of the mainstream tactics for food production as cruel and decided to channel her conviction into the space where she had influence.
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“I wanted to do as little as possible as I could with animal products because I didn’t realize before when I was vegetarian how bad [the] animals are treated,” Messner-Baker says. “I feel better for me not to participate in any of that. I want to [try] not to harm animals as much as I can.”
For Messner-Baker, part of the thrill of owning a restaurant that serves commonly known dishes like cheesesteaks and pulled pork sandwiches is mastering the level of creativity required to make a vegan version of the meal. To help her creativity flourish in the kitchen, she took a vegan culinary course and spent hours consuming information that could enhance her knowledge by reading, watching videos and testing recipes to see how she could improve or change them.
“We don’t push veganism on anybody, but [we] just feel like it’s an option,” she says. “We really try to make our food taste as good or better than a meat-type of dish.”
In keeping with the desire to sharpen the restaurant’s creativity, The Vegetable Hunter expanded to include a brewery in 2017, in the same building as their restaurant’s downtown Harrisburg location. With the help of several local home brewers, including Jeff Thompson, an engineer and award-winning home brewer, The Vegetable Hunter began brewing their own beer and kombucha. Because it is a small-batch brewery, Messner-Baker and her team enjoy experimenting with beer styles, like the Mexican stout Disfruta! or the blonde ale Smells Like Teengerine Spirit.
While it’s always been Messner-Baker's dream, owning a restaurant has not been without its trials, especially when navigating the lasting impact the pandemic has left on the restaurant community.
“People need to understand that small business cannot survive like large businesses can,” she says. “I’ve invested so much of my life into this, and I love what we do. I do not want to see it go under.”
Even amid the challenges, she praises her team for their dedication to making The Vegetable Hunter a place where the community can gather and enjoy delicious vegan options in Central Pennsylvania.
Visit The Vegetable Hunter in Harrisburg or at The Fresh Market at Hershey Towne Square.
The Vegetable Hunter
614 N 2nd St, Harrisburg, PA | 717-695-6229
121 Towne Square Dr, Hershey, PA | 717-500-5964
