Gibraltar Graduate Earns Fame for Vegan Cuisine in Chicago

Kevin Schuder, Fancy Plants Cafe’s owner and chef. Photo from fancyplantscatering.com.

The March issue of Chicago Magazine highlighted Fancy Plants Cafe – the creation of 1999 Gibraltar High School graduate Kevin Schuder – as a new dining hotspot in the city’s Lakeview neighborhood.

Schuder, the owner and chef, has immersed himself in the culinary-arts world, focusing on vegan and vegetarian offerings. He spent a decade in San Francisco and the Bay Area honing his skills – including learning molecular-gastronomy techniques and Japanese-style cooking – and working in several notable vegan restaurants, eventually earning the Vegan Iron Chef title in 2015.

Not long after, he relocated to Chicago and launched a vegan catering business that quickly drew attention and followers for its innovative, meat-free and dairy-free fare. Schuder’s new Fancy Plants Cafe, which opened in January, extends his successful approach. The cafe is open for breakfast daily, offering burritos, pastries, wraps and Dark Matter coffee. It also serves dinner Thursday through Saturday. Fancy Plants Cafe, 613 W. Briar Place, Chicago