The grill is full of chops, steaks and hamburger patties and the waitress comes back into the kitchen and tells you there is someone out in the dining room that doesn’t eat meat and would like to know what you can make for them.
Here are some questions the chef should ask:
-Are they lacto ovo vegetarian? Lacto ovo vegetarians exclude meat fish and poultry, but include dairy products and eggs, which means they eat eggs, milk, cheese and yogurt and foods made with these ingredients.
– Lacto vegetarians? This is the same as above but they also exclude eggs and all foods made with eggs, but still can eat cheese and dairy.
– Vegan? These people avoid eating and using all animal products and their by-products.
-Pollo vegetarian? They avoid red meat and fish but eat chicken.
-Pesco pollo? Avoids red meat but eats chicken and fish.
-Some other examples include fruitarian (fruits and nuts) and a raw food diet is an adaptation of vegetarianism; eating only raw uncooked foods.
So once you are knowledgeable of the needs of your customer, you should be able to prepare a delicious and nutritious meal, as most restaurant s are well supplied with an abundance of alternative foods that will suit any classification of the above.
Some examples would be a fruit and cheese platter, vegetable Kabob, most salads, chicken breast with grilled vegetables, or fish and barley risotto. You being the chef should talk to the customer if you have the time, to be sure you are doing it exactly right and they will certainly appreciate your concern and extra effort.
Depending on the skill and experience of the chef, and the time factor, you will be able to have a happy customer leave full and satisfied, with the promise of coming back again.