{"id":161865,"date":"2025-08-20T19:29:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T19:29:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/161865\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T19:29:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T19:29:15","slug":"btw-its-vegan-is-the-underdog-among-chains-at-30th-street-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/161865\/","title":{"rendered":"BTW, It’s Vegan is the underdog among chains at 30th Street Station"},"content":{"rendered":"

30th Street Station is one of Philly\u2019s grandest buildings \u2014 with neoclassical corinthian columns and an ornate art deco interior. However, renovations<\/a> to keep the building looking fresh have left hungry travelers with just two options: Pret a Manger<\/a> and Dunkin\u2019<\/a>. Its food hall has been shuttered since last year.<\/p>\n

Now, an independent pop-up is adding some homey vibes to the scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nestled near the station\u2019s south entrance behind a humble table is Maryland native Shon Emmanuel \u2014 better known as Chef Sunflower \u2014 smiling brightly and serving up staples like burgers, crab cake sandwiches and sausage hoagies. Oh, and it\u2019s all vegan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The spot, BTW, It\u2019s Vegan<\/a>, has been dishing out plant-based versions of your favorite indulgent bites at 30th street since June. There are also some gluten-free options on the menu.<\/p>\n

Chef Sunflower\u2019s arrival must be fate, as just behind her hangs a large advertisement for Maryland tourism featuring a woman in a sunflower field, holding two blooms up to her eyes like sunglasses.<\/p>\n

\"\"Due to renovations, the food hall at 30th street station is currently closed. (Julia Binswanger\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s coming in,\u201d Chef Sunflower said. \u201cThey\u2019re telling all their co-workers \u2026 the Amtrak workers, they\u2019ve been very supportive as well. And even Dunkin\u2019 Donuts, they\u2019ve been such great neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n

BTW, It\u2019s Vegan is an extension of Emanuel\u2019s family business \u2014 Supreme Oasis Bakery and Deli<\/a>, also known as \u201cSOBAD.\u201d The chef\u2019s grandfather, Bernard Emanuel, started the restaurant in Baltimore over 40 years ago, serving the same kind of fare \u2014 with actual meat, though.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When her mother decided to move the business to West Philly in 2017, Chef Sunflower decided to leave her job as a paramedic, join in and put her own twist on the menu.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was ready for a career change, because it was very stressful,\u201d she explained. \u201cSo, I took the leap of faith with my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

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While Baltimore is only two hours away, the move at first caused some cultural mishaps, like learning that calling a hoagie a \u201csub\u201d in Philadelphia is very incorrect. And there were other differences as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Baltimore, you do the vegetables, then the meat on top, and people would call back and complain to us,\u201d she said. \u201cPhiladelphians would say, \u2018No, my meat was on the top and the things are at the bottom.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Quickly, however, she adapted in more ways than one. When customers began asking if SOBAD had any vegan options, she realized she had a knack for creating original recipes for vegan substitutes \u2014 not only that, but her meatless versions of her grandfather\u2019s dishes were gaining attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMore customers started asking for more plant-based, and so it started growing this cult-like following,\u201d she said. People kept asking her, \u201cCan you veganize this? Can you do this?\u201d and the plant-based menu kept growing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started something in me like, \u2018OK, well, let me see if I can veganize that, but then also make it approachable, because most of our customers aren\u2019t vegan.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The name BTW, It\u2019s Vegan is a cheeky reference to Chef Sunflower\u2019s knack for creating plant-based imitations that taste close to the real deal. She herself is not a vegan, but enjoys the substitutes. What\u2019s more, there are no \u201cbeyond\u201d or \u201cimpossible\u201d products in her food. She makes everything from scratch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Billy Penn team ordered many items off her menu for a taste test, and there were some definite favorites that convinced us.<\/p>\n

The chicken salad wrap gave us pause right after the first bite, wondering if there wasn\u2019t actually chicken in it. Her sausage and pepper hoagie is convincing with saut\u00e9ed onions and tomato sauce on top. Her crabcake sandwich had the right texture with delicious Maryland spice. And the burger, as one reporter put it, \u201ctricked my carnivore brain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Philly\u2019s attitude towards vegan food is somewhat mixed. On one hand, we have a plethora of delicious vegan options<\/a> like Vedge, Pietramala, Charlie was a Sinner, Monster Vegan and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The BP team tested Chef Sunflower\u2019s recipes. (Julia Binswanger\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

On the other hand, this is a city full of meat purists \u2014 turning their noses up at anything that doesn\u2019t start at the slaughterhouse. After all, our signature dish is the cheesesteak \u2014 two decidedly non-vegan words put together to create deliciousness.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, Chef Sunflower hopes that the haters will at least stay a little curious. And she thinks that the attitude towards vegan food is shifting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout 80% of our customers aren\u2019t vegan,\u201d she said. \u201cThey just want to try it. They\u2019re like, \u2018I\u2019ve heard about vegan, but I don\u2019t know.\u2019 And so I love the skeptical ones, because at least they\u2019re open to trying it, whereas a few years ago, they\u2019re like, \u2018Get that out of my face.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to sandwiches, BTW, It\u2019s Vegan has cookies, cupcakes and homemade juice for sale. The latter is made through a partnership with Belinda Harrison, a former customer turned employee.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a regular customer at the restaurant Supreme Oasis on 44 Lancaster Ave,\u201d Harrison said. Unfortunately, the bakery and deli in West Philly shut down operations earlier this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the restaurant closed down back in February, I was just retiring from the school district myself,\u201d Harrison said.\u00a0 \u201c[Chef Sunflower] was doing the launch out, doing the catering and some pop-ups, and asked if I would be available.\u201d<\/p>\n

The duo collaborated to add \u201cMama Dojo juices\u201d to the menu\u2014named in honor of Chef Sunflower\u2019s mother and crafted with alkaline water and berries, a specialty of Harrison\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Harrison said that she is enjoying working at the stand, and notes there\u2019s a reason why the Chef has the reputation she does.<\/p>\n

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\u201cJust like her name is sunflower, she brightens up the day,\u201d Harrison said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Loyal fans from the West Philly location are still visiting the pop-up \u2014 customers like Sherman Harris.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love By the Way, It\u2019s Vegan. I\u2019ve been a fan of them since they were SOBAD Philly, Supreme Oasis,\u201d said Harris, who is vegan. He works both as a barber at Faheem\u2019s Hand of Precision and a realtor at Opulent Realty. He was on his lunch break from work and came to 30th Street for pickup. \u201cI try to eat here once a month to show support. I like the food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chef Sunflower is humbled by the loyal customers who are still coming to the train station.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re like, we miss you guys in West Philadelphia, but this is the next best thing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"You can check out the vegan pop-up at 30th Street Station on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. (Heather Chin\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a fan of the chicken salad wrap,\u201d Harrison said. \u201cIf you\u2019re a vegan, come try it out. If you\u2019re not a vegan, just come try it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The BTW, It\u2019s Vegan pop-up takes place Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The pop-up so far has been running successfully, recently upping from two to three days a week, and Chef Sunflower also works as a caterer and private chef. The stand is also a way to honor her family restaurant. She encourages any curious foodies to come by.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was surprised [30th Street organizers] were open to my concept,\u201d Chef Sunflower said. \u201cIt\u2019s just great food. It\u2019s not even the fact that it\u2019s vegan, but people will also like it because it\u2019s so hard to find plant-based while traveling \u2026 It\u2019s just been amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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