As a vegan chef, David Alexander has prepared meals for many famous people, including professional athletes and a Beatle. Now, he intends to help prolong the lives of those in the Williamsburg area through his healthy cooking.
Alexander, aka “Chef Soul,” recently formed a collaboration with Bazaaro’s Deli at the Williamsburg Premium Outlets to provide vegan menu options. Two dishes were added this spring, with more in the works.
“My goal is to help people who are vegan who are looking for different ideas of what to eat and offer more choices for them when they are dining out,” he said.
Alexander created a bean burger made with organic beans, mushrooms and sunflower seeds, as well as a whole-food, plant-based faux fish burger made with chickpeas, seaweed and a blend of his own special spices that replicates a crabcake. Ingredients are heart healthy with nothing processed.
“We wanted to elevate our menu and give people more options,” said Mel Gray Sr., the deli’s co-owner. “People come from all over the world and some of them are vegan. We wanted to change the game and offer something different.”
Eventually, the deli plans to add on prepackaged salads made with greens such as kale and broccoli, as well as Alexander’s selection of homemade dressings.
“We plan to keep things interesting without losing the flavor,” he said.
A vegan since 2008, Alexander first fell in love with cooking as a child growing up in Philadelphia.
“I am a third-generation chef and developed my passion for food from my father and grandfather,” he said. “When I was young, I enjoyed hanging out with them and learned all about the catering side of the business.”
In the 1990s, Alexander, who is also a musician, was a member of an R&B group called XL. The band opened for national acts such as Eve, Silk and Wu-Tang Clan. In between gigs, he worked for many chain restaurants, where he learned the business side of the restaurant industry.
“I worked for every single fast-food restaurant you can think of, as well as family dining restaurants like Chili’s and learned things like how to maintain a kitchen and handle supplies and a workforce,” he said.
Alexander later opened East Eden Vegan Catering, one of the first vegan soul food restaurants in Philadelphia, in 2012. He’s owned and operated food trucks and other establishments and was also a chef for the food services and facilities management company Aramark, where he cooked for team members of the Philadelphia 76ers, Phillies and Eagles, as well as the Cincinnati Bengals in Ohio.
In the off seasons for sports, Alexander cooked for musicians during concert events. He made a vegan birthday cake for soul singer Erykah Badu and had the opportunity to meet Paul McCartney.
“Paul McCartney is a vegan and they didn’t know what to make for him, so they asked me for some suggestions,” said Alexander, who made the famous Beatle a black bean patty with roasted vegetables. “He really enjoyed the meal we made for him. It was an incredible experience. Paul McCartney is very cool.”
Alexander further honed his skills as a vegan chef after being hired to help open a vegan kitchen as part of a cardiologist’s health care practice in Houston, Texas, in 2020. The concept, created by Dr. Baxter Montgomery, is one of the first of its kind in the country. While there, Alexander helped transform the lives of people living with chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease through diet. Seeing such changes made Alexander determined to inspire more people to improve their eating habits.
“That is very important to me,” he said. “I want to change the daily eating habits of people, especially children and the elderly. I believe through veganism and holism people can live to be over 100.”
Alexander relocated to Williamsburg last year to be closer to family. In addition to his partnership with Bazaaro’s Deli, he is also currently part of the culinary team at the Williamsburg Landing senior living community, where he enjoys interacting with residents and educating them on veganism.
“I love working with elders and hearing the great stories they share,” he said. “They’ve really led interesting lives. I love that I get to keep them happy and healthy in their golden years with my food.”
Brandy Centolanza, [email protected]