Calif chef brings Vegan Heat to Plano with soulful ribs and jerk chick'n

There's a new vegan concept in town from the West Coast and it's already wowing the locals. Called Vegan Heat, it's a takeout and delivery spot based in Plano which serves stellar versions and occasional twists on soul food classics such as ribs, mac & cheese, and oxtails fried rice.

They're operating out of The Cookline, a commercial kitchen located at 2011 W. Spring Creek Pkwy., where you can pick up an order or else order for delivery through DoorDash.

Their regular hours are Wednesdays-Fridays for dinner from 5-9 pm. Saturdays are for pop-ups at receptive locations around town. They're also dabbling in Sunday brunch. The best way to keep up with their hours and menu updates is to follow them on Instagram or Facebook.

Vegan Heat is from Renee Pugh, a vegan chef with great enthusiasm for what she's doing. "I can make almost any cuisine -- but vegan!" she jokes.

"I love making vegan versions of African, Caribbean, soul, and Cuban food," she says. "It's everything you eat but veganized and better. It's convincing enough that a lot of people don't believe it's vegan. I like to say 'it's 200 percent vegan.'"

She grew up in Atlanta, then lived in the Bay area for two years where she first launched Vegan Heat before relocating to Texas. She got her first big boost in late March when she participated in the annual Dallas Soul Food Festival, where her booth was met with a warm welcome and long lines.

"I missed the South and wanted to get back my Southern roots," she says. "I also saw that Dallas had a lot of vegan activity and thought the people here might like my food."

For her "meats," she frequently uses mushrooms, but it's her savory, spicy slow-braised sauces that give her food a flavorful kick.

"I already cooked a lot so it was a case of swapping out ingredients, trial and error, learning what to substitute for this and that," she says. "I feel like it came naturally, having a sense for the flavors and what to do."

She rotates dishes in and out from a repertoire that includes:

• BBQ ribs, chopped up over Southern grits
• crab cakes
• Jerk chicken on a stick
• cheesy lasagna roll-up
• smoked birria burger
• shrimp & grits
• pork chops

She also does the occasional dessert such as lemon meringue pie and peach cobbler, although she has had to adjust to the limitations in Texas' seasonal produce.

"I had planned on making a peach dessert and that's when I realized I took California produce for granted, where fresh peaches are more readily available," she says.

Her brunch menu features dishes such as Jamaican oxtails with sweet potato waffles, crispy Jamaican jerk chicken, and BBQ rib sliders.

"We don't always do brunch, but there's definitely an audience for it — I did it for the first time last week and the crowds were insane," she says. "It makes me happy that people have been welcoming, and I love when they ask, 'How is this vegan?' But everything I do is completely is plant-based."