AKRON, Ohio - — Things are pretty quiet at Ms. Julie's Kitchen in Akron. But all that is soon to change.
This year, like in 9 previous Thanksgivings, Ms. Julie's will be serving special dinners.
What's so special about them? The meals are meatless! Vegan Thanksgiving meals offer inclusion for those who don't or can't eat meat.
"Everybody's asking Little Lucy, 'What's wrong with you? Why aren't you eating the turkey?,' but if she has a whole plate of food, it just takes the stress away," explains Julie Costell of Ms. Julie's Kitchen.
Jeffery Wissler has gobbled up Julie's vegan Thanksgiving for years. Searching for better health led him down the vegan path.
"Most of the foods on there (menu) are traditional Thanksgiving foods that everybody enjoys and would recognize. You're talking mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing," he says.
Instead of turkey, Julie explains, "We do a chickpea walnut burger as your protein source."
To a meat eater like me, I don't know, but Julie takes great heart in educating non-vegans through her food. She's giving everyone something to be thankful for.
"I'm thankful to be here of all places in our country, right now, at this time, I am so happy that I live in Akron," says Julie.
If you want to get on the ever-growing list of pre-orders for Ms. Julie’s Vegan Thanksgiving dinner, you can call the restaurant at 330-819-3834. Better hurry, though. They stop taking orders on Friday. You can also contact them through their Facebook Page.
Find out more about Carl Bachtel's trip to Ms. Julie's from WKYC's Facebook Live: