Page 90 - December2018

SANS
329 Smith St.
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Tel: (929) 337-6292 www.sansbk.com
Hours: Wed–Sun 5:30 – 10:00 p.m. Cuisine: Vegan
Owner Champ Jones says of Sans’ Plum Terrine (above) and his Truf e Tempe: ‘A lot of people’s conception of vegan dining is that it’s low-fat, low-salt and probably low- avor,” says Jones. “We want to challenge people’s notions by bringing indulgence to plant-based dining.’
NEW YORK FOOD SCENE
By Julie Cook Ramirez
Long before he packed his bags for culinary school, Champ Jones grew up in a family where the healthy aspects of eating were viewed as more important than the pleasure derived from a meal. That early experience fostered in Jones a deep interest in plant-based cooking, although he quickly developed the mindset that healthy eating didn’t have to be sacri cial.
Years later, while working as a sous chef at upscale New York City restaurants Eleven Madison Park and NoMad, Jones took to experimenting with tofu, tempeh and other vegetarian mainstays. Privately, he dreamed of opening his own restau- rant and developing a menu based around healthy, plant-based dishes. When a prime location in the Carroll Gardens neighbor- hood opened up, Jones jumped at the opportunity to embark on a grand experi- ment. Together with business partner and sommelier Daniel Beedle, Jones launched his rst solo venture, Sans, a vegan restau- rant aptly named after the French word for “without.”
“It was a bit risky, but we wanted to see if enough people would respond to this form of plant-based dining,”
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says Jones.
Although it’s easy to assume Sans
would become a mecca for vegans and vegetarians, Jones’ target clientele is far broader. One of his primary goals is to dispel the notion that plant-based dining isn’t satisfying. Thus, Jones set out to ex his creative culinary muscle, conducting dishes such as Plum Terrine, which repli- cates the fatty, satiating feel of a foie gras, but doesn’t contain any animal products whatsoever. According to Jones, that particular dish, along with his Truf e Tempe, exempli es everything he wants
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SANS
to accomplish with Sans.
“A lot of people’s conception of
vegan dining is that it’s low-fat, low-salt and probably low- avor,” says Jones. “We want to challenge people’s notions by bringing indulgence to plant-based dining.”
Other dishes include TV Dinner, a “mushroom farce” served with peas and carrots and pomme puree; Tarte Flambe, with maitake and “parmesan” cream spiked with brewer’s yeast; and a Sunchoke Salad, with roasted and pickled sunchokes, fried sunchoke skin and