Long Island Teenager Becomes Vegan Culinary Prodigy

Jay Astafa was just 15 years old when he became vegan. His family’s business was a Mom and Pop pizzeria on Long Island, where Jay would help out after school. The only problem was, he quickly became frustrated that there was nothing on the menu for him to eat.

So what did Jay do? He veganized the menu himself, of course! He very quickly established himself as an up-and-coming prodigy in the vegan culinary world, and at the age of 23 he now juggles pop-up events, a catering company, and his own brick-and-mortar branch of the family restaurant – except that this one is fully vegan. I recently had the chance to chat with Jay about his promising career as a vegan chef. Here’s what he had to say:

Q: As the son of a restaurant owner, were you always interested in cooking, or did that not happen until you became vegan?

A: I wasn’t always interested in cooking. From 10 to 15, I was training to become an actor. When I became vegan, I became more interested in cooking. I started buying cookbooks and teaching myself to cook. Going vegan and being around the restaurant was what eventually inspired me to become a chef.

Q: You created a vegan version of the menu at your family’s restaurant, 3 Brothers Pizza Café, when you were still a teenager. How did you convince your family to take such a risk?

A: My dad just let me try it out, after we went to a vegan friendly pizzeria in Brooklyn. I told him that we could totally do this, and even better on Long Island. It was actually pretty simple: My dad is very easy going and is not afraid of business risks!

Q: Was the vegan menu an immediate success, or was there an adjustment period?

A: We started with a smaller menu and, five months later, expanded to a full vegan menu. After expanding the menu, The New York Times wrote about us. After that we had people coming from all over. So many people found out about the restaurant by word of mouth. It became a destination.

Q: As an ethical vegan, do you think cooking plant-based food can be a form of activism?

A: Definitely. For me, cooking is my activism. I get to show people who haven’t experienced vegan food before how amazing this way of eating is. I don’t like to be preachy; I prefer to let the food speak for it self.

Q: In addition to your pop-up events and catering company, you recently opened 3 Brothers Vegan Café – the only all-vegan restaurant on Long Island. How do you make time for it all?

A: I have an amazing team that helps me run everything at 3 Brothers Vegan Café, so I have time to focus on catering events.

Q: How is running a pop-up or catering business different from running a brick-and-mortar restaurant?

A: With a pop-up or catering event, you know how many people you are serving. With a brick-and-mortar restaurant, you can either have a really busy night or a really slow night. Overall I think it’s easier to run a brick-and-mortar restaurant, because it’s more consistent and you don’t have to travel with a van full of equipment and food. Pop-ups always feel like a grand opening to me. And catering events are always different.

Q: What advice do you have for any vegans thinking about opening a food-based business?

A: My main advice is to make sure you know how to cook and can cook the dishes on your menu, just in case the chef doesn’t show up. So many times a restaurant has to change its entire menu and style just because a chef left.

Photo by Susan Shek.

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