NEW YORK, NY — With National Pizza Day approaching on Feb. 9, Pleese® plant-based cheese is quickly becoming the vegan cheese of choice for chefs and pizza-shop owners in New York and beyond. Created by co-founders Kobi and Abev Regev after the couple went vegan several years ago and missed the taste of their favorite NYC pizzas, Pleese® offers an all-natural product that is kosher and free of soy, nuts, dairy, or gluten. And best of all — it tastes absolutely amazing.
“Using high-quality ingredients is super important to me, and I just hadn’t been impressed with vegan cheeses I’d tried, until I tasted Pleese®,” says John Accardi, owner of Vito’s Slices and Ices in Manhattan, which has been topping its popular Vegan Pie with Pleese® cheese for about a year and a half. “The most common problem with other vegan cheeses is they don’t melt. Pleese® looks, tastes, and melts just like the real thing. That’s why our customers love it.”
Sales of Vito’s Vegan Pie have increased significantly in recent months, which Accardi attributes to the quality of Pleese® cheese and the power of word-of-mouth marketing among its fans. Having a vegan option on the menu would benefit any pizzeria owner, he says. “It’s the direction the industry is going, and it’s what the customers want,” Accardi says.
Accardi isn’t the only restaurant pro to sing Pleese® praises. Celebrated chef Helen Chardack, a veteran of pioneering vegetable-forward restaurants, is an early investor and culinary advisor to Pleese®. She says she was drawn to the “clean, balanced flavor” of Pleese®, which doesn’t overwhelm taste buds or coat the roof of your mouth. The fact that Pleese® is made from beans and is free of many allergens means that it’s a smarter choice for food-service operations in schools, hospitals, and airports as well as pizzerias and other restaurants.
“The best thing about Pleese® is that it can be used anywhere cheese can be used: It’s as great served cold and tossed in a fresh leafy salad as it is warm and melted on a pizza or in a panini. There are a LOT of possibilities,” Chardack said. “I always think simple is best. I love Pleese® in a grilled cheese sandwich with fabulous rustic bread and pickles on the side, or in a quesadilla with dried herbs, sea salad, and a nice green salad.”
Food industry professionals who would like to try Pleese® can request a sample at pleesefoods.com/offer.
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ABOUT PLEESE® FOODS
Pleese® Foods is helping people transition from traditional dairy with Pleese®, a plant-based cheese made from a unique blend of beans. Pleese® offers boldly delicious, culinary-inspired flavors that deliver mouthwatering experiences in sandwiches, topped on plant-based burgers, grilled with paninis and of course melted on pizza. Discover more at pleesefoods.com.
