A Vegetarian Food Journey Through St. Augustine

Veggin in St. Augustine by Jennifer Jordan showcases vegetarian recipes from St. Augustine’s restaurants, food trucks, and bed and breakfasts.

By Maiya Mahoney

Venturing through the cobblestone, historic streets of St. Augustine, Jennifer Jordan takes readers on a visual food journey in her new book Veggin in St. Augustine. 

Riding around on her bicycle, camera in hand, Jordan shares vegetarian and vegan recipes from various restaurants, food trucks and bed and breakfasts in town, while also showcasing the beauty St. Augustine has to offer. 

Veggin in St. Augustine shares breakfast, lunch and dinner options for vegetarians and vegans, as well as dessert and cocktail recipes. 

“I thought it would be great to incorporate the town’s vegetarian recipes for people to try and thought it would help the community,” Jordan said.  

Jordan’s vegetarian journey begins at a young age, growing up in the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania. Never liking meat much as a kid, Jordan always had a love for animals. With a love for vegetarian food, Jordan decided to leave her 9-to-5 job and pursue her creative endeavors.

“Change is important as it pushes you to learn new things, move forward, and have new experiences,” Jordan said. “When the pandemic happened, I was able to take a pause on my little hamster wheel and made the major life decision to do a 180.” 

Featuring vegetarian recipes from unlikely restaurants, such as Michael’s Steakhouse, readers can use the recipes in their own home or follow along on Jordan’s food journey by trying the vegetarian options around town. 

One of the places Jordan also includes is Crave, a healthy option in St. Augustine for smoothies, wraps, salads, and bowls. Crave started out as a food truck for seven years, but recently transitioned to its own brick and mortar location in June 2020.

“Healthy options have been a growing trend for quite some time across the country as people are realizing that eating healthy is not too difficult to do if the food tastes great,” Crave owner Andres Guardiola said.

Well-known for its ‘southern comfort food,’ St. Augustine’s food scene is expanding as more healthier options become available to locals and tourists alike. 

“I definitely see a big increase in healthy, vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and locally-sourced options in St. Augustine,” Jordan said. “I definitely see everyone being connected with each other, as well as with animals and the planet.”

Jordan will continue her vegetarian food journey through St. Augustine with hopes to create a second book in the near future. 

Veggin in St. Augustine is available on Amazon and will soon be available at the St. Augustine Visitor’s Center, The Lightner Museum gift shop, St. Augustine Art Association, and the St. Francis Inn Bed and Breakfast. 

To continue along on Jordan’s vegetarian food journey around St. Augustine, follow Jordan’s Instagram @veggin_in_staugustine