Vegan Barbecue

Georgia native Terry Sargent, Southern Living magazine’s 2021 “Cook of the Year,” worked for twenty years, from his mid-teens to his mid-thirties, as a chef in Atlanta, during which time he was a devoted carnivore. When his doctor told him he was facing some significant health risks, he quit his corporate-chef gig and learned everything he could about plant-based foods and cooking. Starting in 2017, he began running vegan BBQ pop-up restaurants around Atlanta; their success drew investors and led him to open a standalone restaurant, Grass Vegan BBQ Joint, in Stone Mountain, which has loads of regular customers and hundreds of positive reviews. He lives in the Atlanta area.