Hella Nuts Eatery attracts a huge following in the Oakland, Calif., area due to two food innovators in the culinary world, chefs Meiko Scott and Kami Quinones. These two chefs are leaning into a growing trend for meat-based alternative products at the eatery, with new popular dishes like a plant-based BBQ plate, a mushroom-based sandwich and a patent-pending walnut meat that resembles ground beef.

The walnut meat is a big star at the Hella Nuts Eatery, where it shines in tacos, pasta, plant-based burgers, shepherd’s pie, pizzas, burritos, stuffed bell peppers and an array of other dishes. The chefs unveiled the alternative, plant-based walnut meat to patrons at festivals and pop-up locations, and they had immediate success with the cooked product. A recent comment on the Hella Nuts website said, “Being a meat-eater for most of my life, this stuff (walnut meat) is a game changer! The last few months I’ve been focusing on a more vegetarian-based diet and this product makes it incredibly easy to do so!”