Being Vegan – Daiya is What’s On Top

By Paul Graham

Contributing Writer

I am taking another article here to write about one of my favorite vegan food products…Daiya.  Daiya is a revolutionary non-dairy vegan product that shreds, melts, stretches and tastes delicious.  I like what they say on the Daiya website…it is a “Healthy choice for you and our planet, without any compromise.” I will not call it cheese, because I now see it as better than cheese.  It is a kind food made without any animal products.  You can use it like you would have used cheese.

I had the opportunity to taste Daiya for the first time a few years ago at the Pizza Expo here in Las Vegas.  I was invited by tomato guru and old friend, Rob DiNapoli, a vegetarian who recently has crossed that bridge to being completely plant-strong.  It was interesting to taste all of the various crusts and sauces but I was personally passing on the cheese until we came to the Daiya booth.  Daiya’s creator, Andre Kroecher was serving up slices of vegan pizza with Daiya on top…to rave reviews.  It was fascinating to listen to him and hear his obvious passion for this product.  He was happy at that time to announce that Daiya was going to be making itself found on retail shelves for the first time at Whole Foods Markets.  That was wonderful news and I couldn’t wait to buy some. Whole Foods had been using in on their vegan pizzas for a while but not had it available for purchase. Since then I have always had a bag of one of the varieties in my refrigerator. 

The story of Daiya began with a love of pizza and a family kitchen.  An inventor and vegan, Andre wanted to create a topping “that would satisfy his craving for pizza that with a gooey melt and great flavor.”  He began experimenting in 2005 with what he called “alchemy in the kitchen.”  After many trials he came up with a product that was getting great reviews from vegans and non-vegans alike.  By mid-2007, with the help of friend and co-founder Greg Blake, Daiya was born and they kicked things off at the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim where they ended serving up thousands of slices of vegan pizza to rave reviews and demands for the product soon began to come in from all over. 

Daiya currently comes in Cheddar, Mozza and Pepper Jack varieties.  More products are being developed and I am sure we will see some exciting additions over the next few years, especially as demand increases.  The main ingredients in Daiya are filtered water, and tapioca and/or arrowroot flours.  It is vegan and free of cholesterol, GMOs, trans-fat, dairy, and of common allergens including: dairy (casein and lactose), soy, gluten, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts (excluding coconut).  It is free of artificial ingredients, preservatives, hormones and antibiotics, and is a kosher product.  It is not organic at this time. It has a shelf life of about 7-10 days in the refrigerator after opening and can also be frozen. 

To answer the critics who would say that Daiya and other vegan products that are produced are “vegan junk food,” I would simply say…then don’t eat them if one doesn’t feel that they are whole enough foods for them to consume.  They should eat what is right for them and yet still realize that these are not only great transitional products for people, but vegan products that can add a wonderful something to many wonderful vegan recipes in our regular diets.  I don’t think Daiya ever needs to be something you would need to grow out of.  So many people that I know use and love Daiya and would not give it up for anything.  They love the taste and melting capability of Daiya in comparison to other products they have used. 

It is exciting to see Daiya now used in many restaurant and pizza establishments and chains as a vegan alternative to dairy cheeses.  It is only going to grow in popularity and usage.  Make sure to ask for it whenever you see it available at a restaurant and also encourage your favorite restaurants to begin to use it if they are not already.  It can only bring in more business for them.  I have been purchasing Daiya at Whole Foods, Sunflower Markets, and Rainbow’s End here in Las Vegas, but I just saw the Fresh and Easy Markets are selling it now as well, right next to the Gardein products.  This is a very good sign as we begin to see this become more and more of a mainstream product.  It is time to give up the addiction and reach for some Daiya.

Paul Graham

Paul Graham was born and raised in Northern California and has lived in Las Vegas since 2004.  He is a top wedding officiate, a green Realtor and writer.  He has a daily vegan food blog www.eatingveganinvegas.tumblr.com which is 365 days and 365 vegan meals in Las Vegas.  He can also be reached at eatingveganlv@gmail.com or www.facebook.com/EatingVeganinVegas.