The man who played a pivotal role in creating the plant-based Impossible Whopper at Burger King has launched a new plant-based meat alternative company in Phoenix with the financial backing of some major names in the state’s business community.
Earlier this summer, Michael Salem, the former head of culinary innovation at Burger King and the kitchen leader of comedian Kevin Hart’s Hart House vegan concept, started Recreate Foods and decided to base it in Phoenix.
The company describes its product as “culinary-forward chicken alternatives that deliver a better flavor experience than big-name competitors and the traditional animal protein.” The product will be packaged in many of the typical forms that chicken is found in grocery stores – breaded and unbreaded filets, tenders, nuggets and ground.
When he first tried this plant-based chicken while seeking out more vegan and sustainable products for Burger King and Hart House, Salem said, he immediately wanted to get this chicken alternative out to a wider audience.
“The most effective way to do that was to assist in establishing a solid company with strong support, propelled by an extraordinary product,” Salem said. “I’m proud to be on this journey with the Recreate team as we introduce a chef-driven approach to best-in-class, plant-based analogs.”
The company's Arizona backers
Three Arizona companies backed Recreate Foods at its launch – Bob Agahi and David Sellers’ Creation; Craig Weiss’ Flagstaff Ventures; and catering giant M Culinary, which is run by Brandon Maxwell and Michael DeMaria.
Maxwell is serving as the CEO of Recreate Foods. Salem is the president of the company as well as a co-founder.
“Recreate Foods is not a technology company, as many plant-based brands claim to be,” Weiss, who is also a co-founder of the company, said in a statement. “Under Michael’s leadership, we are a culinary-driven food company specializing in developing crave-worthy, memorably delicious recipes that happen to be plant-based. It’s been exciting to see an overwhelmingly positive response to the product from some of the top names in the food world.”
Salem and Recreate have already secured wholesale distribution deals with Sysco and Shamrock Foods Company, two of the largest food-service suppliers in the country.
While there are several competitors in the plant-based meats category, Recreate said it differentiates itself by being committed to the culinary aspects of the food and not making the science the most important part. The company claims its plant-based chicken is made by chefs, for chefs.
M Culinary, which caters major sporting events around the Valley, including the WM Phoenix Open, said the company started serving Recreate Foods plant-based chicken almost two years ago at the 2022 Phoenix Open.
“Attendees raved about flavor and texture as we sold out for the weeklong event. We doubled quantities for the 2023 tournament and already are planning to serve even more next year,” Maxwell said. “We’ve been excited this year to feature Recreate at several other of our clients’ events and workplace dining operations.”
Besides M Culinary, other chefs around the Valley are already serving up Recreate's chicken-like product, including at the Arizona Grand Resort, Goodwood Tavern in Scottsdale and RNR Gastropub in Scottsdale.
Currently Recreate Foods is only available for wholesale for restaurants and chefs, but the company said it is currently working on developing a distribution plan for grocery retailers and ecommerce.
