SoulFully Vegan in Berlin: PB&J Burger, Vegan Chili Fries & More!

April Guilbault

You’re vegan. Or you’re not. You’re trying to eat healthier, or well, maybe you’re not, but however you slice it, you’re missing or craving a good burger. So how about a burger that has no meat, but has peanut butter, jelly, and jalapenos?…stick with us here…

SoulFully Vegan in Berlin, is pretty much smack in the middle of CT, with Rt.9, I-91, I-691, and the Berlin Turnpike running through it. Long story short, you can reach Berlin easily as you find yourself criss-crossing the state. Berlin now also has the distinction of being the site of the vegan brick and mortar eatery that will have you rethinking your next fast food craving.

Allison and Calvin Vaughan are the dynamic duo behind SoulFully Vegan. Their new eating adventure began not that long ago in 2019 when a call to action was needed after an eye-opening health diagnosis for Calvin. What followed for this couple was a slew of analysis of their current eating situation, followed by investigation and education on how to eat healthier, and an impactful viewing of the documentary “What the Health?” (currently on Netflix). They knew they wanted and needed to eat healthier but finding food that satisfied their cravings was a search that was coming up empty.

Along with the rest of the world during COVID, Allison started tinkering in her kitchen with plant-based meals and working with plant proteins to make them look, feel, and taste like the foods they enjoyed. No small feat! Experimentation continued which lead to meals that Calvin and Allison enjoyed but then the trick was getting their three tween/teen children on board (as you can well imagine). There were hits and there were misses as the world’s trickiest demographic-the teens-were concerned. However, the day finally came when they all gobbled up the dinners and Allison knew she was onto something. 

By coincidence, Allison and Calvin had a small food truck that had lived other lives but now was resurrected as…SoulFully Vegan! The two wanted to share their tasty, comforting plant-based food with more people. When deciding on the menu, Allison knew she didn’t have the time to be concocting big entrees and time-consuming meals. Well, who doesn’t love a burger and fries? And what could be better than a better-for-you burger and fries? It was decided: keep it simple, keep it to the universals that people love, let’s do burger, fries, and shakes. And better yet, everything would be plant-based

Their first food truck hit the road and gained a following by vegan and omnivores alike, and then a second food truck followed. What really stopped traffic for them though was a stop at the BIG E Fair in Springfield, Massachusetts in 2022. They were the first vegan truck ever granted an application and then they ended up winning Best Savory Snack out of 307 food vendors. Confirmation: they were onto something!

What was this winning Savory Snack? The Spicy PB & J Burger. Yes, you heard that correctly: peanut butter, grape jelly, vegan cheese, jalapeños, a Beyond Burger, all piled onto a fluffy bun. 

This is a combo that just can’t be explained beyond Calvin being a PB & J man and Allison is a spice-girl, so this was a burger for both of them to love. Many more palates out there, as time and orders for them have shown, have agreed. In fact, it has such a following that more nut butters and jelly flavors have been added to their menu so you can customize your burger. I will add here that I tried mine with Apricot jam and peanut butter and it was nothing short of crazily fabulous. Think about it-cheese, bread, (plant-based) burger, jams, nut (butter)….it’s basically a hand-held charcuterie board. Who can argue with that?

Allison and Calvin estimate that about 75-80% of their customers are non-vegan and coming simply for the good food they serve. They are committed to serving up healthier versions of the food that people love and maybe even helping some folks get healthier along the way. Happily, Calvin is living proof of that these days. Find out for yourself with a variety of burgers such as their Big Boy Burgers (with vegan bacon), Soulful Burgers (with jerk sauce), gooey, saucy Chili-Cheese fries, crisp sweet potato fries, hot dogs piled with jalapeños and their secret cheese sauce, shakes made with Oat Milk…vegan, carnivore, give ‘em a whirl! They’ve got Soul. 

SoulFully Vegan

1240 Farmington Ave., Berlin

www.soulfullyvegan.com

@soul_fully_vegan

Soy free, Gluten-free, Nut free options

























.