Chef's Table: Couple behind Philly's Vedge talk home cooking

Philadelphia chefs Kate Jacoby and Rich Landau are vegan visionaries.

State of play: The husband-wife team has operated the much-celebrated Vedge restaurant in Center City since 2011.

• The bastion for veganism has received several accolades over the years, including four-bell status from the Philadelphia Inquirer's food critic. It was also named one of the city's most important restaurants of the last decade by Philadelphia magazine.

We asked Jacoby and Landau questions for our new culinary advice series, called Chef’s Table.

🛠 Must-have tool in your home kitchen:

• Landau: Vitamix — "Once you've used one, you can't go back."
• Jacoby: Bokashi composter

🍲Favorite home-cooked meal?

• Landau: "Any kind of curry stew with lots of spice and lots of heat."
• Jacoby: "Rich's sambar on its own or as part of a larger curry dinner."

🍽 What's the last restaurant you went to and what did you order?

• Jacoby and Landau: "Estia in Center City on Halloween while our son was trick-or-treating with his old neighborhood friends. We ordered a bottle of retsina with beets, skordalia and roasted eggplant."

🛒 Go-to grocery store:

• Landau: "H-Mart. Bonus, they have a killer food court."
• Jacoby: "SIW Produce or any seasonal farmers' market."

🎧 Podcast of choice:

• Landau: "Not much for podcasts. But when I do listen, it's all over the place."

• Jacoby: Joe Lamp'l's podcasts about organic gardening. "Got to meet him years back at an event at Greensgrow, and he always has fantastic guests talking about all kinds of garden-related topics."

🔌 How to unplug:

• Landau: "Golf, gardening, good wine."
• Jacoby: "Visiting or talking with old friends I haven't seen in a long, long time."

☝ Quick tip for at-home cooks?

• Landau: "Keep it simple. Don't cook outside your capabilities. Always salt your water. And finish with fresh citrus and herbs."
• Jacoby: "Marry a chef!"