It's hard not to notice this guy at BTC's Saturday Food Market. He is the only one I know that offers a unique taste for the palate. Guess what? Vegan Burgers!! Check out the picture below. Doesn't that make your mouth water? Being a self-confessed pork lover, I was just really curious at first. To my surprise, the vegan burger tastes really delicious too.

Chef Firas is from Istanbul, Turkey. He had only been in the Philippines for 2 years. Yet, he had immersed into the Filipino culture really well and made so many friends. I am not surprised he has a lot of them. Firas is very warm and friendly. Cooking and outdoors are two of his favorite activities. When asked how his lifestyle started, he said that it started when he was 7 years old. His body started to reject butter and other dairy products. He also discovered that his body can take in vegetables. That was when he started experimenting on cooking vegetables. I am amazed. A chef genius at 7. When asked what he does on weekdays, he answered "diving, yoga, muay thai, and many other physical activities". Quoting his own words, "Vegans are strong too". I can definitely see that! In one meal, he can finish 7 burgers. :)

In my short conversation with him, I learned that Firas had been into several places around the world. The country before Philippines was Japan where he stayed for years too. When asked how he would compare his experienceis in Japan and Philippines, he expectedly said, "Being at the beach is definitely more fun in the Philippines!". :)

Firas Baassiri is the founder and chef of Vegan's Guild. He creates not only Vegan Burgers but also Vegan salads, desserts, soup, bread, and a lot more. Aside from finding Vegan's Guild every Saturday at BTC Food Market, they now accept delivery at any day of the week. Isn't that great?! Check out the image below for more information. ^_^