Tanya Petrovna is the chef and owner of Native Foods. Her ever expanding vegan eatery started out in Palms Springs in 1994, but we in OC know her best from her restaurant at The Camp, which is housed inside a yurt. She has two other restaurants in OC, not all of them in yurts, but serving the same dishes using animal-friendly tempeh, seitan, and also, “Native Chicken Wings,” which to me frankly taste more like chicken than McNuggets.
Here are her answers to our silly survey, with part two of our extended interview to appear tomorrow.
1. Dish you cook that most represents you.
Scorpion Burger and Boogie Bars — a little spicy and a little sweet at the same time.
2. What was the last meal you had at home?
Shabu shabu, roasted cauliflower from my garden.
3. Your favorite restaurant (other than yours):
Chez Peace — in a little village near Lake Baikal.
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4. Fast food guilty pleasure:
I don't guilt over pleasure! Indian markets for samosas with tamarind and cilantro sauce to dip.
5. Complete this sentence: I would like to [verb] [Food Network star] with [noun]. (for example: “I would like to BEAT BOBBY FLAY with A STALE BAGUETTE.” or “I would like to SHOWER GIADA DE LAURENTIIS with FLOWERS”):
I would like to present Rachael Ray with a Solid Gold Fork to honor her work with those sweet pit bull dogs and making a healthy line of dog food.
6. Last meal of your life, what would it be?
Surf Tacos…on a beach with…friends, dogs and dolphins. Chocolate Love Pie for dessert.
7. Items you always have in your refrigerator:
Miso, shiso and pizza.
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.