Smith & Deli-cious

Forget your preconceptions of vegan food. In Smith & DELI-cious: a Deli (That Happens to be Vegan), Shannon Martinez and Mo Wyse are here to challenge them all with a collection of recipes that celebrates delicious plant-based food the way it should be: big, bold and flavorful.

Across seven chapters, Shannon and Mo bring you recipes from the line-out-the-door popular Smith & Deli. The book features salads (including German potato salad; beetroot, black lentil, yogurt and dill salad; and Vietnamese slaw), soups (borscht; pumpkin, orange and chipotle; smoky potato and leek; split pea), baked sweets (banana split cake; brownies; pumpkin pie; chocolate, mandarin and sour cherry pudding), dough both sweet and savory (sticky buns; doughnuts; dill pretzels; plakopsy), meals (meatballs; chili peppers; mac and cheese; kimchi fried rice; cheesy broccoli and cauliflower pie) and basics (stocks; rices; sides; sauces; dips).

As well, the book will fill you in on the Smith & Deli story and introduce you to the people who, along with Shannon and Mo, make it happen. Kitchen staff will feature with their favorite recipes, and front of house staff will be profiled (and shown in their distinctive Smith & Deli uniforms).

The deli, with its neighborhood corner store vibe and New York sass, has a very different vibe from the Smith & Daughters restaurant, and this is reflected in the book. The recipes in Deli have a more home-cooked feel than those in Daughters, and span many cuisines (expect anything from okonomiyaki and bahn mi to apple pie bars and English baked beans). The design will leave behind the black of Smith & Daughters for a look more in keeping with the deli's light, retro feel.

About the Authors

Shannon Martinez has cooked since she can remember and, due to the influence of her Spanish paternal family and her innovative outside-the-square talents, she's contributed to kitchens across Melbourne for around 20 years. Shannon eats meat, but has perfected her vegetarian and (latterly) vegan repertoire, saying this is what makes her food so good; she tries to replicate the tastes and textures of meat, rather than putting out bland, predictable, vegan food. Smith & Daughters on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy began in 2014. Food lovers went nuts.

Almost immediately, the restaurant had grown to 40 staff and were doing 400 covers a night. In July 2015, they opened Smith & Deli, an all-vegan convenience store and deli, in nearby Moor Street. The idea here is a carefully curated selection of all vegan groceries, and freshly made pastries, salads and take-home meals. There's also a long list of made-to-order sandwiches, 'cheese' and 'meat' by the kilo – and, often, queues out the door.

Mo Wyse is a Seattle and New York expat. She studied journalism and has a background in production, but dedicated her passion for creative, plant-based food to creating Smith & Daughters and Smith & Deli, where she is the logistical, front-of-house and marketing brains behind this gun team.