Chef Christian Manuel Ventura Alatorre says he was lucky to have gotten his first job at a Japanese restaurant — having no culinary experience, he took in as much knowledge as he could and eventually opened Sushi Momo, a renowned Montreal vegan sushi spot on Rue Saint-Denis.

Now, he's expanding his repertoire with more unique and flavourful plant-based restaurants. First came Casa Kaizen, a Mexican-Japanese fusion joint that re-opened in July.