Plant-based egg company Yo Egg announces it has received two of the National Restaurant Association’s 2023 Food and Beverage (FABI) Awards, for the “world’s first and only” plant-based poached egg and sunny-side-up eggs. In addition, the Yo Sunny Side Up egg was selected as one of eight “FABI Favorites”, and will be featured onstage at this year’s NRA show in Chicago.
The FABI Awards recognizes the most forward-thinking and creative tastes that are helping to drive trends and expand menu offerings across the US.
“Yo Egg is a huge step forward for plant-based foods”
According to Yo Egg, its products feature a runny yolk and real chicken egg taste, which the brand says other egg alternatives currently don’t offer. Made from non-GMO ingredients that include chickpea and soy, Yo Egg recently launched on restaurant menus across Southern California, including Millie’s Cafe, Real Food Daily, Gokoku Ramen, Swingers Diner, Flore Vegan, Junkyard Dog, and more.
The eggs are served in dishes ranging from ramen bowls and Eggs Benedict, to avocado toast and huevos rancheros.
Thanks to its innovative yolk, Yo Egg’s sunny-side-up egg was named a “FABI Favorite” – one of only eight products to receive the distinction. FABI Favorites is a new initiative in which a panel of judges selects products that exemplify creativity, ingenuity and the ability to expand restaurant menu options.
As a result, the Yo Sunny Side Up egg will be featured onstage at this year’s NRA show during “The Culinary Experience”, where judges will discuss and demonstrate the selected products, followed by a tasting session for attendees.
Oversubscribed seed
Founded in Israel, Yo Egg was created by Chef Yosefa Ben Cohen, who sought to create a realistic “whole egg” alternative for the food service industry. In May 2022, Yo Egg raised $5M in an oversubscribed seed funding round to increase production ahead of its US launch.
As the company stated upon its US launch, “Yo Egg is a huge step forward for plant-based foods, as the world moves towards a food system that does not rely on conventional animal agriculture and avoids their associated pandemics, price fluctuations, and environmental concerns.”
The NRA show will take place May 20-23 in Chicago.
