The aroma of fresh food and the hum of conversation floated through the air Thursday, March, 6 at the soft opening of Vistro – Vegan and Vegetarian Fare located at 935 College St. Friends and family of chef and owner Melinda Whitfield Gilbert from Bowling Green gathered for a sneak peek of the restaurant.
While Bowling Green has a diverse restaurant population, Vistro will be the first dedicated vegan and vegetarian restaurant in Bowling Green, Whitfield Gilbert said. It is set to officially open this spring.
Whitfield Gilbert said that In addition to their diverse menu, they will also have fresh pressed juices, like Hula Hooch, Apple Zinger and Happy Beet.
“The menu started with my favorite recipes that I tried to veganize,” Whitfield Gilbert said. “Sometimes it worked really well and sometimes not so much.”
Whitfield Gilbert said menu items will include black bean quesadillas, tomato bisque, pasta and marinara, homemade focaccia and cashew alfredo linguini. The menu will also feature Buddha Bowls. These bowls come with a bed of mixed greens, fresh toppings ranging from carrots, apples, protein and dressing. Whitfield Gilbert said all of the dishes served at the restaurant will be made by her.
The most ordered dish at the soft opening was the tomato bisque. Bowling Green native Leslie Rohrig, who was working at the cash register, said that the bisque was one of her favorite items on the menu.
Rohrig said she met Whitfield Gilbert in 2018 through the Southern Kentucky Choral Society. Rohrig said she does not follow a vegan or vegetarian diet herself, but she does thoroughly enjoy the food that Whitfield Gilbert cooks. She said that she doesn’t plan to work at the restaurant full-time, but was just helping out her friend for the night.
Whitfield Gilbert said she is a graduate of WKU’s Physics program and already has experience in the kitchen. Before moving into the brick-and-mortar location, Whitfield Gilbert said she operated a food truck under the Vistro name since 2021.
Whitfield Gilbert said she identifies herself as “85% vegan,” and she will occasionally eat eggs and cheese. She said she believes that vegan and vegetarian cuisine is an “unmet need” in Bowling Green.
“We couldn’t eat out and get food,” Whitfield Gilbert said. “You can go out and get a salad, but you don’t want that every night.”
Whitfield Gilbert said she hopes that opening a restaurant will allow her to expand her menu. She said she is excited to offer a larger variety of food options at the brick-and-mortar restaurant that doesn’t need to be eaten on the go, Whitfield Gilbert said.
“There’s just not a good place to get a hearty meal that’s vegan or vegetarian,” Whitfield Gilbert said. “So I wanted to provide that.”
The Vistro is a Kentucky Proud Business and aims to utilize local and regional products, Whitfield Gilbert said.
“Kentucky Proud products are raised, grown, manufactured, or processed in Kentucky by Kentuckians,” according to the Kentucky Proud website.
Whitfield Gilbert said they source flour from Midway and get produce out of Bardstown and even Bowling Green. She said she strives to support small, local businesses.
Whitfield Gilbert said she hopes to make Vistro low waste by composting through Compost Bowling Green.
Whitfield Gilbert said she designed the Vistro logo herself to mimic the colors of a sunrise. She said that she got the inspiration the first time she walked into the new brick-and-mortar location at 935 College St. The original color layout was a rainbow, but she said she decided the sunrise fit the theme of the restaurant better.
She also took the photographs of foliage that line the walls of the restaurant. Whitfield Gilbert said many of the plants pictured were grown in her backyard. She said photography is a hobby that she pursues when she’s not in the kitchen.
Jennifer Adam, an assistant professor at WKU, said she met Whitfield Gilbert through their shared church, First Christian Church. Adam said she was impressed by the vegan “chicken” salad. The vegan “chicken” contained chickpeas, celery, grapes, carrots, pecans and spices according to the menu.
“You can’t tell there’s no chicken in it,” Adam said. “It’s great.”
Marissa Sitz, Whitfield Gilbert’s sister, said the most exciting part of seeing her sister go through this journey has been telling people the restaurant is coming, especially her co-workers. Sitz works at Fairview Community Health Center and said her co-workers are excited for Vistro to open.
Whitfield Gilbert said that Vistro will focus on lunch when they first open. However, she has hopes to eventually expand to serving breakfast and dinner.
“Once we get more help, we will then expand to breakfast,” Whitfield Gilbert said. “Once we’ve gotten that established, we’re going to have dinner.”
Vistro will offer discounts to WKU students, faculty, teachers, and first responders as a way to give back to the community, Whitfield Gilbert said.
“We want to share the love and give back to the town,” Whitfield Gilbert said.