pnbsp;/ppspan style=”font-size:12px;”By Nicole Rivard/span/ppThe a href=”http://www.sfvs.org/” target=”_blank”San Francisco Vegetarian Society/a is once again cooking up an event that will combine the culinary drama, competition and mystery that unfolds between Iron Chefs in Kitchen Stadium every week, but with plant-based ingredients./ppFor the second year, SFVS will host the a href=”http://vegfoodevents.com/veganironchef/” target=”_blank”Vegan Iron Chef/a on March 23 in San Francisco and Friends of Animals is sponsoring the event.nbsp;/ppldquo;Wersquo;re thrilled to be sending a correspondent to the event and to sponsor the competition,rdquo; said Priscilla Feral, president of Friends of Animals. ldquo;It shows excellence in creative food preparation, and inspires an audience to champion the best in vegan cooking.rdquo;/ppThis yearrsquo;s theme will be ldquo;Impromptu Sunday Dinner Party for 10.rdquo;/ppCompetitors will get 60 minutes to prepare a three-course meal consisting of an appetizer, main course and dessert. They will also need to incorporate the secret ingredient, which will be revealed just before they start./ppThe chefs will have access to the same ingredients and equipment, and will have two sous-chefs helping them./ppimg alt=”” src=”/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/jay.jpeg” style=”width: 100px; height: 150px; float: right; margin: 8px;” //ppAnd the competitors arehellip;/ppstrongJay Astafa /strongis a 21-year-old vegan chef who started his culinary journey when he became vegan in 2007. Going vegan inspired him to become a vegan chef. In 2009, he created a full vegan Italian-inspired menu for his dadrsquo;s restaurant 3 Brothers Pizza Cafe on Long Island. In 2011, he graduated from New Yorkrsquo;s Natural Gourmet Institute./ppAstafa is the chef/owner of Jay Astafa Catering, a NYC upscale vegan catering company. Hersquo;s also planning to open his vegan restaurant concept ortaggio in 2014./ppstrongJillian Love/strong is a talented raw vegan chef, accomplished workshops leader, international raw educator, community organizer and event planner, and inspiring presenter with extensive training in assisting people in personal transformation./ppimg alt=”” src=”/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/jillian.jpg” style=”width: 100px; height: 135px; margin: 8px; float: right;” //ppShe is founder of Bay Area Raw, an organization providing social networking opportunities to bring together local businesses, entrepreneurs, visionaries, activists, community leaders and the greater Bay Area community members to share information, celebrate healthy lifestyle and support the growth of the Bay Area Raw Food Movement. nbsp;Love also runs the Revolutionary Raw Conscious Cuisine Meet Up Group, a community hub for individuals interested in exploring raw food cuisine and optimal nourishment and engaging in lifestyle choices that sustain the planet.nbsp;/ppShe completed her certification as associate raw food chef from Living Light Culinary Arts Institute in October 2003.nbsp;/ppimg alt=”” src=”/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Chef-AJ-True-North.jpg” style=”width: 100px; height: 119px; margin: 8px; float: right;” //ppstrongChef AJ/strong has followed a plant-based diet for more than 36 years. nbsp;The author of ldquo;Unprocessed,rdquo; she was the former executive vegan pastry chef at Sante Restaurant in Los Angeles./ppAs a culinary instructor for the past 14 years, she teaches people how to incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables in their diets in ways that are easy, delicious and fun. She is a frequent guest chef and True North Health in Santa Rosa./ppLast yearrsquo;s Vegan Iron Chef winner, chef Lisa Books-Williams, will return as one of the judges this year, along with Jesse Miner, Sascha Weiss and Collen Patrick-Goudreau. Vegan restaurateur Miyoko Schinner will emcee the event./ppTo download a copy of the e-cookbook that includes recipes from last yearrsquo;s contestants, visita href=”http://vegfoodevents.com/veganironchef” target=”_blank” this site/a, and click on ldquo;About.rdquo;nbsp;/pdivnbsp;/div