pFriends of Animals will be reporting from the a href=”http://vegfoodevents.com/veganironchef/”Vegan Iron Chef event/a in San Francisco this weekend so stay tuned. Who do you think will walk away with the titlemdash;Jay Astafa, Jillian Love or Chef AJ?/ppnbsp;/ppstrongimg alt=”” src=”/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/jay.jpeg” style=”width: 100px; height: 150px; margin: 8px; float: left;” /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./ppnbsp;/ppnbsp;/ppstrongimg alt=”” src=”/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/jillian.jpg” style=”width: 100px; height: 135px; margin: 8px; float: left;” /Love /strongis 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./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;/ppnbsp;/ppstrongimg alt=”” src=”/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Chef-AJ-True-North.jpg” style=”width: 100px; height: 119px; margin: 8px; float: left;” /Chef 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 at True North Health in Santa Rosa./ppnbsp;/ppnbsp;/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./ppnbsp;/p