2026 Winners Are In: Vegelicious Dishes Take CentRE Stage!
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2026 Winners Are In: Vegelicious Dishes Take CentRE Stage! 〰️
Celebrating the most crave-worthy plant-powered creations across Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander Shire.
After a record-breaking year with 946 diners voting, the 2026 Edgy Veg Awards put a spotlight on the boldest, tastiest veg-forward dishes from local cafés, bakeries, restaurants, bars, and pubs.
Dive into the winners, meet the creators, and discover where to experience these vegelicious delights near you.
SCROLL DOWN FOR THE WINNERS ⬇
Image: Tiffany Warner Photography
MACEDON RANGES WINNERS
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WOODEND CELLAR & BAR
WINNER - RESTAURANT & BAR
“Faux Gras”
A lush, savoury mousse of roasted mushrooms, cashew butter, and umami-rich seasoning.
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MACEDON RANGES WHOLE FOODS
WINNER - CAFE
“Turkish Bride Soup”
A twist on a turkish classic. This wholesome and hearty soup filled with local veggies and organic legumes. You'll be craving this one again and again.
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FOOK SHING
RUNNER UP - RESTAURANT & BAR
“Chinese Kung Pao Cauliflower Stir Fry”
Sichuan style spicy sweet & salty cauliflower with a twist. cauliflower blossom lightly battered, fried with a sweet, salty and fragrant sichuan pepper sauce, roasted peanuts, spring onion & coriander
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PAYSANNE CAFE
RUNNER UP - CAFE
“Middle Eastern Tofu Fritters”
Middle eastern tofu fritters, cooked with spices, served with hummus and mango salsa
MOUNT ALEXANDER WINNERS
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SHEDSHAKER BREWING
WINNER - RESTAURANT & BAR
“Pumpkin & Ricotta Ravioli”
Plant based Pumpkin and Ricotta Ravioli with sage burnt butter, garnished with walnuts, rocket, apple and goats cheese. All elements of the dish including the ricotta, butter and goats cheese are plant substitutes.
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TOG'S PLACE CAFE
JOINT WINNER - CAFE
“Zataar Tofu”
Pan Seared tofu in zataar, quinoa, stone fruit and roast cauliflower salad
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SAFFS CAFE
JOINT WINNER - CAFE
“Autumnal Okonomiyaki”
Japanese Vegetable Pancakes, Wasabi Aioli, Bbq Sauce and a Seasonal Herb, Pickled Ginger and Nori Salad
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JOHNNY BAKER
WINNER - BAKERY
“Ginger Carrot & Pineapple Cake”
A tropical fruit and nut cake, consisting of pineapple, carrot, coconut, ginger and macadamias.
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KLUA SATHORN THAI
RUNNER UP - RESTAURANT & BAR
“The In-Law Tofu”
Gluten free Fried organic tofu topped with sassy homemade chilli sauce served with garden salad style Klua Sathorn
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FIVE FLAGS MERCHANTS
RUNNER UP - CAFE
“Spicy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burger”
Spicy sweet potato & black bean burger with brussels sprout & apple slaw, herb vegan mayo & side chips
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MALDON BAKERY
RUNNER UP - BAKERY
“Autumn Berry & Rhubarb Pudding”
Autumn berry and rhubarb pudding
2026 DISHES
CASTLEMAINE & SURROUNDS
MALDON
GISBORNE
LANCEFIELD & RIDDELLS CREEK
WOODEND & HANGING ROCK
KYNETON
MOUNT MACEDON
A SEARCH FOR THE MOST VEGELICIOUS DISH IN THE MOUNT ALEXANDER & MACEDON RANGES REGIONS!
TASTE INSPIRED DISHES FROM 29 PUBS, CAFES & RESTAURANTS ACROSS 9 VILLAGES IN CENTRAL VICTORIA
The Edgy Veg Awards are a month-long celebration where vegetables take centre stage and local hospitality gets creative. Across participating cafés, pubs and restaurants, chefs craft bold, veg-forward dishes designed to surprise, delight and convert even the most committed carnivores.
Here’s the twist: you’re the judge. Diners try the dishes, score their favourites and help crown the winners. It’s part food adventure, part friendly competition, and entirely delicious.
The Awards champion seasonal produce, support local venues and shine a spotlight on the growers who make great food possible. Expect vibrant flavours, inventive cooking and the joy of eating.
Eat widely. Score enthusiastically. Discover just how exciting vegetables can be.
The Edgy Veg Awards will run from 1st-30th April 2026. During this time, you can visit as many participating eateries as you like and score their dish.
The more venues you visit and score, the more chance you have of winning a prize.
NOTE: You can only score each dish once.
score A DISH & WIN!
By scoring the dishes that you taste, you go into the draw win a fabulous prize from one of our local businesses.
You can score dishes across three categories - taste, presentation and likelihood of reordering.
The winner of the Diner’s Prize will be randomly drawn on 12th May and notified via a social media announcement and email on the same day.
FAQ
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The EDGY VEG AWARDS are a celebration of local food innovation, scrumptious regional flavours, and sharing meals that give back to the planet.
Organised by Veg Action of the Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group, the Awards are designed to support local eateries to create new and exciting plant-based dishes to showcase just how fabulous plant-based eating can be! The added bonus is that most dishes are made with locally sourced and grown vegetables - so supporting the event supports local businesses and strengthens our local food system.
Eating more plant-based dishes is linked to better human health and a reduction in the negative effects of industrial livestock farming, such as deforestation, greenhouse gases, pollution, antibiotic resistance, erosion and biodiversity loss. We recommend plant-based feature in your meal plan at least 3 days per week.
Join up to the Edgy Veg Trail to discover the delicious local fare on offer and support eateries and growers in the local area.
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The Edgy Veg Awards will run from 1st-30th April 2026. During this time, you can visit as many participating cafes/pubs as you like and rate their dish.
Create your own trail route from the list of venues on this site.
The more venues you visit and rate, the more chance you have of winning a prize.
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The scores of each dish will be calculated with reference to the number of votes received by the dish.
The highest scoring dish across three categories (taste, presentation and likelihood of reordering) will win the award!
There are three prize categories for each shire.
Mount Alexander: - 1. cafes 2. restaurants and pubs 3. bakeries
Macedon Ranges: 1. cafes 2. restaurants
3. pubs and barsWinners will be announced on 12th May via Veg Action social media accounts.
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If you have any questions or need any tech help, get in touch with the VEG ACTION team on veg@mrsg.org.au or on facebook - www.facebook.com/vegaction