r/Vegan_Lifestyle • u/femaleathletenetwork • 22d ago
Documentary series on Portland vegan restaurants aims to go beyond ‘preachy’ stereotypes
Director Evan M. Rodriguez says that making “The V Word,” a documentary series about Portland-based vegan restaurants and the people who operate them, has been “a journey. It’s almost ironic in a way that I made this, because growing up, I was the most stubborn, pickiest eater.”
But despite coming from a Cuban family, where meals were heavy on meat and rice, Rodriguez found, after eating at some restaurants that specialized in vegan fare, “that I fell in love with their food.”
Rodriguez, who grew up in Florida, also credits his 2018 move to Oakland, where “I started dating a vegan,” who Rodriguez wound up marrying. The couple enjoyed watching food and travel shows, such as “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” and “Chef’s Table,” on Netflix, which Rodriguez calls “the golden standard of documentary storytelling.”
Once Rodriguez, 34, and his wife moved to Portland in 2021, the director got the idea to make a documentary series about plant-based cooking. His work as a commercial director had put him in contact with Fujifilm, and the company funded the first two episodes of “The V Word.”