Think vegan comfort food is an oxymoron? This Biddeford restaurant may change your mind.

Robin Adams shares her passion for vegan food at her Biddeford restaurant. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Liz Gotthelf, Publisher•

BIDDEFORD — There’s nothing out of the ordinary about the breakfast menu at Robin’s Table restaurant. It lists items like breakfast burritos, biscuits and gravy, sausage and cheese biscuits, home fries and pancakes.

Sounds like typical homestyle cooking right? It is, except everything is vegan.

“My food is good, it just happens to be vegan,” said Robin Adams, owner of Robin’s Table, located at 420 Elm.

Adams has been a vegetarian for close to 30 years, and a vegan for 15 of those years.

She became a vegetarian for health reasons. She was in her 30s, obese, and kept hearing that she was at risk for diabetes and the other health issues many of her older family members had.

“I watched my entire family go the way of the typical American diet,” she said.

Now in her 60s, Adams said she is healthier and more energetic than she was decades ago.

She said when she first became interested in a plant-based diet, there were not a lot of options when it came to vegan foods. A lot of the typically offered vegan food was bland, and many vegans relied too heavily on processed meat alternatives, she said.

Adams studied nutrition and began reworking recipes to “veganize” her favorite foods.

She said she occasionally gets asked if she misses anything from her non-vegan days, and she said no. She’s not out of breath by going up a flight of stairs, she’s healthy, and she eats food she enjoys, including the occasional whoopie pie.

“There is no deprivation,” she said.

Liz Gotthelf photo

In addition to debunking the myth that vegan food can’t be delicious, she also wants to debunk the myth of the militant vegan. It’s a lifestyle, not a religion, and she’s not trying to convert anyone, she said. What she’s doing works for her, and others need to find what works for them.

“No one’s life was ever changed by a bullhorn,” she said. “I don’t preach, I teach.”

In addition to serving up homestyle food in her restaurant, Adams also teaches vegan cooking classes, including a Vegan 101 class where she introduces participants to easy, family-friendly vegan meals and treats.

Robin’s Table is currently open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, go to https://www.robinstable.com/ or check out Robin’s Table on Facebook.

Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at [email protected].