Community Kitchen and Taproom opened this week in Tarrytown at 3110 Windsor Rd., serving plant-based versions of fried chicken, surf and turf, and barbecue plates alongside classic Southern sides.

Co-owners Marlon Rison and Ericka Dotson first launched their business five years ago as Community Vegan, a food truck operating out of a brightly painted 1973 Winnebago on East 11th Street, where they built a neighborhood following with dishes like Southern fried chick'n biscuits, Vegan Korean BBQ Fries, and steak frites.

Community Kitchen is the team’s first brick-and-mortar, bringing its plant-based comfort food into a space designed to feel relaxed and welcoming, with live plants on wood-block tables, low lighting, and gentle jazz.

The menu centers on familiar dishes reworked with plant-based ingredients. Fried chicken is made with oyster mushrooms, nuggets use lion’s mane, and dishes like surf and turf combine plant-based steak and shrimp. Steak-style bites and burnt ends are made from shiitake mushroom stems, while the shrimp is made from konjac, a starchy plant.

Owner Marlon Rison talks about options on the menu, including The Summit and its various sides.Photo by Kimberly Reeves

CultureMap stopped by the restaurant Wednesday afternoon, April 8, and Chef Kevin Rowe brought out plates including the Summit, the Coastline, and a spread of sides, offering a snapshot of the restaurant’s approach to plant-based comfort food.

“We do vegan comfort food. Everything that my mom cooked when I was raised in South Texas is the exact same thing we do," Rison says as the plates appear. "We just use plant-based ingredients to recreate those dishes."

Rison, a former personal trainer, has followed a plant-based diet for about nine years, a shift he said began after watching the documentary What the Health. He said the transition also led to significant personal changes, including weight loss and increased energy, shaping both his approach to food and the concept behind the restaurant.

He said his decision was also influenced by concerns about how meat is mass-produced and distributed, including the environmental impact of large-scale runoff and its effects on nearby communities. Learning about the health disparities in rural communities, and especially rural communities of color, was a turning point in how he thought about his diet.

Much of Community Kitchen's menu traces back to Rison's mother, Carolyn. She died in December, but her influence remains central to his kitchen, where she was one of Rison’s earliest collaborators, working through the ingredients and substitutes that shaped his menu.

The move to Tarrytown marks a shift into a more permanent space while keeping the same core approach. The team says the food’s familiarity and presentation help draw in first-time customers who may not typically seek out vegan options.

“When it’s comfort food, and it looks good, it doesn’t take much selling. People see it, smell it, and want to try it,” Rison says.

Beyond the menu, Rison describes the restaurant as an extension of a broader philosophy around food and community.

“My whole goal is to make it to where you can still enjoy comfort food, it’s just going to be a little bit better," Rison says. "We want people to leave here feeling better than they did when they came in."

Community Kitchen’s current hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4-9 pm, Friday and Saturdays from noon to 9 pm, and Sundays from 11 am to 6 pm. Brunch is served from 11 am to 3 pm. The restaurant is currently closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The restaurant's website cautions that the address isn't well-represented on Google Maps yet, but it is correct. Find Community Kitchen between Pak Mail & Austin Pets Alive, facing Windsor Road.