RISING OF THE PISTARS A INDUSTRY Neel Vaidya Age: 38 Owner Troy's Italian Kitchen Arlington, Virginia Instagram handle: @troysitaliankitchen How are you able to navigate the niche Vegan market? As vegetarians ourselves, we aim to please all walks of life. We have successfully tapped into our local vegan community and created a reliable and tasty source of delicious vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free foods that are not readily available to many communities in the U.S. Dietary restrictions, whether for health or ethical reasons, shouldn't be a reason someone can't enjoy a restaurant meal. What is your process when experimenting with adding creative fl avors to pizza? We think of all the diff erent foods we've enjoyed, and what fl avors really made that dish pop. We then take those fl avors and experiment at home until we fi nd a winning combination. What is your community outreach strategy? We're very fortunate to have a community that helps us with outreach. Many of the events we cater, and our customers who visit our brick and mortar are by word of mouth. We also take the time to visit our local Facebook groups to let customers know what we provide. We also love to participate in local events and hold fundraisers for our schools.