Welcome to the Bull City Mayor’s Veganuary Challenge!

Learn about vegan/plant-based diets and make the pledge!

Person holding a white bowl filled with assorted cooked vegetables including broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, and a vegetable mixture in the center.

Community Challenge Events

December 2025 - January 2026:

Logo of Northern Culinary featuring a shield with a chef's hat, a knight's helmet, and a chef's knife and fork, with a banner displaying "Northern Culinary."

Active Now: Junior Vegan Chef Challenge

Register below to attend the free Junior Vegan Chef Challenge Tasting Event on Thursday, December 11, 2025 at 6pm at Northern High School.

All are welcome!

Note: If you register, please make every effort to attend.

We understand that life sometimes gets in the way, but we are using this information to give the student chefs an idea of how many individuals they will be serving the night of the event. Thank you for your consideration!

  • Learn about DINE’s January Wellness Education Program focused on plant-based proteins.

More To Come :

  • See Refectory’s special Veganuary menu created by Northern High School chefs in collaboration with Chef Jake.

Ready to take the Veganuary Challenge?

Sign up here to take the pledge through Veganuary, and then scroll down to learn more about plant-based living in Durham!

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Sign up via Veganuary

Previous Community Challenge Events:

Black sign shaped like a cutting board with white text reading 'Vegan Chef Challenge'.
Colorful logo of the Durham Public Schools ARTS education logo.

Visit local restaurants where chefs have created new and exciting plant-based menu items, and vote on your favorite dishes! Click here to link to the Triangle Vegan Chef Challenge page to see participating restaurants.

Elementary and high school students have created artwork to highlight the themes of the Mayor’s Veganuary Challenge. Click here to view the artwork, see the winners, and to learn where the artwork is displayed in galleries and restaurants around the Bull City.

Logo for Northern Culinary featuring a chef's hat, helmet, fork, and knife with the text 'Northern Culinary' on a ribbon banner.

Durham culinary artists at Northern High School have taken up the challenge of cooking with plants to create mouthwatering vegan dishes. Click above to see photos from the tasting on December 10!

Logo for DINE, Durham's Innovative Nutrition Education, featuring large green letters spelling DINE with a cartoon carrot replacing the letter I.

The Durham County Public Health Department DINE Wellness Program will provide plant-based nutrition information and classroom tasting of plant-based recipes in the Durham Public Schools elementary schools they serve in January! The message to these students in January: Eat More Plants!

Need more help getting started?

Here are some free programs to help you transition to a vegan diet:

Here are some free resources to help you learn more:

Coming Soon:

Plant-based living resources in Durham!