Beverly's Gourmet Foods, Charlotte

Beverly's Gourmet Foods' Beverly McLaughlin creates nutritious meals from scratch using only vegetarian and vegan ingredients, olive and vegetable oils, and unprocessed foods. Her kitchen also recycles all of its paper, plastic, glass, and canned products to help maintain an environmental footprint as small and green as a leprechaun's.

The chef's prepared dishes—pistachio crusted tofu and tomato basil pies—can be picked up at Whole Foods, at the Atherton Mill Market, or at the Mecklenburg County Market, which her grandmother helped found in 1938. People who love her food can also try to put together their own versions in Beverly's vegetarian and vegan cooking classes.