Since 2021

Chef Mat &

Dr. Pulido

Dr. Pulido is a Jacksonville native who attended Assumption Catholic School and Bishop Kenny High School. He completed residency at the Mayo Clinic of Jacksonville for Family Medicine. Since then, Dr. Pulido has progressed to become one of Jacksonville’s leading advocates for natural plant-based medicine.

Bardroff is a chef in Jacksonville specializing in delicious, innovative, and health-conscious food. For years, he has worked in many different facets of the restaurant industry, developing and perfecting recipes and the science of making exquisite food. Bardroff has received numerous accolades for his talent as a professional chef. He was the former fine dining chef for the Ritz Carlton.

Dr. Pulido and Chef Bardroff agree that nutritional food options are necessary to help improve the overall health of the local community, and are vital for people who are seeking holistic solutions for a multitude of preventable diseases, including hypertension, weight management, high cholesterol, chronic inflammation, and diabetes.

Vegan Café Jax is excited to serve you with its combination of outstanding vegan food, quick service, and affordability.

Chef Mat Bardroff

Greetings, my name is Mat Bardroff, vegan chef.  I am very excited to have partnered with Dr. Rene U. Pulido to prepare and provide much needed healthy food options for Jacksonville. Plant-based food is where “healthy” and “delicious” unite!             

I have experience as a chef in many kitchens ranging from quick food, country clubs, and fine dining. The previous establishments I’ve worked for operated primarily on a traditional style of cooking that has been ingrained in the culinary world; meat, cream, butter, and salt. Most of the dishes were based on animal proteins with sides to compliment. Fast food was even worse with animal meats being the main substance of every sandwich, burger, and even salads.  

I have learned to cook with these classical standards and gained experience using techniques of the modern kitchen to ultimately pursue my greatest passion of making healthy plant-based foods for the community to benefit from. I am thrilled to present to you the vibrant flavors of fruits and vegetables, combined with wholesome grains simmered in your favorite sauces, allowing your tastebuds to experience a unique and savory sensation with every bite. 

It has been a longtime dream of mine to establish a dining experience where customers can feel confident that everything on the menu will be of their body’s best interest, as well as have a positive impact on the planet and all of its inhabitants. With my passion for beneficial food and Dr. Rene U. Pulido’s medical knowledge of health, Vegan Café Jax is the place in Jacksonville to get healthy, tasteful food you can feel good about.

Dr. Rene Pulido

Hello, my name is Dr. Rene U. Pulido, MD, owner and founder of eMed Multispecialty Group. I have partnered with Matthew Bardroff because I wholeheartedly believe much of what the multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical industry produces does little more than place a small band-aid on a much larger problem. 

The unfortunate reality is that it is not in the pharmaceutical industries’ best interest to correct or treat the underlying cause of disease. Instead, they would much prefer to profit by selling oil-based chemicals that only slightly improve some disease states without giving consideration to the underlying problem or the side effects that they cause. It is my medical opinion that the damage being done through inappropriate diet and lack of exercise is further fueled by our large medical institutions, who are receiving millions of dollars in donations from the same companies advertising their poison to us. This creates an environment that is a fundamental cause for the health disparities that Americans live with today. 

In short, I am tired of pushing pills. And I think it is about time that I start offering a treatment that is actually curative, restorative, and not associated with horrible risky complications. It is for this reason that I have partnered with Chef Bardroff to open Jacksonville’s premier delicious health-conscious vegan restaurant.