Pleese Cheese: Bringing Plant-Based Pizza Cheese to NYC (and Beyond!)

The Modern Health Nerd Podcast, Episode #35

Does vegan cheese have a place on authentic New York pizza?

Kobi Regev and his wife, Abev, proved it does with their unique plant-based pizza cheese, Pleese.

In this episode, Kobi and I do our best to avoid being cheesy as we dive into:

• The journey that led Kobi and Abev from making their first vegan pizza to creating their own plant-based cheese.
• Why Pleese is based on beans and potatoes instead of nuts
• The many possibilities for plant-based cheese in the "new world" of food
• How switching from dairy cheese to plant-based cheese—just on pizza!—can have a positive impact on both the environment and people
• The unexpected demand for vegan cheese that's making Pleese an NYC sensation—and how it helped pizzerias in the city during the pandemic
• Innovations in plant-based cheese and restaurant tech that are changing the world of pizza (and food)
• How the plant-based industry can open new doors for farmers to embrace climate-friendly crops and practices

About Kobi

One "ugly" vegan pizza sent Kobi Regev and his wife on a trajectory away from his (rather nerdy) background in urban planning and jewelry sales toward the mission of creating a better plant-based cheese.

His target? The discerning, pizza-loving palates of New Yorkers. Beyond making a better plant-based cheese that everyone can enjoy, Kobi has a vision for a future where city rooftops are transformed into gardens and restaurants grow all their own ingredients.

About Pleese

Pleese (which stands for Plant Cheese) is a plant-based cheese developed by New Yorkers specifically to melt on pizza.

Pleese is all natural, made from bean and potato proteins and crafted using traditional methods. Pleese is so good that people can't tell the difference—and it's approved by the world's harshest food critics: kids from NYC.

Connect with Kobi and Pleese Online

• https://www.pleesefoods.com
• Instagram: @pleesecheese
• Twitter: @pleesecheese
• LinkedIn: Pleese Cheese, Kobi Regev
• Clubhouse: @pleesecheese

For more pizza and (plant-based) cheese goodness, check out:

• Clayton Wood, CEO of Picnic, episode #23
• Veronica Fil, co-founder of Grounded, episode #26