Celebrity chef Ming Tsai has long been beloved for his television series, restaurants, and cookbooks. However, his latest project offers a chef-driven vegan meal – right in the local grocery store frozen food aisle.

The celebrity chef’s MingsBings line was launched early in the pandemic but with very limited availability outside of the brand’s website. Now, however, this line of frozen patties is being expanded throughout grocery stores in the northeastern United States and will now be available in stores such as Wegmans, Roche Brothers, Dave’s Fresh Market, Alltown Fresh, Fairway Market, as well as Whole Food Markets and Market Baskets.

MingsBings are a healthy plant-based version of the beloved Chinese street food Bing, and comes in fun flavors like plant-based sausage and peppers and buffalo cauliflower. In a year when we’ve all been eating home more and trying to find affordable ways to be kinder to our bodies from the inside out, this brand also feeds the soul by donating a portion of proceeds to Family Reach and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

During the pandemic, everyone was spending more time at home cooking with their family - and health was at the forefront of everyone’s mind. “Throughout the pandemic, people were at home cooking more and I think were forced to pay attention to what they were eating,” said Ming Tsai.

During that time, demand for plant-based food skyrocketed, and that is a trend that doesn’t seem to be slowing down. “Transitioning to the post-pandemic world, people want to be out and social but still want the convenience of easy-to-prepare meals for lunch breaks or after busy work days,” said Tsai.

The amount of time available in the day to prepare meals is one thing that hasn’t changed. “I think the desire for convenient, healthy, heat-and-eat meals will continue as people return to the office environment, start commuting again, and when kids return to school in the fall,” said Tsai, who believes the key here is that people do value their health more than they did before COVID-19. And that’s a good thing. “Our health is so important and I think people are paying extra attention to how they eat and are trying to make healthier choices,” said Tsai.

One of the brand’s most recent flavors, Fiesta Bing, launched in May for Cinco de Mayo. “It’s a taco-inspired patty that blends Uncut plant-based chorizo with corn, black beans, grilled onions and roasted poblanos,” said Tsai. It also packs in over 30% more fiber than fast food tacos, so that’s a win as well.

But their newest flavor, the Cheeseburger Bing, will launch just in time for grilling season. “One of America’s richest food traditions is the cheeseburger, and I’ve updated this American classic using delicious vegan ingredients like Uncut plant-protein, vegan cheddar, caramelized onions and red quinoa to name a few,” said Tsai. This “burger” packs a flavor punch but is less than half the fat of fast food chain burgers. And, it’s also the added benefit of being bun-less. “Our gluten-free wrapper prevents the need for a carb-heavy bun,” said Tsai.

We’ve seen time and again that versatility — and having options — is an important part of maintaining a healthy diet. Foods need to be easy to eat and cook or it’s easy to bore of them. From a cooking standpoint, convenience is key. “I wanted to make something that was simple enough for the busy home-cook to just take out of the freezer and heat-and-eat,” said Tsai. “Part of this was developing a product that could stand up to different cooking methods so that people could prepare it based on what they’re accustomed to whether that’s an oven, air fryer, sauté pan, grill or toaster oven,” said Tsai.

Hand-held healthy spins on tacos and burgers that are easy too? That’s a winner.