Hundreds entered and thousands voted in the 2010 Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door contest, but we've finally picked our winners from our 20 smoking-hot finalists. With so many hot men and women eating vegetarian these days, it wasn't an easy task! In the end, Marie and Loyal came out on top. Thanks to the PETA Member Advantage Program, each of our winners will receive a free trip for two to Hawaii.
Name: Marie
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida
This Israeli-born beauty has been an animal lover since childhood and has been a vegetarian since her teens. But Marie doesn't spend her time thinking about what she can't eat as a vegetarian—she spends her days creating delicious gourmet food from a plethora of cruelty-free ingredients in her job as a personal chef! Marie says, "I have the opportunity to counsel my clients on the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle and have proven through my recipes that you can create meals that are healthy and animal-friendly and that veggies can indeed be very tasty!" She loves challenging herself in order to prove that vegetarian cooking can be delicious and sophisticated, whether she's preparing an appetizer or a seven-course meal. The veggie chef's turn-ons include animal lovers and compassionate individuals.
Name: Loyal
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Loyal has been a vegetarian for 10 years and credits his meat-free diet with providing the energy that he needs to maintain his very active lifestyle. He enjoys extreme adventuring, "travelanthropy," volunteering, and attending PETA rallies, and he has even hiked the Appalachian Trail. To fuel the long trek, Loyal snacked on soy jerky and became the unofficial ambassador of vegetarian hiking! Loyal says that when he's off the trail, one of the things he enjoys most about being vegetarian is the variety of food that's available. "One of the most common misconceptions about being a vegetarian or vegan is that you're stuck with salads," says Loyal. "I've eaten such a rich array of food since being a vegetarian. My culinary world is limitless. Moroccan, Ethiopian, Thai, Vietnamese, it's never a dull moment." He is headed to Haiti in the near future and then plans to go hiking in Europe. One thing's certain—for this sexy vegetarian, the adventure never ends.
Congratulations to Marie and Loyal! If you think that you have what it takes to be named the Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door, visit PETA.org in early 2011 to learn more about next year's contest. Not yet vegetarian? No problem! Order our free vegetarian starter kit now, and we'll help you get started.