RICHMOND, Va. — “I could tell you, ‘Oh, it was difficult,’ but it really wasn’t,” says Milton Rodriguez, co-founder, along with his wife Rachel Rodriguez, of Taco Vegana, a vegan Mexican restaurant opening soon at 1004 Oakwood Avenue in Church Hill.
Rachel was vegetarian when the couple met. Milton was not. Rather than prepare separate meals, Milton suggested they try veganism together. The couple began figuring out how to make vegan versions of the recipes Milton grew up cooking with his family in Baja, Mexico.
Rodriguez found that go-to meat substitutes — including tofu, seitan and mushrooms —adapted well to Mexican dishes when combined with traditional marinades and condiments…