We recently met with Jewan Manuel, the chef and creative mind behind Plant Based Papi in Portland. If you’ve been anywhere near the city’s food scene in recent years, you’ve likely seen his name or joined the line for one of his events that stretches down the block.
Plant Based Papi is known for inventive, plant-based dishes served with intention. Every plate tells a story about flavor, community, and building something that lasts.
From Flint to the Kitchen
Jewan grew up in Flint, Michigan, in a big, close-knit, entrepreneurial family. His grandparents owned a grocery store that was a cornerstone of the community on the north side of Flint. His grandfather handled the deli while his grandmother ran the rest of it. Meanwhile, as a kid, Jewan was learning business skills and a customer-first attitude selling penny candy and chips at the counter.
Cooking caught his attention early. At summer camp, he learned to make French toast from scratch, which felt like a big deal at the time. He spent hours watching his grandfather, who had been a chef in the Air Force, cook for the extended family. By junior high, Jewan was making his own meals and experimenting with flavors.
In high school, he enrolled in a culinary course at the local university, where the final project was to create a restaurant concept. His was called Santiago’s, based on the book The Alchemist. He chose it because the idea of alchemy (turning something ordinary into something extraordinary) mirrored how he saw cooking. The menu had no fixed cuisine. You could order anything. It was a creative idea, and it planted a seed for Jewan that food could be a place for big ideas.
Building Plant Based Papi
Jewan’s path to Portland included fine dining in Michigan, time in Los Angeles, and various corporate roles. When he arrived here in 2017, cooking for friends at home turned into farmers market gigs, which grew into pop-ups. The name Plant Based Papi started as a joke with friends (inspired by Drake’s “Champagne Papi”) and it stuck.
By the time his events at POA Cafe were drawing lines down the block, he knew he had something special. That momentum led to collaborations, a brick-and-mortar space, partnerships with restaurant groups, and eventually, a regular residency at Dame, where his menus change often and range from ramen to vegan lobster rolls to barbecue.
Why He Does It
Plant-based cooking has been Jewan’s way of life for nearly 15 years, but it’s about more than the food. He talks about it as both an artistic expression and a responsibility. It's something that allows him to serve his community, create opportunities, and build relationships that last.
His success didn’t come from following trends. It came from years of working with whole ingredients and figuring out how to make them satisfying without leaning on processed substitutes. That kind of cooking took patience and repetition, and the results show.
Made for Jewan, Inspired by Jewan
For Jewan’s custom wallet, we wanted to make something that fit his minimalist style and his brand. The result is a three-pocket minimalist card wallet made from 100% plant-based leather, a natural fit for someone whose entire culinary identity is rooted in plants.
One side is solid black, sleek and understated. The other side features his signature Plant Based Papi green in a subtle accent, paired with olive stitching that ties the two colors together. The pattern is a custom step-and-repeat of the Plant Based Papi logo (we call it the Papi Vuitton), a light nod to Louis Vuitton’s iconic LV monogram.
The wallet is built to the same dimensions as the one he’s carried for over a year, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand or alongside his phone. Inside, it’s laid out for the essentials: IDs and cards in easy reach, and a secure center slot for cash or anything he doesn’t need to grab often.
For Jewan, carrying a wallet like this means more than just having something functional in his pocket. A wallet is personal. It stays out of sight until he brings it out, and when he does, it becomes a conversation starter. Unlike the typical merch like hat or a shirt, which people see all the time, this is something he chooses to reveal. That makes it more meaningful, and it gives him a sense of pride to have something he uses every day that’s tied to his story and his brand.
Like his approach to cooking, the wallet is focused, purposeful, and personal, with just enough style to make it uniquely his.
Jewan’s story is about finding your own lane, adapting to what comes, and creating something worth holding onto. His food, like this wallet, carries his identity in every detail.
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Buy your own limited edition Plant Based Papi x Woolly Made Wallet while supplies last.
