Chipotle Mexican Grill is expanding the test of its vegan Sofritas menu item to the east coast, offering this dish in its Baltimore, Philadelphia, Richmond and Washington, D.C., area restaurants. The company began testing Sofritas, a shredded tofu braised with chipotle chilies, roasted poblano peppers and a blend of aromatic spices, in seven San Francisco Bay Area restaurants last January. Sofritas is available in burritos, tacos, burrito bowls and salads.

“Sofritas is a very different kind of menu item, not just for Chipotle, but for any fast food or fast casual restaurant,” said Steve Ells, Chipotle founder, chairman and co-CEO. “In creating the recipe for Sofritas, we wanted to produce something that would appeal to vegetarian and vegan customers, but that was delicious enough to have crossover appeal, as well.”

Chipotle’s tofu supplier, Hodo Soy, is known as an industry leader for its organic, non-GMO tofu and artisanal methods of production.

For more information, visit Chipotle.com/en-us/html/Sofritas.html.