Huntsville’s own Adyre Mason will be featured next week on The Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay” as she competes against vegan chef Tamearra Dyson for the right to battle Bobby Flay in Season 30, Episode 3, entitled “A Deal to Beat Bobby.”

Mason had a large number of health problems in her late 20s, including high cholesterol, chronic joint pain, and gastrointestinal issues. Her health woes escalated to the point where she realized that she needed to make a change, beginning with her diet.

Over a year and a half, Mason transitioned from meat to pescatarian, vegetarian, then vegan. During the process, her health issues began to clear up.

At the time, Mason was working as a senior weapon systems engineer. As a long-time foodie who learned to cook in her mother’s kitchen, she became concerned about the long-term impact these dietary changes would have on her gastronomical options. She began adapting her favorite foods to fit her new vegan lifestyle. Mason also toyed with the idea of a restaurant and started working on a business plan.

The sudden death of Mason’s mother in 2017 from complications related to a series of strokes spurred Mason to take a chance, leaving her 10-year engineering career to launch her new venture. She completed her business plan and cashed in her 401K to raise capital for her vegan restaurant, The Veggie.

Mason’s new restaurant began as a series of pop-ups before establishing a permanent location in Railroad Room 5 at Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment in March 2021. The Veggie is now Huntsville’s largest dedicated vegan space, serving a daily menu, prepared meals, catering services, and grab-and-go items.

The new restaurant became a quick success, and on October 8, 2021 Mason participated in the first 100% vegan episode of “Beat Bobby Flay,” judged by entrepreneur Mark Cuban and food personality Sunny Anderson.

Mason stated in a Facebook post that she is “grateful to be a part of celebrating vegan cooking, not just vegan entrepreneurship,” and “helping put vegan food on the map for a traditional Southern city.”

The show will first air on Thursday, Jan. 20 at 8 PM CST, with a repeat showing at 11 PM on January 21.