5 Questions with Native Foods Cafe

The first Native Foods Cafe opened in Palm Springs in 1994, and for nearly 20 years they've been serving up creative, delicious, made-from-scratch vegan food at over a dozen locations in California, Chicago, and Portland. Their newest location is opening at the end of the month in Boulder, and will represent the city's only all-vegan restaurant. Native Foods' Holladay Allen answered a few questions for us, and now we're even more psyched about the newest addition to the booming vegan scene in Colorado. 

• What's the anticipated opening date for your Boulder location?
  The Opening Date is set for May 29th. This of course is tentative until our final inspections are completed.... but so far, so great!

• What inspired a location in Boulder?
  Boulder just seems like the perfect fit for Native Foods Cafe. Boulder is one of the most active and healthy cities in the US, and there is a strong sense of community... which really drew us there. We've received so many emails asking when are we going to open in Boulder (and Denver... stay tuned on that one :) so when the opportunity arose, it was a no-brainer! 

• There are more commercially-made vegan substitutes available every day, and restaurants are taking advantage of them to make their menus more vegan friendly. Why does Native Foods still make items like seitan and vegan cheese in-house?
  We have come a long way in the world of vegan food in the past decade, which is so fantastic. Here at Native Foods Cafe, we want people to love food, and love the way food makes them feel. Steering towards a whole foods diet with minimal processing is the optimal choice. That is why we make our Native Tempeh, Native Seitan (7 different kinds!), and Native Cheeses in house. A great example is the Native Nachos, every ingredient is made fresh in our kitchen... and they taste amazing! You'll have to come see for yourself :)

• What dishes should not be missed?
  Portobello & Sausage Burger, Ensalada Azteca, Rockin' Moroccan, Scorpion Burger [homemade blackened tempeh, chipotle sauce, romaine, carrots, avocado and onions], Twister Wrap

• Is there anything else you want Colorado vegans to know?
  We want Colorado vegans to know how excited we are to be there, and can't wait to get involved in the local community! 

Native Foods will be at 1675 29th Street, Suite 1272 in Boulder. Get pumped!

Field Report: Pizza Fusion

I love that Daiya has made it possible for pizza places all over the country to offer vegan options, and I love that so many vegans love it and think it's the best thing ever. But when it comes to pizza, I am a Follow Your Heart girl through and through (that is, if there's not homemade cashew ricotta around). FYH mozz takes a bit more heat and time to melt, but when it does, it's magic. And when you leave your leftover pizza in the fridge over night, the cheese becomes one firm, delicous sheet, like it's supposed to. It wasn't until I had leftovers from Pizza Fusion that I realized I missed cold pizza for breakfast. 

Pizza Fusion (571 East Colfax, Denver) offers both FYH and Daiya on their vegan pies, and just started carrying vegan chicken as well. With a menu full of organic, locally-sourced ingredients, and plenty of vegan options (brownies, you guys!), this place is becoming one of my favorite places to get pizza. The Denver location is operated by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless as part of their job training program, and restaurant proceeds support the Coalition’s Renaissance Works program– designed to provide jobs, job training and supportive employment services for homeless individuals. 

We went last night, and I have the grainy, poorly lit pictures to prove it:

Will you look at that? The cheese is bubbly, melty, and just greasy enough. I ate the whole thing and was immediately sorry that I didn't save a piece for breakfast. 

To celebrate Earth Month, they were giving their dine-in customers samples of their raw produce. We got cherry tomatoes from Eagle Springs! I am always skeptical of Colorado tomatoes before June or July, but these were like candy. 

And finally, the booze. It's cheap and plentiful and pretty great. There was twice as much in the glass when I got it, and it was $4 and delicious:

Pizza Fusion has a great happy hour Mondays through Thursdays, 3:00 - 6:00: $3 personal cheese pizzas (FYH or Daiya, whatever your pleasure), $1 draught beers, and $3 glasses of wine. And did I mention they deliver now? Happiness is great vegan pizza that comes right to your door. Get some!

PS: For more vegan pizza, check out our Colorado Vegan Pizza Roundup. For more vegan food in Denver, check out our restaurant guide. 

Udi's Vegan Supper Club

See what I mean about low lighting? From the August dinner: polenta encrusted leeks with Colorado peaches. Once a month, the Udi's in Olde Town Arvada hosts a four course vegan dinner with creative and hearty recipes that are designed to let vegetables shine. This month's menu looks amazing, with fall-inspired dishes like pumpkin croquettas with cranberry ginger sauce, roasted pear and cranberry salad with arugula, pistachios and pear miso vinaigrette, pizza with walnut pesto, grape tomatoes, artichoke hearts and olives, garlic bread sloppy joes with mushroom bolognese, and kabocha pumpkin pie with hazelnut streusel. The low lighting and killer service make the supper club a great choice for a schmancy but inexpensive night out. 

This month's supper club is happening on Monday, November 28th from 5:00 - 9:00pm at Udi's Pizza Cafe Bar in Olde Town Arvada, 7600 Grandview, Arvada. Click here for more information, including the full menu. Click here for other vegan-friendly events in Colorado. 

Recipe Roundup: Comfort Food!

Inspired by our weekly snowstorms, here are some tasty, toasty recipes to soothe your soul:

Individual Tofu and Vegetable Pot Pies from The Kitchn

Vegan Fried Chicken from C'est La Vegan

Scalloped Potatoes and Eggplant Bacon from Post Punk Kitchen

Crispy Potato Wedges from cake maker to the stars 

Two comfort foods in one: Mac and Cheese Pizza from Easy Vegan

Vegetarian Pho from The Kitchn

Apple Pumpkin Spice Donuts from the dude who always knows just what you want, Vegan Dad

Pumpkin Spice Sticky Bread from Oh, Ladycakes

Coconut Hot Chocolate Fudge from The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur

Chocolate Pumpin Loaf from Post Punk Kitchen

Dandies Bars (homemade vegan candy bars!) from Three and a Half Vegans

BAM. 

Busy Vegans

Did you that Vegan Coloradical has a calendar, and that its purpose is to highlight vegan friendly events all over Colorado? It's been mostly covering happenings in Metro Denver because that's where we are, but we would love to have submissions to our calendar and restaurant guide from vegans all over the state. If there's something missing, please let us know!

Not only is Vegan MoFo happening this month, there are some fantastic dinners and fundraising coming up in the next couple of weeks:

• Watercourse Foods Harvest Dinner
  Friday, October 21st, 5:00 - 10:00pm, Watercourse Foods, Denver
  A five course vegan-optional meal featuring local, organic produce and paired with wines of Northern Europe.

• Watercourse Nonprofit Mondays: Sea Shepherd Denver
  Monday, October 24th, Watercourse Foods, Denver 
  It's that time again! Eat at Watercourse on the 24th and a portion of the proceeds will go to support the Denver chapter of Sea Shepherd, protectors of ocean wildlife. 

• Udi's Vegan Supper Club
  Monday, October 24th, 5:00 - 9:00pm, Udi's Pizza Cafe Bar, Olde Town Arvada
  Once a month, the Udi's in Arvada puts on a multi-course vegan dinner that features local produce, and inventive, hearty dishes. The menu for October's dinner looks awesome!

• Walk for Farm Animals
  Sunday, October 30th, Washington Park, Denver
  It's Denver's Walk for Farm Animals, benefiting Farm Sanctuary, one of the nation's coolest animal advocacy organizations. Details here. 

And though this month's has passed, don't forget about Chomp, Plants & Animals Denver's vegan community dinner, held on the first Wednesday of each month.