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volume 1: spring 2019

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umami

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The Editors Graphics by Zoe Klein

Umami is the taste of a meaty flavor characteristic of cheese, cooked meat, mushrooms, soy, and ripe tomatoes. Umami seems to be the flavor we all yearn for; a mix of perfect acidity and contrasting savory to please and cleanse the palette all the same. We hope that what we’ve created here will be the same for you.

With umami, we want to bring you a new, fresh take on your favorite part of Austin, connecting the culinary and cultural aspects of life in the capital of Texas. This magazine is made out of good food, good people, and a lot of love. As you read, grab yourself a handful of almonds, sit back, and enjoy the umami experience.

Spring 2019 |1

umami Zoe pretends she knows what she’s talking about but she doesn’t. She spends the majority of her time writing for the LASA Liberator, teasing Mr. Garcia, and making stir fry. She is notorious among her friends and family as one of the most anxious people alive, but according to her, she’s just careful. She believes that her one true soulmate is Adobe Illustrator, and even though she doesn’t have it at home, she has a comprehensive collection of creations. Next year, Zoe will hold a spot as the financial director of the LASA Liberator, and can’t wait to prove herself in this esteemed position.

Jana, a hard working student attending LASA, enjoys spending her time baking for friends and family, reading the overwhelming number of books she owns, and learning about history, her favorite subject.

Although most of her day is filled up by school and the homework that follows, she enjoys spending time with friends over the weekend, always looking for the best new spots to eat. She hopes that in the future she is able to travel around the world, since experiencing different cultures and languages is something she is thoroughly interested in.

Photos by Lucy Sugawa

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Keshav is an accomplished violinist and tennis player.

When he’s not drowning in the infamous amount of homework at school, Keshav likes to follow his favorite musicians on social media and stay up to date in the classical music world. In his spare time, though he doesn’t have much of it, he plays tennis for the tennis team and loves traveling, especially in his summers in Winnipeg. He also enjoys doing math problems (as nerdy as it is) and likes to spend time with his family.

Audrey is a freshman at LASA High School, following in the footsteps of her older brother.In her freetime, Audrey likes reading comics, riding her bike, playing soccer, playing with her dog, and SCUBA diving. She enjoys travelling the world and has left the country multiple times to go on adventures with her family. Over the course of Ezine, Audrey has turned in a lot of late assignments and spent lots of time fooling around in Illustrator and being told what she made was ugly, but she’s managed to be super extremely through-the-roof productive. Audrey is begrudgingly writing one more sentence so Keshav will be happy so here it is.

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Table Of Contents The umami Experience Small Businesses Gone Big Taco ‘Bout It East Austin Asian Ascension Where Should you Eat? Fresh, Tasty, and Healthy Best Food Trucks In Austin Should you be Vegan?

Pulling the Short Straw In the Mix Special Thanks

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Covers by Zoe Klein Letter From the Editors by Audrey Urbach Meet the Editors by Keshav Srinivasan Table of Contents by Jana Lassiter

6 8 12 14 18 20 24 25 26 30 32

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our magazine You can’t have the umami experience without the umami magazine itself.

Featured on the cover is an artichoke, the quintessential umami experience for you and your vegetarian best friend to enjoy together. With that artichoke, however, make sure that you’re enjoying our magazine as well.

mushroom Known as the “meat” of the vegetable world, people in countries all over the world turn to mushrooms as a source of protein and potassium. From stir fry to herbal teas, mushrooms add nutrients and flavor unrivaled in the fungi world.

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mi tofu Delicious raw or fried with soy sauce and sesame oil, tofu is an essential component of every vegetarian and vegan’s diet. Packed with protein, this sponge-like essential is featured in cultural dishes all over Asia.

avocado Who hasn’t heard of this world-wide sensation? After becoming the most popular fruit (yes, fruit) on Instagram, avocados have become a worldwide superstar, found in every restaurant in culinary and cultural hubs like LA, New York, Chicago, and even our very own Austin.

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Small Businesses Gone Big

Business Owners Discuss Their Path To Success Jana Lassiter a k i n g something new out of nothing may seem like an impossible f e a t .

However, t h r e e women living in Austin overcame that difficult task by taking their interest in cooking and turning it into their own business.

Austin-area business founders proved that a combination of smart decisions and risk-taking can lead to success.

New businesses are always opening with various styles of food and business styles in Austin. In order

to startup, though, they all needed an idea and a spark of inspiration.

Inspiration can come in many different forms, but in Simon’s and Cole’s cases it comes directly from the roots. Pascal Simon is the owner of Bake Austin, who offers baking classes, birthday parties and special orders.

Lianna Mills, owner of Daisy’s Slow Cooing

“My grandmother, she loved baking, and that’s how she expressed her love was through food,” Simon said. “Also through baking because she had her grandchildren and you know how as children we like a lot of sugar.”

Tracey Cole baked a batch of rasberry bars, an item that she sells.

Tracey Cole is the owner of CookiePeace, a business where she sells her homemade goods. Photo by Jana Lassiter.

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I’ve been in food since I was sixteen and I’ve always wanted to own a restaurant.

Tracey Cole began her business, C o o k i e Peace, where she began by selling products to cafes, and has since then changed to selling her products by order. Cole grew up sur rounded by baking

and cooking, and she has used that experience to further her career.

“I just grew up in a house with tons of food and you know there were always smells and things to eat.”

Cole said. “My grandmother actually wanted to have her own business one day, she never did, but she was the inspiration.”

For Cole, it was her grandmother’s unaccomplished goal that she fulfilled while sharing the same passion for cooking. Lianna Mills had a different story to tell, her interest in baking blooming later on in her life. Mills runs the business, Daisy’s Slow Cooking, where she sellings meals ready to be put in the slow cooker.

“I’ve been in restaurants for a long time and I went to hotel restaurant management school in Houston,” Mills said. “We had to take a cooking class and I fell in love and that was it.”

her products to customers, though, Mills had to go through many steps in order to be qualified.

“Well first you have to get a business license,” Mills said. “You have to take classes so they know that you have food safety and your not going to make anybody sick and all that stuff and then marketing. You start spending money on marketing and then word of mouth and start making the product and putting it out there.”

All three women took their passion for cooking and created businesses.

It took Tracey Cole one spur-of-themoment decision to get her business started. With the help of Dolce Vita, a cafe Cole frequently went to, she began selling her products.

Just like Mills, Simon went through classes before starting her business in order to learn the skills needed.

my business started.”

“I had to start working and making money and so I thought about what I loved to do, which was baking, and I had the opportunity to go to culinary school and I did so I enrolled “I just happened to one day ask the in culinary school,” Simon said.

For Mills, she took into account how manager if he would be interested in her family plays into her business, trying my biscotti and he said ‘Yeah!

Bring it in,’” Cole said. “Then I went which was one factor that played a These women found that money back in and they were very interested role in how she was going to make management was essential for productivity and everything that in buying them and that’s really how her business. ensured their businesses were under “I’ve been in control. food since I was sixteen “Just don’t be afraid. Do it, don’t go and I’ve always into huge debt. Start with what you wanted to own have. Ask other people to help you a restaurant but that know. Just think, make good as kids got older plans,” Simon said. it didn’t seem as if that was These businesses have also faced gonna happen,” challenges as they have expanded their business. These challenges can Mills said. be different for everyone and require Mills was able perseverance to overcome. Mills to find a way to business runs on people signing up do something for her subscription service that gets she loved while delivered each month. However, over also balancing time people either loose the need for her work and the easy dinner or it doesn’t match family. Instead their diet. of a restaurant, Mills chose to “I lose people because their kids like start a slow graduate highschool and now its only cooking food two of them and they’re not going company where to do that,” Mills said. “A couple of she would sell people I have just made mad and so meals ready they’ve just dropped me. One person Tracey Cole bakes away in her home kitchen. All of of to be put in the dropped me, she said ‘I thought there Coles goods are bmade in her own kitchen after she decided to slow cooker. were going to be more vegetables.’”

After selling her products to Dolce Vita, Cole was able to find several more cafes in her area who wanted to support her business.

reduce the scale of her business. Photo by Samantha Constant.

Courtesy of Cookie Peace.

Before

selling

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Just like Mills said, not everyone will support how a business is run and may disagree with what products you’re making. For Mills that was just one of the challenges she continues to face. Simon only started out with only a few tools and mixers, from which she grew.

“I had whatever everybody else had who was passionate about baking and then I had to grow from there but I didn’t want to go into debt so I just managed and bought as I made money,” Simon said.

Slowly, Simon was able to expand her business from just using basic tools for the startup.

These owners all had the drive to make their dreams a reality. At the beginning, Cole wanted to go even farther with her business, but after realizing her circumstances, she had to adapt her dream to continue with her passion, baking. As these owners found, the location of their businesses mattered.

Cole had many different name ideas before deciding on Cookie Peace to fit with Austin’s vibe. Along with Austin, Cole and Simon incorporated their own culture into their baking.

Cole’s family was from Italy and this inspired her baking and products that she sells.

Austin has been instrumental in my success in my business.

“When I first started my business, and I realized I could be successful, I had thought about getting a trailer or having a brick and mortar and the longer I was in the business so many people discourage me from having my own shop. Basically, I would have no time for family and for myself and I didnt want the stress of that,” Cole said.

Pascal Simon, owner of Bake Austin

The Austin community also helped Cole start her business. Cole lived in New York before moving to Austin and said that compared to New York, Austin was a much easier location to begin her business.

“Being in Austin enabled me to start a business very easily,” Cole said. “There aren’t as many regulations on having a small business here and especially you can have a small business working from home.”

Aside from the startup, Austin also served as inspiration for the name of Cole’s business.

One of Cole’s specialty items is her biscotti. This comes from her Italian hertitage. Photo by Jody Horton. Courtesy of Cookie Peace.

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that was fitting too,” Cole said.

“I feel like cookies bring me peace and it brought people a lot of enjoyment my baked goods I thought you know I’ll just do cookie peace and we also did a search for the business name and no one had taken that name so I thought that would be that would work and also with Austin the vibe here its very you know peaceful, laid back, you know live and let live and we thought

“Most of my specialty products are Italian,” Cole said. “Italian cookies and pastries are really the food items that got me recognized was my biscotti which was her recipe but I modified it a little bit.”

Simon’s German heritage is incorporated into her baking as well. Simon said German and American baking are different, and she tries to acknowledge the difference in her classes.

“I really really love baking and I really love actually eating some of these things like baked goods but I’m not super in love with a lot of american baking like cakes, cupcakes and that kind of stuff so I wanted, when I have the chance, to teach people the difference between european and american baking so some of my favorite classes are german christmas cookies,” Simon said.

For the women running these businesses, there is always the worry they may be discriminated against.

Mills has noted the way her different customers interact with her.

“The women customers are all behind me and the men customers, which I only have handful, always give me advice,” Mills said. “I didn’t even consider the fact that I was women going into business until I saw the comradery of the women and then men going, ‘good on ya, you should try this.’”

“Not only am I a women in business but I’m also raising my boys on my own and juggling both a job, my own business, a job and my children,” Simon said. “I think I can do it just as good as a man can.”

Just like Simon, Mills has a family to take care of and who also help her with different aspects of her company. Her children and husband help make deliveries. It’s a team effort to make sure everything is done right.

“I mean really my husband delivers.

Everybody’s involved hands on as much as I’ll let them cause I’m kind of a control freak,” Mills said.

Cole even receives help with baking from her Classic chocolate chip cookies lay on a plate, made younger daughter, though

by Tracey Cole. Photo by Jody Horton. Courtesy of her husband and older Cookie Peace. daughter don’t share the Simon does not face this same interest in baking as Cole does. discrimination. Simon is a single mother of two boys and runs her “My husband doesn’t have a sweet tooth and so not only is he not business by herself. interested in making the goodies he’s

not interested in eating them he’s more savoury and I just love making sweet stuff,” Cole said. “My younger daughter likes to bake, my older daughter not so much. But she does love to eat it!”

Cole believes she can still do better and hopes to reach a higher customer count than she has at the moment.

She has to complete various parts of the baking process in different locations. In the future she hopes she can produce her meals all in one space, making it more productive.

“I have a certain number of people that I want to get I’m not there yet just to do this full time and have my own separate commercial kitchen I’m running everything autonomously,” said Mills. “Not going to hyde park bar and grills kitchen and working out of there and my bags are at home and freezer over here I want everything in one space but it takes you know a set amount of customers to make that happen which takes a set amount of effort and time to put the word out there and cultivate those new customers.”

In the end, it comes down to the community around them, which helps their businesses flourish. These three business owners have overcome challenges while excelling in the business world and pursuing their interests.

“Austin has been instrumental in my success in my business,” Simon said.

Pieces of rasberry bar baked by Tracey Cole. Photo by Jody Horton. Courtesy of Cookie Peace.

Taco ‘Bout It

Location: Torchy’s Tacos Taco: Trailer Park (Trashy) Rating: 4.5/5

Location: Tyson’s Tacos

Taco: Prince Taco Rating: 3.5/5

Location: Juan in a Million Taco: Juan El Taco Grande Rating: 4/5

Location: Maria’s Taco Xpress

Location: El Chilito Taco: Nopalito Rating: 3/5

Location: Taco Deli Taco: The Heather Rating: 4/5

Taco: Fajita Beef Taco Rating: 4/5

Location: Pueblo Viejo Taco: GuacaTaco Rating: 5/5

Location: Veracruz Taco: Migas Rating: 4.5/5

Location: Valentina’s BBQ Taco: Smoked Brisket Rating: 4.5/5

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Sources: FoodNetwork, Eater Austin,Yelp, Austin 360 Eats, Austin Local Graphics by Jana Lassiter

Best Taco in Town Winner: Guaca Taco from Pueblo Viejo Graphics by Jana Lassiter

Guacomole

Chicken

Spinach

Flour Tortilla

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Audrey Urbach hether Austinites craving something sweet on a hot summer day or have a hankering for something spicy on a late night, they can find what they’re looking for within two miles of downtown Austin. The East side of Austin is home to a lot of diverse flavors and communities.

Over the past decade, East Austin has experienced lots of development, allowing old and new restaurants to find

opportunities to create food and bring the community together. Establishments all over the East side of Austin are gaining attention as more food trucks and physical locations pop up. With Austin’s strong competition, some restaurants are bound to thrive and rise above. Successfully running a business while Austin’s many diverse cultures and values are continually shifting may be a difficult feat, but restaurateurs are ready to rise to the challenge. In the narrower playing field of Asian restaurants on the East side, people have had different experiences running their restaurants.

Austin changes so fast.

Compared to when I first came, it’s so different.

Phoenix Pai, Owner of Sweet Chive Phoenix Pai is the owner of Sweet Chive, a brand new restaurant on the East side. She first came to Austin in 1993 and has been working in the restaurant business since the very beginning.

“Austin changes so fast,” said Pai. “Compared to when I first came, it’s so different.”

Motoyasu “Moto” Utsunomiya, co-founder of East Side King, has observed these changes as well. East Side King is a popular restaurant chain that got its start in 2009 at Liberty Bar on East 6th Street. Ten years later, there are two permanent locations, a catering department, and multiple trailers.

“I don’t think we would be this big if we opened now, over there,” Utsunomiya said.

Phoenix Pai sits in her latest restaurant, Sweet Chive. The mural behind her was painted by local artist Emily Ding. Photo by Audrey Urbach.

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The customer base of East Side King has grown from the occasional hungry bar patron, the customers Utsunomiya remembers from when the restaurant first opened, to Austin

locals in search of a bite to eat.

“The food industry is always going up and down,” Utsunomiya said. “I don’t know if it [will continue] to be so successful.”

Utsunomiya and Pai have learned that running a business in Austin can’t just be boiled down to location and time. The people and community play a huge role too.

Pai, whose past restaurant experiences include China Cafe, Tokyo Steakhouse, Dragon Gate, and Peony, has found that the community in East Austin welcomed her with open arms, just as it has many other past establishments.

“People are more open minded so they are more likely to accept new concepts, new food,” Pai said.

East Side King has also found success due to its location on the East side, but Utsunomiya poses a different theory as to why his business has succeeded.

“I guess because people just get bored with regular American food,” Utsunomiya said.

Utsunomiya isn’t new to the restaurant scene either, having previously worked on various other projects with Paul Qui and many restaurant endeavors besides. Regardless, past East side restaurant owners and newer owners alike both continue to serve their unique brands of Asian food.

“A lot of people are coming from all over the place, so that means Austin is more diversified, and also means people East Side King serves food dreamt up by Paul Qui and Motoyasu Utsucan accept all different kinds of cuisine, and that’s a good nomiya. You can order individual dishes or bento boxes to get a taste of everything. Photo by Audrey Urbach. sign,” Pai said.

Pai recognizes and appreciates the community’s help and has given back in many ways. She enlists the help of local

handicrafters to build her tables and chairs and has worked with local artists to paint the murals around the restaurant, which depict endangered species inspired by her daughter’s major in environmental policy.

“Thinking local and helping each other is what I want,” Pai said.

On top of that, Pai is very aware of the gender inequalities in the restaurant business and goes out of her way to hire female chefs.

“Since I became a female chef, I feel like there are so many good chefs, but so many kitchens are still dominated by male chefs,” Pai said.

Sa-Tén has multiple locations that both boast a cozy atmosphere. The menu features many Japanese-inspired foods and drinks, including the matcha latte. Photo by Susan Lo.

Restaurant owners receive a lot of help and interact with the outside community, but they also receive help from within their own community. It’s not uncommon for these Asian restaurant owners to cross paths. Besides Paul Qui, Utsunomiya has also teamed up with Také and Kayo Asazu of Austin sushi restaurant Komé to open Sa-Tén Coffee and Eats.

Annie Fuhrman is Komé’s general manager. She spoke

The Asazu’s and Utsunomiya applied that same philosophy to Sa-Tén.

about Kayo Asazu’s involvement in the community.

“She’s really good friends with a lot of the other Japanese business owners,” Fuhrman said.

Fuhrman has been working with the Asazu’s for about a year and a half. In that time, she’s also noticed a few things about their customers.

I don’t want to serve a dish I don’t want to eat, you know?

Motoyasu Utsunomiya, Co-Owner of East Side King

“In Japan most people dine for several hours,” Fuhrman said. “People in the U.S. eat a little bit quicker than that, so we just try to mix what people want with the timing that they’re going for.”

“I came up with the idea of [a] Japanese authentic coffee shop (Kissa-Tén) where people can enjoy good coffee and food both at the same time,” Kayo Asazu said via email.

Sa-Tén’s first location opened on the east side in an old Goodwill distribution center.

Asazu wanted to create a space with a welcoming and cozy atmosphere.

“I wanted the location has some history or story, nothing like brand new construction, so it tends to have coziness already, and where people can feel the time pass slower,” Asazu said.

Even though the concepts behind Sweet Chive, East Side King, and Sa-Tén are vastly different, they’ve all managed to flourish on the East side. These restaurants owners have

Motoyasu “Moto” Utsunomiya stands in the front of the trailer wall from the original Liberty Bar location of East Side King. It has since been relocated to East Side King at South Lamar. Photo by Audrey Urbach.

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Sweet Chive serves a variety of Taiwanese-inspired homecooked dishes, including Beef Noodle Soup. Photo by GaYoung Lee, courtesy of Sweet Chive.

some tips for finding success as a budding Austin business.

review sites, Utsunomiya isn’t overly attached to the term.

“I would say, not just stick with what they want to make/ serve, always listen to your clientele, what they want, do enough research around the neighborhood where they are going to be, and see/understand who your customers will be,” Asazu said.

“I don’t like the word too much, but I can’t think of anything else to call it,” Utsunomiya said.

Running a business may be hard, but the prep work is an important part that cannot be overlooked. A lot of thought went into Sa-Tén’s location, which is why Asazu was able to achieve the kind of atmosphere she wanted.

“Maybe the plate or the presentation is prettier than the way I serve my daughters, but it’s still home cooking,” Pai said.

Utsunomiya’s advice was to “keep it simple,” and “start small.”

East Side King certainly did, graduating from a small trailer at Liberty Bar to having multiple brick and mortar locations across Austin.

The community may have played a role in East Side King’s rise to notoriety, but the unique menu also serves to attract new and returning customers. The menu features the concoctions of Utsunomiya and Qui, who make sure to pay attention to the “texture, color, and flavor” of the food they create.

“I don’t want to serve a dish I don’t want to eat, you know?”

Utsunomiya said.

Pai describes the food she serves at Sweet Chive as “healthy, hardy” home cooking.

The opening of Sweet Chive on the East side was highly anticipated, a fact that didn’t bother the restaurant owner.

“I want to be here for a long time,” Pai said. “Since this my last [restaurant], I want to work until I retire.”

She plans on doing that by continuing to serve food inspired by cooking that’s been in her family for generations, which she has described as made “with love.”

Although these East side restaurants all serve their own distinctive takes on Asian food, they are all united by a supportive community and an enthusiasm for what they do.

“For people who are willing to do the restaurant business, they must have a passion,” Pai said. “And if you have a passion, and you keep your passion up, then it’s all good.”

Utsunomiya described his food as a having some Thai and Japanese influences, but “not much western influence.”

Though listed to as ‘Asian Fusion’ on several restaurant

Spring 2019 |17

Where you should eat in Austin based on how you listen to music Graphics by Audrey Urbach

Live or recorded?

Recorded

How do you listen?

Live

Geraldine’s

Sound Cloud

What genre?

Classical/Jazz

Apple Music

Alternative/Indie

Rock/Pop

Cherrywood Cafe

The ABGB

Ramen Tatsuya

CDs/Records

What is your age range?

The Daily Press

Streaming/Digital

39 or younger

Married?

What platform do you use most often?

40 or older

Yes

Spotify

Patrizi’s

No

Headphones or speakers?

Headphones

Vince Young Steakhouse

Speakers

Austin Java

Fresh, Tasty and Healthy The Rise of Vegetarian Restaurants in Austin

Keshav Srinivasan graphics by Zoe Klein

n Austin, a city with a mix of different people, food is an important part of the culture. With the new rise in healthy eaters, vegetarians, vegetarian restaurants have a new, thriving customer base for them to serve.

Over the years, the vegetarian food culture in Austin has changed dramatically, allowing for more and more vegetarian restaurants to flourish in this city. However, each restaurant in Austin works differently, serves different food, and values certain aspects of cuisine differently from other restaurants. Vegetarian restaurants have a unique niche in the Austin food scene. This allows many vegetarian restaurants to serve food they want to serve and that customers want to eat. Of the many vegetarian establishments in this city, Casa de Luz, Mother’s Café and Garden, and Conscious Cravings have become popular in Austin culture. The founders and owners of these three businesses have different stories about how they started, the unique food that they serve, and the benefits of eating healthy vegetarian cuisine.

“When we started Casa de Luz, it was a very humble place, we were able to get a lot of things to build it,” Eduardo Longoria, the founder of Casa de Luz, said. “Including paint, instead of buying new paint, we would go and use paint that people hadn’t used.”

Around the same time that Casa de Luz opened its doors, another vegetarian establishment, Mother’s Café and Garden, opened their business.

“Charles Mayes opened Mother’s Café in ‘79...I bought in as an owner in ‘81.

Along with two other employees who also bought-in in that first couple of years, we bought out the original owner by ‘85. It’s been the same three owners since then,” Cameron Alexander, owner of Mother’s Café said.

In the 1980s, the Austin food scene was quite different than today, with nonvegetarian cuisine at the forefront of

restaurant culture. With this, Mother’s Café, a new vegetarian restaurant at the time, worked through some issues in the initial years.

“An all vegetarian, full-service restaurant was an oddity at that time for sure. We had our share of customers come in and when they found out there was no meat, they left. Overall though, Austin was a pretty ideal match for a vegetarian restaurant, as it turns out,” Alexander said.

When Mother’s Café opened, Austin as whole was very different than today’s.

Alexander explained how the busy, crowded city we know as today’s Austin was not always that way.

“It was a pretty quiet place. It wasn’t

“The thing I love about macrobiotics is that it is not dogmatic, so everything is always changing...It is a philosophy. It is a philosophy of balance,” Longoria elaborated.

The cyclical nature of this food is present in Casa de Luz’s food, with a major focus in the ingredients that make up the meal.

“Our big thing is sacred food as in how it grew out of the ground, you don’t need a list of ingredients, you don’t need labels,” Longoria said. “Because a bean is just bean. And a grain of rice is just a grain of rice and a carrot is a carrot. You don’t need a label.”

New to the vegetarian scene, Conscious Cravings was founded based on this same idea, with real, fresh ingredients

I don’t want to serve anything that I wouldn’t gladly have in my refrigerator at home and serve to my family!

Cameron Alexander, owner of Mother’s Café and Garden really much of a restaurant town yet.

When UT let out for the holiday break, the population decreased by a considerable amount! You could ride a bike down the middle of Lamar!” Alexander said.

These three vegetarian establishments, Mother’s Café, Conscious Cravings and Casa de Luz, have numerous things in common, however, they are all unique in their own way. Casa de Luz stands out from the rest by serving food that is macrobiotic.

“Macrobiotics is Latin for macro, meaning large and biotic, meaning life.

So it means the big life. And the whole idea is to learn how things work, learn the order of the universe. If you learn about physics, if you learn all of the things that support you being able to live without disease, be healthy, that falls within the category of macrobiotics.

present in every item on the menu.

“Conscious Cravings started in late 2010 from my idea that healthy, affordable, fast vegetarian cuisine was not available in Austin. What makes us unique is our speed, low price, and high-quality ingredients,” Rishi Dhir, the owner of Conscious Cravings, said. “We use many organic ingredients, and make our sauces in house, as well as our seitan.

This allows us to control the ingredients and freshness of the food.”

This attention to the quality of the ingredients in the food is shared by many vegetarian restaurants, as fresh, real ingredients are a major element of vegetarian cuisine. Cameron Alexander believes Mother’s Café does the same thing.

“I hope that Mother’s offers trust.

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Our customers know that we are 100% transparent when it comes to questions of our ingredients and preparation.

And, having so so many regular customers that have been coming to Mother’s Café since the early days tells me that at least some enjoy the sense of community, of family,” Alexander said.

Alexander mentioned the sense of community in his restaurant as the favorite aspect of owning Mother’s. The sense of community or family is also present in other restaurants, including Conscious Cravings, “It did take some time to get the word out, as our only form of This is the entrance of the Casa de Luz estate, lined with beautiful trees and nature. Casa de Luz, a nonprofit organization, revolves around health, wellbeing, and a style of cuisine called Macrobiotics. Photo by Keshav Srinivasan. marketing was word of mouth. Over the years, we have seen great double digit year over year growth, and our following has gotten stronger.” Dhir said.

Regarding the difference and uniqueness in restaurants all around Austin, Alexander believes Mother’s offers something other restaurants cannot.

“I think there are more similarities among the vegetarian/vegan places in Austin. What makes us unique? I guess I would say our recipes, the fact that we’ve been around so long, maybe that we appeal to everyone from kids to people in their 90’s,” Alexander said.

Conscious Cravings, a vegetarian food truck is located in a small trailer park off Lamar Rd. Conscious Cravings serves healthy, affordable vegetarian cuisine. Photo by Keshav Srinivasan.

Many vegetarian establishments view vegetarian food,

especially food that they produce, as healthy and nutritious.

“Certainly, anyone that’s concerned with their health is concerned about the quality of what they eat. My motto: I don’t want to serve anything that I wouldn’t gladly have in my refrigerator at home and serve to my family!”

Alexander said.

This view is also shared by Longoria

and Casa de Luz respectively. Not only is food healthy in terms of nutrition, but also healthy for life and wellbeing.

“That is what we embrace,” Longoria said, referring to Casa de Luz, “Just anything that we think is going to enhance the wellbeing of humanity is what we embrace.”

In Austin, the music capital of the world, with many different cultural aspects to

admire, vegetarian food is becoming a major part in the city’s culture. From new vegetarian food trucks to the classic restaurants in Austin, vegetarian cuisine is found everywhere.

“I didn’t start Mother’s,” Alexander said, regarding Mother’s opening in 1979. “It was started by a guy who believed there was a market for having a meatless restaurant - he was right!”

That is what we embrace...just anything that we think is going to enhance the wellbeing of humanity is what we embrace.

Eduardo Longoria, owner of Casa de Luz

A mural, located on Casa de Luz’s campus, illustrating various vegetables, growing from the ground, which is an important theme in Casa de Luz macrobiotic cuisine. Photo by Keshav Srinivasan.

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Best Food Trucks In Austin graphics by Keshav Srinivasan The Peached Tortilla

Chi’Lantro

The Picnic

DEE DEE

AUSTIN

East Side King

Sources: Austin Eater and Yelp

Paperboy

Chichi’s

Veracruz All Natrural

Should You Go Vegan? keep track of your points!

1.

2.

What is your favorite food to cook with? a. Butternut Squash (4 Points)

b. Meat alternatives (3 Points)

c. Tempeh (2 Points)

d. Honey (1 Point)

What is your favorite restaurant in Austin to eat at? a. The Vegan Nom (4 Points)

b. Chick-fil-A (1 Point)

c. Franklin’s Barbecue (1 Point)

d. Taco Deli (3 Points)

How do you listen to your music?

3.

a. Apple Music (3 Points)

b. Spotify (4 Points)

c. Live Concerts (2 Points)

d. CDs (1 Point)

c. Sure? Salads are fine.

(3 Point)

d. No! (1 Point)

Do you like to eat salads?

4.

a. Yes, salads are great!

(4 Points)

b. Um, I don’t really like salads.

(2 Points)

What is your favorite protein?

5.

a. Mushrooms (4 Points)

b. Tofu (4 Points)

c. Chicken (1 Point)

d. Beef (1 Point)

- ADD UP YOUR POINTS! 4 - 8 Points

9 - 12 Points

Veganism doesn’t really suit you.

NOPE! :(

You would be an OKAY vegan!

MAYBE! :/

13 - 16 Points

17 - 20 Points

You would be a Veganism SUITS GOOD vegan! you!

PROBABLY! DEFINITELY! :) :D

Pulling the Short Straw Zoe Klein

Zoe Klein

he cart squeaks and automatic doors push open, and customers are hit with the overpowering brightness of tinny overhead lights and the smell of cleaning fluid.

Vacuumpackaged ground meat lines the shelves. Red labels boasting “Low-Fat!” and “Reduced Calories!” have been slapped crookedly onto every display. Apples coated in wax sit in piles, none bruised, all somehow shaped the same. This is a snapshot of a classic shopping experience for families all over Austin.

Deemed a pioneer in terms of organic and local food by theculturetrip. com, Austin’s food scene is almost as famous as its music scene. As more and more people have begun to move to Austin, it has continued to grow and the population has shifted from almost entirely long-haired hippies to long-haired hippies and tech entrepreneurs. A few businesses are catering to this new demographic by creating efficient ways of maintaining the status quo.

“Everybody is welcome and everybody is important in our community, every person and every voice is important,” said Raquel Dadomo, head of Marketing and Communications at Wheatsville CoOp, “And I think the important part of what we give to the community is that inclusivity, of that part of the community, the part where everyone is welcome.”

Tucked away in a corner of Monterey Bay, seals find a safe space in a cove. Even through the rainy and cold weather, seals must find a place to mate. Photo by Zoe Klein

Wheatsville is recognized by farmers and product managers near Austin as a place to kickstart brands. This gives the brand publicity that helps on its journey to end up on shelves of grocery stores and sustainable food shops worldwide.

“They can come to us with an idea or with a product or with a variety,” Dadomo said. “Any varieties that they are growing, and they may not have very much, and we’re usually their

Spring 2019 |27

first stop in trying to get their product to market, and we’ll give them a shot.”

Wheatsville’s attitude towards new brands is unique for a sustainable food shop. At Whole Foods, the regulations are clear and succinct, and there are no exceptions.

“We can put any product on the shelf, but we don’t put my product on the shelf. They have to meet a

“You’re not supporting the manufacturing so you don’t need the plastic goods,” Whitten said, “You don’t need the paper good to wrap stuff in, so it’s the whole, from beginning to end, the container that it’s in the ink that’s used, to the whole gamut.”

Although recognized as “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” by Health Magazine, many people aren’t aware of how healthy the market is for the environment. Since 2013, the Gowanus Canal Whole Foods in Brooklyn, New York, has been running completely zero waste, without a carbon footprint.

“They are not on the grid for electricity, they are self-powered, with solar panels on their roof, so it’s a prototype for where we would love to be in every one of our buildings,” Whitten said.

Whitten says that this “gold standard” is something Whole Foods is trying to drive home in every store, providing an example for grocery stores worldwide to improve the selection of food that they have available for customers.

sustainability quality to be sold at our stores,” Mellinda Whitten, the store manager at Gateway Whole Foods said.

One of the things Whole Foods does to increase its sustainability is including a bulk section in every store worldwide.

“I think we help drive where the grocery industry as a whole, the direction that it’s heading in because we still uphold a higher sense of quality, we want to do what’s best for the planet,” Whitten said.

“Most everything that we try to provide goes into the compostable or the recyclable category, it’s intentional on our part to limit the imprint we make as well.”

One of the major parts of ensuring

sustainability is making sure that fish are grown and produced sustainably.

There are ways of growing fish that make sense for their ecosystem, and ways of growing fish that do more damage than good.

“There are a lot of fish that are grown farm,” Whitten said, “But there’s a right way to farm grow fish and there’s a wrong way to farm grow fish.”

Hermes Costell, owner of Esperanza Farms, has designed a mutualist approach to growing fish and lettuce at the same time. Based in the virtually ecologically barren Red Rock, Texas, Costell is in the process of applying for a permit to sell fish grown with aquaponics.

“I’m growing fish, and usually growing fish, you have to dig a hole pond and have you know however many millions of gallons of water, and when you’re done growing all the fish, you have to dump all of the water in there because it’s dirty, and then you just fill it back up again, huge waste of water,” Costell said. “Aquaponics originally was designed as a way to not have that happen.”

Aquaponics is a relatively new practice. First successfully developed

in the early 1980s, this closed-loop system uses a relationship between waste produced by fish to give nutrients to plants, which in turn

plants lettuce in this greenhouse as well, purifying the water to create a healthy environment for the fish. This lettuce is sold at the Mueller Farmers

customers who pass by.

“A normal head of lettuce is a race against the clock to use it, [we] gotta make a salad with this in the next

True sustainability is a diminishing returns situation.

Hermes Costell, Owner of Esperanza Farms

Hermes Costell, Manager of Esperanza Farms purifies the water.

The benefits of Aquaponics go past just sustainable fish, however. Costell

Market, Costell’s feverish chatter infecting the curious minds of all

couple of days because we know that otherwise, it is going to turn into a brown bag of goop in the back of the fridge in no time,” Costell said.

“Normally a head of lettuce is in the ground, and the only way of getting it out of the ground is by cutting it, and when you cut a head of lettuce it starts dying, so classically we take this dying thing and we pop it in the fridge to have it die a little more slowly, instead, these guys, you pop ‘em in the fridge and they basically go to sleep.”

Costell sees his business as a gateway for communities all over. His goal is to increase the popularity of aquaponics, bringing communities together and ensuring smooth movement from task to task, while still increasing sustainability. However, he knows aquaponics can’t be the ultimate solution.

“True sustainability is a diminishing returns situation,” Costell said. “You can never arrive at true sustainability, unless you’re wearing a loincloth and running around with a spear.

Everything else is a shadow of it, is some pseudo form of it, you’re on the way but you’re never quite there.”

graphics by Zoe Klein

Spring 2019 |29

Collect the ingredients above. If you do not have a wok, a big pan will do just fine, but make sure it can hold all of your ingredients. If you do not like quinoa, any grain will taste just as good.

Put water into the pot. If you want it to boil especially quickly, put a little bit of salt in. Look at the label of your quinoa container to find out if there are any specific instructions and follow those.

Put a touch of olive oil into the wok. Don’t use too much, but make sure that most of the bottom of the pan has oil.

Once the oil is a little bit warm, put mushrooms into the wok and when they have shrunk almost all the way and are almost ready, put in the carrots, and wait for them to brown before the next step.

30|UMAMI

STOP! If the water in the pot is boiling, put the quinoa in it! If it is not, wait until it is boiling.

Now, the carrots have browned almost all the way. Put the kale in, and once it has wilted to your taste, put tofu in and toss violently.

Put in a ton of soy sauce. If you make a donut shape with the ingredients already in the pot, there should be a little tiny pool of soy sauce in the center.

OKAY! Now, give it a little bit to hang out in the wok. After being tossed around violently, they need a second to recuperate.

You should have put the quinoa in and it should be ready or almost there. Taste it to determine how long it needs to cook.

Get your fanciest jar and put the quinoa in it.

Then, put the contents of the wok in it. Remember to turn off the stove!

If the pan is getting a little bit too gloppy from soy sauce, mix a little bit of corn starch with water and carefully drizzle it into the pan and stir.

Make yourself a cup of ginger tea. Stir fry tastes good with tea. You deserve it.

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S! Eat up.

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s p e c i a l t h a n k s: Cameron Alexander Kayo and Také Asazu Tracey Cole Hermes Costell Raquel Dadomo Rishi Dhir Annie Fuhrman Kevin Garcia Tina Lassiter Susan Lo Eduardo “Wayo” Longoria Lianna Mills Phoenix Pai Pascal Simon Ravi Srinivasan Lucy Sugawa Motoyasu “Moto” Utsunomiya Craig Urbach Mellinda Whitten

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