Vegetarian Star

Those who weren’t familiar with Steve Ells before tuning in to America’s Next Great Restaurant were probably at least familiar with his Mexican restaurant chain, Chipotle.

Ells is trying to make Chipotle as sustainable as possible, sourcing local ingredients and aiming for organic when available.

Ells, a meat eater, is concerned with the destruction large scale farms have done in terms of both environmental impact and animal cruelty. That’s why not only is he sourcing Chipotle’s pork from a network of smaller farmers who pledge to treat animals better and do not use hormones or antibiotics, he’s also working to lessen the amount of meat he eats.

(more…)

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Dr. Oz Welcomes “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition” Author
• Rory Freedman To Emcee LA Premiere Of “Vegucated”

Chipotle is aiming to source at least 50% of one produce item locally this year in its restaurants.

The item will depend on both the region the establishment is located and the local growing season.

According to Westword, the 50% goal is up from 2009′s goal of 35% and 2008′s goal of 25%.

The company stated in a news release that it is working with about 50 local, family owned farms to obtain produce such as tomatoes and lettuce.

The locally grown initiative is one of several actions taken by Chipotle that reflect a desire to produce more eco and animal friendly products, including switching its pork supply to farms that do not use antibiotics or hormones, using almost 50% organic beans and using cheese and sour cream from cows not given recombinant bovine growth hormone.

And let’s not forget the vegan meat filling is slowly making it’s way into more restaurants.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Dr. Oz Welcomes “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition” Author
• Rory Freedman To Emcee LA Premiere Of “Vegucated”

Chipotle first expanded its vegetarian market by offering the vegan filling in its Dupont Circle restaurant in Washington, D.C.

Then, New Yorkers got to sample the Garden Blend in their fajita burritos.

Now, according to the Sacramento Business Journal, Chipotle has claimed Roseville, California as its latest location to test the meatless variety, along with stores in Los Angeles and Denver.

Could the vegan filling one day be available in yourtown, USA, or will it be restricted to larger cities and regions known for residents that are more likely to be open to a meat-free variety?

“We’re still playing with the recipe,” said Chris Arnold, director of public relations with Chipotle. “We don’t have any data yet. But we have had a lot of interest from customers for something like this from all across the country.”

Chipotle has over 1,000 restaurants in 35 states in the United States and Canada.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Dr. Oz Welcomes “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition” Author
• Rory Freedman To Emcee LA Premiere Of “Vegucated”

Chipotle founder, co-CEO and co-chair Steve Ells says the pork sourced for their products is obtained from Niman Ranch, a small network of family farms that raise their pigs on open pastures or deeply bedded barns, feed them vegetarian diets and give them no hormones or antibiotics.

After switching to this supplier, Ells found sales increased even after having to charge an extra dollar to cover the cost of the non factory farmed meat.

Paul Wills, manager of Niman Ranch Pork Company, is a contributor in Moby and Miyun Park‘s edited collection of essays, Gristle, where he discusses the strain big farms put on small family ones.

Although Wills may be a fish out of water in a book edited by a vegan with a vegetarian slant, the experience with Chipotle restaurant teaches us that the more humane way to raise an animal for food not only puts less stress on the organism and the environment, but results in more satisfaction for the consumer.

Niman Ranch’s “ethical meat” is not a vegetarian carnita, but it’s a step forward in taking better care of the world and every living thing, including part time vegetarians, that inhabits it.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Emily Deschanel Is Walk For Animals 2011 Spokesperson (Video)
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Dr. Oz Welcomes “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition” Author

After introducing the vegan friendly burrito to the Washington, D.C. area, Chipotle is giving New Yorkers the opportunity to enjoy meatless Mexican.

The Village Voice had a Garden Blend prepared and reported the taste wasn’t quite like seitan, but didn’t have that “creepy texture and weird soy aftertaste of texturized vegetable protein (TVP).”

If you like the creepy texture of TVP, you still might find the Garden Blend enjoyable, especially when you consider the reasonable  price of only about $7 ($10 with guacamole).

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Dr. Oz Welcomes “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition” Author
• Rory Freedman To Emcee LA Premiere Of “Vegucated”

Fast food restaurants traditionally have a bad reputation, but founder of Chipotle, Steve Ells is looking to change that image.

“I think fast food to most people means cheap, highly processed,” he said. “At Chipotle, it’s just the opposite. Everything at Chipotle is fresh, never frozen, with the exception of corn.”

As you learned before, Chipotle is testing out its vegetarian burrito filling in the Washington, D.C. area as part of its mission to support ethical foods.

Here are a few more facts about this healthier chain of restaurants:

1. The cheese and sour cream used are free of synthetic growth hormone rBGH.

2. 45% of Chipotle’s beans are organic.

3. Restaurants buy food from local farmers when available.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Dr. Oz Welcomes “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition” Author
• Rory Freedman To Emcee LA Premiere Of “Vegucated”

Yay for Chipotle!

The restaurant located in DuPont Circle in Washington, D.C. now offers a vegan meat filling.

The combination of wheat protein, soy protein, and vegetables is marinated in Chipotle’s adobe sauce and grilled.

We’re hoping it’s grilled separately from the real thing.

According to co-CEO, founder, and chairman Steve Ells, the veggie alternative is an extension in the company’s mission to support ethical farming.

If the new veggie option is received well, there is potential for its expansion to other restaurants, but as for now, it’s only available in D.C.

Which means Obama no longer has excuses for his burgers runs.

via vegnews.com

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Dr. Oz Welcomes “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition” Author
• Rory Freedman To Emcee LA Premiere Of “Vegucated”

Chipotle restaurant held a contest to see what band could come up with the best ad.

The winners, a Denton, TX band named Oso Closo, won and now are $10,000 richer with a burrito in their name soon to be available.

Although the band sings of “steak, peppers and onions, black beans, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, roasted chili-corn salsa, and tomato red-chili salsa,” band mate Chris McQueen says that’s not necessarily what you have to get and recognizes the vegetarians who might like Chipotle.

“No one in the band is vegetarian, but I am fond of the veggie burrito, so I’ve already considered that. I feel fairly confident that your average Chipotle burrito-ista could handle an ‘Oso Closo, no steak.’”

Rock on!

Watch the ad featuring Oso Closo above.

via nbcdwf.com

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Emily Deschanel Is Walk For Animals 2011 Spokesperson (Video)
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Dr. Oz Welcomes “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition” Author