First NOLA Veggie Fest, a hit!

On May 17, in the French Quarter, New Orleans held its first NOLA Veggie Fest. There were over 500 attendees who enjoyed a day of scrumptious food, educational speakers, and entertainment. NOLA did a fabulous job representing Field Roast, and we’re so happy to have been included in the festivities. Members of The New Orleans Vegetarian Meetup Group were the primary volunteer organizers and volunteers for the Fest. Thank you to everyone who helped! All proceeds from this vegetarian festival went to The Humane Society of Louisiana, which is the local animal protection charity with a mission to promote veganism, and nonviolence and compassion for all creatures. According to The Humane Society of Louisiana, plans are already underway to expand the Fest to a 2-day, weekend long event in 2010. We wish them great success in the many years to come!

VegFest: Virginia Style

Here's a happy, healthy suggestion for our friends on the East Coast: Richmond, Virginia is holding their annual VegFest on Saturday, June 20. This vegetarian festival is a project of the Vegetarian Society of Richmond, and Vegan Action, and will be held in the Azalea Gardens in Bryan Park, from noon to 6 PM. Jon, with Sunergia, is helping Field Roast have a presence there, and will be sampling out our sausages (THANK YOU, Jon!). This will be our second year in attendance; last year, Ellwood Thompson's represented Field Roast. Admission is free, so bring the entire family! There will be delicious food, live music, guest speakers, local businesses, and nonprofits for all to enjoy. So go show your support for the vegetarian diet (whatever your reasons may be), and see how it can be a positive and easy choice!

The Backbone of the Mexican Chipotle Sausage

The spicy Field Roast sausages sizzled on the stove ready to be devoured in an authentic Mexican meal with a hint of American culture. After being such an enthusiastic fan of the Mexican Chipotle sausage - the realization occurred that I could enhance the experience by bringing more of its Mexican roots back on to the plate.

But what does that necessarily mean?

To me, and to a lot of people familiar or raised in the Hispanic culture, it means incorporating the staples found on a legitimate burrito truck. The spicy chipotle brought forth the exquisite combination of the sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo all inside an organic Rudy's hotdog bun! Our taste buds were in full delight as we ate this healthy lunch.

Once I had the idea, I spoke with my co-workers Petra and Marta about making authentic guacamole and pico de gallo to put on this delicacy! Right off the bat, they were excited about co-creating this dish since we all shared the same passion for Mexican food. After a little planning and shopping at our nearby PCC (Puget Sound Consumers Cooperative), we sliced and diced organic tomatoes, cilantro, onions, jalapenos and avocados an hour before the lunch was to be served. Our timing was perfect; fresh pico de gallo, fresh guacamole, on top of some Mexican Chipotle sausages freshly cooked that morning!

By the time we were all sitting down and enjoying our meal, compliments could be heard all across the table. Between the silence of chewing and the vivid expressions of appreciation, I know without a doubt that this is a lunch menu not to be passed over! Especially for those who crave authentic Mexican food! To end it on a sweet note, we had a delicious fruit salad made that morning! Between intuition and innovation, Field Roast will always be there for the healthy minded people - to continue cultural traditions without continuing the cruelty that some species endure!

Sacred Cows Dream of Field Roast

I've been thinking of cows recently. Sruti Mohandas, a 23 year old student from Madras, India is staying with us for the summer. Last night we were discussing how Hindus in India view cows as sacred. I think that is so terrifically cool. What a proud consciousness hath come from India!

Have you ever looked into the eyes of a cow? They are so lovely, peaceful and compassionate. It's ironic that such an untroubled, serene animal has been subjected to such violence and furry.

I was reading some vegan blogs the other day....one with a title "Cheese; The Slayer of Vegans", which is so true. Many of us with European origins crave cheese to the extent that we park our compassion at the curb when confronted with a creamy slice of pizza.

So...what if your milk came from a cow that wasn't slaughtered after it's milk giving days were over....allowed to live out it's days in peace and tranquility?

10 years of making Field Roast; Lam Ngot

Recently we honored our founding production employee Lam Ngot for working at Field Roast for more than 10 years.

Lam has fundamentally influenced the efficiency, friendliness and harmony of our production environment.  It's always been really important to me to work in a place of beauty and peace.  Every day we come to work and repeat many of the tasks from the day before; mixing our dough, dipping our loaves, cutting vegetables and slicing our meats.  All of these tasks; listed along side each other can seem complex and random - how do they all fit together.  Lam has helped put them in order.

Lam grew up in rural Vietnam and started to work at an early age.  Being the caretaker of her younger siblings while her parents worked, Lam has been taking care of her families for many years.  We have been lucky at Field Roast to become a part of her family.  She takes good care of us.

She came to America in 1992 and recently gained US citizenship status.  She is the proud mother of four children and the wife of Tung.  She is also an excellent cook.  In fact, in her "days off" she works in one of the finest Vietnamese vegetarian resturants in Seattle, Moonlight Cafe.  

To celebrate her 10 year anniversary Lam made lunch for all 25 of us !!!!  Spring rolls, tofu, vegetables, rice....so tasty!  My favorite food that Lam makes is a fried tofu dish she makes and a simmered squash in broth - I guess that's two.

Lam is our slicing specialist - operates the slicer that makes our deli slices and cuts the cutlets we make.  She can label faster than anyone and often brings offerings of food to our company altar; biscuits, mangos and cups of tea.

Thanks Lam, for everything you have done for us at Field Roast.  My hope for you is that some day you can simply relax a bit more and listen to the birds sing.