As I'm settling in and waiting for my sandwich from A Broken Angel, a kid next to me takes a bite out of his vegan lunch.
"I'd definitely be vegan if they cooked for me every day!" he says – and I have to agree. As a former vegetarian turned omnivore who's more veg-inclined once again, I'm thinking about all the pre-packaged, cheese-and-dairy-heavy meals for singles that I've consumed since my child went off to college. I, too, would love for these vegan food champions to cook for me every day.
Not only would I be able to cut down on the cheese and dairy, but at this cart, I'd also take a big bite out of my plastic and packaging consumption. When The Reuby, a vegan version of the Reuben sandwich, arrives, it's plated on a reusable metal tray – just one of the efforts this cart makes to help keep so much plastic and single-use packaging out of the landfill.
"I think probably what drives us the most, of course, is serving the plant-based food, because it does put a lot less — it's a lot less taxing on the earth as far as water resources and land degradation and methane emissions and transportation costs and forest deforestation," said Barb Troyer, co-creator of A Broken Angel, along with Chef Richard Hull. "We know people are wanting to lessen their climate footprint, their climate impact. And so there's a lot of people looking to eat that way, too," Troyer told the Source Weekly.
Other vegan establishments have come and gone in the time that Hull and Troyer opened their vegan food cart, originally located inside a tiny trailer that only had room for one person to move around. Square that with another fact: A Broken Angel bakes its own bread for the copious amounts of biscuits and sandwiches it doles out each day. Open for breakfast as well as lunch, Troyer said their breakfasts — including a vegan biscuits and gravy — remain a big draw.
These days, Bend enjoys at least three food carts dedicated to vegan food, including Toasty and Lively Up Your Self, as well as a number of brick-and-mortars, such as Fix and Repeat and Salud, that cater to those seeking healthful vegan fare.
Since those humble beginnings behind Palate coffee, A Broken Angel has moved twice, first to Spoken Moto (before new development and the removal of the entire Spoken Moto building prompted a move for its various carts) and now, behind The Pantry on Newport Avenue.
Its new location brings together two businesses that share a passion for reducing waste. A Broken Angel serves "for here" meals as often as possible, uses compostable packaging, composts its own food waste and encourages customers to do the same outside the cart, as just a few examples of its commitment to sustainability. Inside The Pantry, customers see bulk-buying at its most ideal; jars and shelves are full of food stuffs like flour that can be bought in bulk, but also household items such as cleaning supplies – stuff that's not always available to purchase using reusable containers at other stores.
Troyer also enjoys the history of the building, she said – a place she once often visited as a customer.
"This building is over 100 years old. It's very unusual for Bend. It was Devore's. I remember coming to Devore's — that couple had it forever." Of the owners of The Pantry, Stephen Thompson and Emma Veader, Troyer said, "I just think it's really cool what they're doing — the whole idea with trying to reduce plastic waste and be as sustainable as possible and make it approachable for people... it's just cool, and it's just a really cool collaborative use of space."
With an effort at the state level to reduce the use of single-use plastics in Oregon, Troyer and others in food service are eyeing Oregon SB 545, which would allow customers to bring their own clean containers for takeout and the like. SB 545 is now working its way through the Oregon House.
"I think in a high-volume situation, it could be tricky. It would disrupt your flow a little bit," Troyer said. Still, she said, "I would love to try to make it work."
Volume could be an issue going forward. While Troyer was not able to speak publicly, foodies across Bend have been buzzing this week about a recent visit from Guy Fieri, shooting more material for his show, "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."
Maybe he, too, would be vegan if A Broken Angel cooked for him every day.
