We are thrilled to have Cravin' Raven Organic Bakery as our first official "GMO-Free Portland!" Patron. Back in December 2009 we talked to owner Cindy. A month later she sat down with us to go over her ingredients and we saw that there are nearly no GMO products in her store. Most treats are organic. We could never have fresh baked sweets before Cravin' Raven. Now we have the best.
Cindy gave us some time between customers to talk about our project. She's really behind it and we need that encouragement because its hard work and we're making it up as we go along- (which is actually really working out!) She displays our project decal to welcome no-GMO's like us to her fresh-baked haven. It's worth a trip out to Sellwood and this little shopping street. They have chocolate, pineapple, pumpkin, you name it- especially in the morning when treats are moving from the ovens to the plates. CR is a sunny little shop with a glass case full of moist, delicious fresh-baked goodies to go with your hot or iced Fair-Trade coffee or organic fruit smoothie. Thank you, Cravin' Raven, for pulling out a seat at your little tables just for us. www.cravinraven.com
Papa G's Vegan Organic Deli
Another Patron! Our window cling is in this picture, below and to the left of the store hours. Papa G's makes all organic vegan food. Aside from a few cold drinks, there's nothing in there you can't have. Everything is made from scratch. They have a huge salad bar, yummy chili and soups, hot entrees and a nice seating area. This just in: I can't stop ordering the coconut curry over rice (which has the tofu they package and sell at stores).
In addition to delicious fresh vegan organic food, they recycle, and compost. They build with renewable materials like bamboo. They support local businesses. They use energy efficient refrigeration and lighting. They walk the walk! We talked to Grant (Papa G himself) and he was excited to be part of this project because, not surprisingly, he is concerned about GMO’s being forced into our food supply irreversibly. He was very passionate and happy to hear that we “get what he is doing.” What is that? I would say being a dedicated leader in a Portland movement toward ethical consumerism. They also put our new booklet that we made in the store on the literature rack. It is a collection of the documents we refer to in FAQ#7 that we urge you to read ASAP because we officially won in the Supreme Court who ruled that we do indeed have the right to Non-genetically engineered food and you can't just blow your transgenes all over the place!
Grant gave us a lot of his time this afternoon and we are so glad he is part of our little but growing family because we believe in his mission and the way he does business- and so do the Papa G's staff that bring it to life. This restaurant is doing good – including adding smiles and health to those of us lucky enough to have eaten there. Thank you to Grant, Lisa, and Anthony for the warm welcome and support, and for becoming our second official Patron. www.papagees.com
Proper Eats Market & Cafe
This is Proper Eats located in North Portland / St. John's area. Our non-GMO supporter cling is now right under the menu in the window. The owner, James, sat down with us and told us his commitment to not carrying or using GMO ingredients whenever possible. He has systematically removed them. We went through his store and menu and are very impressed. He has made a few concessions to give customers what they want in areas of condiments, beverages and cheese so read labels and try the delicious cashew "cheese" sauce on the nachos. Bring some cash for some grocery shopping too. There is a ton of organic produce, and ingredients (dry, but also a huge number of wet items like Aunt Patty's syrups and oils.) in the little store. We were proud to make this our first green-lighted establishment before we even had the Patron program- and now they one. Check out the menu: www.propereats.org
Old Wives' Tales
I remember a joke- You know you're high maintainance when you think a menu is just a clever showcase of the possible ingredients for your dinner. That's exactly how it is with us at restaurants, so the question is- how will they react? We are welcome at Old Wives' Tales. They are knowledgeable and patient. They are busy so we recommend you have a plan. Check out their menu from the link below. It lists everything that is in a dish - and we mean everything! And what a menu. This isn't for novices because they don't specialize in non-GMO food or organic. That said, they are sensitive about our needs because they cater to people who have special diet requirements for health and allergies, religion, and ethics. There are many things that look good that we can't have- but not to worry. They have so many whole, delicious foods available as side dishes and things you can substitute, that you can have a myriad of delicious meals. For example: Wild salmon on basmati rice, drizzled in garlic olive oil with a side of the most amazing yam dish known to man. That's another thing- this isn't generic food. It's not even just extra delicious. When you find something you love, it may very well be unique to here in all the world. www.oldwivestalesrestaurant.com