Vegan junk food pop-up slinging fried chik’n sandwiches in Tacoma for one day only

A vegan food truck with a national following will pop up in Tacoma this Sunday.

On June 20, Incline Cider House downtown will host the Los Angeles-based Vuture Food, a plant-based concept known best for its fried “chik’n” sandwiches, including the best-selling Mango Habanero and the runner-up Nashville hot style.

The exact menu at each pop-up varies, the company told The News Tribune in an email. There will definitely be loaded fries, usually a cheesy situation with some type of sauce.

“Our menu varies daily and is dependent on what ingredients we can source locally,” said founder Dominique Villareal. “We will be bringing out a variety of Chik’n sandwiches and loaded fries. It is first come, first serve but we are very good about not running out.”

Villareal first introduced his vegan comfort food to L.A. in 2018 with Evolution Burger, which centered on cheeseburgers. Rebranded as Vuture Food with a broader menu, he and his team were traveling across the United States to festivals prior to the pandemic, which morphed into their own pop-up events at breweries. They recently picked up the pace on the latter.

“Our goal is to hit as many U.S. cities as possible. Tacoma was just up next on our list,” said Villareal. Vuture will cook at the House of Cultivar in Seattle on Saturday. “We reached out to Incline and they graciously agreed to host us. I think it will be a fantastic pair!”

Lesley Zehner Shields, who co-owns the taproom with her husband and Incline Cider founder Jordan Zehner, said they had never heard of Vuture until they received the inquiry. Like the more than 54,000 people who follow the pop-up on Instagram, they are excited to try it.

“There was nothing that portrayed a vegan junk food,” Villareal told Bakersfield.com about the brand’s origins in 2019. “I wanted good old-fashioned greasy food.”

In addition to vegan, Vuture bills itself as nut-free. They build the loaded fries with gluten-free ingredients, but caution that they are fried in the same vegetable oil as the patties, which contain soy, wheat and peas.

The menu is typically posted on Facebook the morning of the event. They accept credit cards or exact change if paying in cash.

Incline is open with indoor and outdoor seating Tuesday to Friday from 2-9 p.m., Saturday noon to 9 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

VUTURE FOOD POP-UP AT INCLINE CIDER HOUSE

▪ When: Sunday, June 20, noon to 4 p.m.

▪ Where: Incline Cider House, 2115 S. C St., Tacoma, 253-327-1923, inclineciderhouse.com

▪ What: vegan comfort food pop-up, on-site orders only; check Vuture Food on Instagram and Facebook for updates, vuturefood.com

This story was originally published June 15, 2021 at 11:00 AM.