I had a surprisingly tasty vegan meal at the Flatbread Company (FC), in N. Conway, New Hampshire. I was happy to discover that part of the restaurant’s mission is to support organic farming, and to “give back to the community through benefit nights with local non-profits.” Very cool! Their website also talks about their goal to “educate people about the connection between food and nature”, which sounds great, but is really hard to do when you are featuring bacon, pulled pork (which apparently is shredded & barbecued pig), sausage, chicken, and dairy products on your menu. Yikes. Perhaps they don’t know that animal agriculture is arguably the biggest cause of the climate crisis, and that according to Oxford University, “a vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth.” So, if the Flatbread Company is serious about their mission, which seems to be the case, they will hopefully start crowding out their existing menu items with more cruelty free, plant-based options!
Flatbread Company doesn’t offer alcohol free beer (Heineken 0.0, and Peroni are both excellent vegan options), so I settled for a vegan white wine (and confirmed as much on Barnivore.com). I then ordered FC’s delicious vegan pizza with organic tomato sauce, caramelized onions, mushrooms, and Kalamata olives on organic dough (with vegan cheese and homemade garlic oil). Wowee, it was really good, but rich. I experienced the law of diminishing returns after the first 10-15 bites (due to the heaviness of the vegan cheese), but I rarely get to eat vegan pizza, so it was still a ton of fun. I also ordered the organic salad, which included mesclun and sweet leaf lettuce tossed with organic celery, carrots, toasted sesame seeds, Maine sea kelp, roasted bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes, fresh pineapple and organic black beans. It was awesome, and a highlight of the meal. 🙂
One of the highlights of our day was meeting our wonderful server Molly, who could not have been more thoughtful, and attentive. English is a third language for two of our traveling companions, so we really appreciated Molly’s patience and kindness. Molly was delightful, and even game for an email interview which I have shared below. 🙂
1. What do customers need to know about the Flatbread Company, and the vegan options that they offer? Why should they go?
Flatbread Pizza company focuses highly on sourcing their ingredients locally and sustainably. As an employee I am constantly seeing local farms delivering all sorts of beautiful produce throughout the days. Although we are not a solely vegan restaurant, we have many great vegan options. Our menus mainly consist of salads, flatbreads, and desserts, all of which have vegan options. If you want to order a salad, you can choose between our farmers market special salad or our house salad. We make a delicious homemade dressing that everyone loves! We have a “no boundaries” salad option where you can build your own salad and add whichever veggies you would like. For flatbreads, all of our dough is vegan and we also have a great quality vegan cheese. You can choose our “vegan flatbread” that we have listed on the menu, or you can build your own with the “no boundaries” option. We try our best to provide many options that are vegan/allergy friendly. Some other options for sauces include our vegan pesto, garlic oil base, tomato sauce, or some occasional special sauces that we have as well. We also have vegan friendly desserts such as a vegan brownie and our homemade crisp.
2. What do you love the most about your job?
I truly love that we are providing our customers with incredible quality food while supporting many local farms and businesses. Most everything is made by hand and most of all made with love. On top of that, I really enjoy all the people that I work with. Everyone works so hard and really cares about giving great service to our customers. The company itself really cares about the local community. Throughout the year, Flatbread hosts local benefit nights every Tuesday, and a portion of every pizza sold is donated to the cause. Many of these nights, Flatbread Pizza Company donates over $1000.
3. What are your passions?
I’ve grown up in mountain towns my whole life, and love everything that the mountains provide, like hiking, biking, skiing and so much more. I like to live a healthy, active lifestyle. I’ve spent a lot of my young adult life traveling to many different countries, as well as living in several western states. I love meeting new people and experiencing new adventures.
4. Are you vegan? If so, what would you tell someone who is considering a plant-based diet? If not, have you considered it?
I have not considered eating vegan. I try my best to get the best quality meat/animal products that I can. I do love my vegetables, especially being able to pick them right from my garden each day in the Summer and Fall.
5. In a perfect world, where will you be in 5 years, and what would you love to be doing?
In a perfect world, I would own my own house and land. Hopefully, have some children by then and be financially stable. I’m not sure if I will still be working at Flatbread by then, although I’m super grateful to work here. I also hope to be able to work in my field again that I studied, which is working with children.
Finally, we enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant too, which was spacious, clean, and included a large covered patio for outdoor dining. The indoor space was sprinkled with fun art pieces, and plenty of positive messages as well (e.g., “Keep each other well”, “think good thoughts”, etc.). I must be getting old, but I appreciated the attempt to project positive energy, and a warm and relaxed environment.
The bottom line on the vegan options, and the great service at Flatbread Company, in N. Conway, NH? A thumbs up, of course! 🙂
*Main Image: Molly
Source:
Click here for the Flatbread Company website for North Conway, NH.
Click here for the main Flatbread Company website.
