PDX: Epif goes vegan

6/8/2017

Photo courtesy of Epif

All over the world, restaurants are veganizing. Some take it one step at a time, veganizing a few dishes on their menu. Others go all out, quickly transforming their restaurant to be 100% vegan. However they choose to veganize, we believe its a step in the right direction for the restaurant industry and plant-based movement. (PS. If you need a little help with veganizing, just contact your local chapter of Veganizer!)

Here in Portland, Epif transitioned to a fully vegan restaurant after serving the Portland community for over a year as a vegetarian restaurant. As you would expect, vegans immediately flocked to the newly veganized Epif, and Instagram was quickly flooded with photos of their South-American inspired cuisine. Whenever a restaurant goes vegan, we're always curious to hear about the process and what goes on behind the scenes. Was your staff on board with the idea? How did regulars feel about the change? What advice do you have for other restaurateurs? And of course, what dishes should we order? We reached out to Epif's husband-wife team, Nicolle and Pepe, for the full story on how Epif went vegan!

What are your names? What is your role at Epif?
I'm Nicolle, and my husband is Pepe, and we're the owners of Epif. I'm in charge of front of house and Pepe is in charge of back of house. Beyond that, Pepe does almost all of the kitchen prep and you'll likely find me on the floor -- serving, busing, cleaning, and hustling to get it done!

Where are you from? And what brought you to Portland?
I am from California, and Pepe is from Chile. We met in Boston in 1997. In 2004, we moved to Pepe's hometown of Valparasio, Chile.We opened Epif (version 1) in Valparaiso in 2006, and it was open for 6 years before we moved back to the States, to Portland, in 2012. My sister and her husband had been living in Portland for around 10 years so that's what drew us here.

When did you open Epif? How do you pronounce the name?
We opened Epif (version 2) in November 2015, after around 2 years of designing and constructing the building. Epif is short for epifanía, which is epiphany in Spanish (for us it's not in a religious sense, but a life-changing realization sense). We pronounce it Eh-pif.

There's no other restaurant in Portland like Epif. How would you describe the food? Where do you draw your inspiration for the dishes, cocktails, and decor?
Our food is focused on fresh ingredients and subtle though complex flavors. We use a lot of fresh herbs and vegetable powders for accents. All of Epif is an artistic offering -- the food's presentation, the cocktails, and the decor. Our cocktail menu focuses on Pisco, which is a white grape alcohol made in Chile and Peru. I couldn't even imagine how many Pisco Sours I drank in our 8 years living in Chile, so it just made sense to have Pisco as the bar's focus. Pepe and I designed Epif's building and interior, so we drew on our personal aesthetic -- bright and colorful with clean lines, clutter-less, playful, and organic. Even though the building was new, we wanted it to have a lived-in, cozy feeling.

South American food is typically very meat focused, so what was it like having a vegetarian South American restaurant?
It's a fun process for Pepe and Epif's other chef, our Chilean friend Daniel, to consider traditionally meat and seafood focused dishes and create vegan versions of them. It challenges their creativity and kitchen skills. Our food menu is inspired by the Andes Region of South America, so they strive to offer the essence of traditional dishes, but with local ingredients and vegan.

Epif transitioned to a fully vegan restaurant recently. What made you decide to make the change?
Yes, it was April 2017. We just stood back and realized that 90% of our menu was already vegan (we had one empanada with mozzarella, the causa with cream cheese in the kitchen, and egg whites and honey behind the bar). With so many amazing dairy substitutes on the market, why hold onto those few dairy items? It just felt like the right thing to do.

Was all your staff on board with the idea? What's the response from the local Portland vegan community and foodie community?
Our staff were all totally on board and are amazing! Same thing goes for the Portland vegan and foodie community... we had overwhelming support.

Has the change brought in new customers? What did the regulars think of the change?
Definitely brought in new customers. Many vegan customers will, understandably, only eat at 100% vegan restaurants, so we had a lot of new people in. Our regular customers are still our regulars, so they've been happy with the change. We haven't heard a single complaint about the transition.

What kind of challenges did you face while transitioning the menu to 100% vegan? Do you have any advice or recommendations for other restaurants who want to do the same thing?
Since our menu was nearly vegan already, we didn't really have any challenges. Especially once we learned of aquafaba as an egg white substitute in the Peruvian Pisco Sours, we were sold! If restaurants are considering doing the same transition, I'd definitely say do it! -- Epif has no regrets and hasn't looked back.

What are your signature dishes, must order items, and personal favorites on the now vegan menu?
Empanadas. Always the empanadas -- and always with the ají verde salsa! Also it's exciting to have a vegan ceviche, so that's a good one. Another great appetizer is the causa. In terms of main dishes, the most popular and my favorite is the Charquican. Yum!

Epif Vegan Kitchen & Pisco Bar
404 NE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97232
www.epifpdx.com