Concordia Neighborhood Association | Portland, Oregon

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The Food Truck serves up lunches curbside

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Local Businesses

By Nancy Varekamp | CNews Editor

Lorenzo Daliana was looking for a new challenge in his 30-plus career in the food industry when the pandemic struck. His cooking skills, creativity and a retired postal truck resulted in The Food Truck, which delivers lunches curbside five days a week. Photo courtesy of The Food Truck

Lorenzo Daliana feels like the Pied Piper when people greet his food truck on his drives through northeast and north Portland five days a week.

“The response has been tremendously successful,” he reported about applying traditional ice cream truck strategy to serve lunches. The route varies daily, and customers hail him curbside to order when they hear the music that announces his approach.

Unlike the Good Humor trucks’ “Turkey in the Straw,” The Food Truck plays the tunes of Big Bad Trumpet Player Kormac. Lorenzo chose it for the NewOrleans-like, happy, toe-tapping style.

He’s been part of the Portland food scene for 30-plus years. You may recall his restaurant, Lorenzo’s on north Mississippi Avenue. His resume names restaurants he cooked at previous to his own, like Zefiro and Higgins, and more recently as chef de cuisine at Nike World Headquarters.

In the early days of the pandemic, Lorenzo noticed food carts thriving. “But I didn’t want to be parked in a pod and paying rent. Instead of waiting for someone to come to me, I go to them.”

His maiden voyage was Sept. 21. Customers picked up on The Food Truck concept immediately. They work from home, quarantine with their children and/or don’t want to cook but aren’t inclined leave home to pick up lunch.

“People come out of their homes wearing headsets, PJs and – while it was still warm – were barefoot. Kids too. It’s a family thing. It’s very exciting.

“I’m one of the people who is doing what they’re supposed to do,” Lorenzo pointed out. “Food is one of the most intimate things you offer someone.”

During his childhood, Lorenzo’s parents divided their time between Manhattan and Italy. Others may have taken the opportunity to visit churches, but his focus was on food.

“‘Moving salesmen’ is a cultural thing, from the pretzel and hot dog guys in New York to the guy going down the beach in Italy with warm, just-made sugar doughnuts.”

The Food Truck menus have morphed during the past four months. City ordinance limits his parking time to 10 minutes, so originally Lorenzo prepared all the food in the morning and wrapped it for sales.

Now a veggie sandwich, pork sandwich and salad continue to comprise the pre-made menu. And as many as four hot items are completed curbside, from chili dogs to New York strip sandwiches.

To speed the process, all payments are digital. Also high-tech is the availability of routes, menus and a Google Maps app to track the truck at TheFoodTruckPDX.com.

Nancy Varekamp is semiretired from her career in journalism, public relations and – her favorite work engagement – writing and editing targeted newsletters.

All the carts in this pod offer vegan cuisine

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Local Businesses

By Tara Williams | CNA Media Team

A meat-eater, a vegan and an ovo-lacto-pescatarian walk into a food cart pod. Start of a joke?

Not at Shady Pines, 5240 N.E. 42nd Ave., where all dietary lifestyles can enjoy satisfying food choices with a free side of environmental sustainability.

Founded by Lukah Churchill, Christine Neary, and Lindsey and Ashley Butler, the all-vegan pod opened last March.

Currently, three of the six carts are open Thursdays-Sundays. Dirty Lettuce – recently nominated for Food Cart of the Year by Veg Times – was due to reopen Jan. 20.

Lukah, aka “Uncle Squatchy,” looks forward to relaunching Fatsquatch and its vegan comfort food soon. It’s owned by the Shady Pines founders, and you can track its re-opening plans at FatsquatchPDX.com.

Ramblin’ Rose will be serving up vegan, coconut-milk-based frozen treats upon return from winter renovations Stay tuned at RamblinRose.express.

“All of the carts here are women-, BIPOC- and/or LGBTQ-owned,” Lukah said. “We’re excited about creating a presence of intersectionality and using food to bring people together.”

Details about the pod are available at @ShadyPinesVeganFoodCourt and Facebook.com/shadypinesveganfoodcourt.

Dirty Lettuce
DirtyLettuce.square.site

Alkebulan Moroski’s college studies in environmental science convinced him industrial meat is unsustainable. So he learned to cook vegan. Photo courtesy of
Dirty Lettuce

Dirty Lettuce, started as a family business in Mississippi, focused on burgers and fries.

“I’m a picky eater who doesn’t like vegan food much,” said Alkebulan Moroski. “Then I learned to cook.” He strives to appeal to – and convert – meateaters with authentic Cajun and Creole dishes.

“If you can get the look and texture of meat, the mental half of the battle is won,” he reported. Study of environmental science in college convinced him industrial meat is unsustainable.

Why the move from the deep South to the Northwest? Customers and ingredients. “It allowed us to fully veganize the menu,” Moroski said.

Sushi Love
SushiLovePDX.com

SushiLove founders Diandra Totten and Ashley Craemer hope vegan sushi – like that served at the women-owned and staffed food cart – can slow the consumption of sea life by providing satisfying alternatives. “

When people eat a spicy tuna roll, it’s not just tuna they are consuming,” Diandra said. “Large fishing nets can destroy habitats and species. While catching fish, they destroy coral reefs and larger mammals as ‘by-kill.’ A dead ocean is a dead Earth. The ocean is vital to keep our planet thriving.”

Safframen
Safframen.square.site

Zoe Lichlyter, Safframen co-owner, helps staff the food cart Thursdays through Sundays at the nearly one-year-old Shady Pines all-vegan food cart pod. Photo by Tara Williams

Armon Paktel and Zoe Lichlyter started Safframen as a weekly pop-up in 2019. “We took our immigrant parents’ Persian and Japanese backgrounds and fused those cuisines into a bastard hybrid concept that ended up working somehow,” Armon explained.

The small, hyper-focused menu hides a vegan pun at its core. “In Japanese, Tonkotsu is the style of ramen usually made from pork bones. ‘Ton’ means pig, and ‘kon’ means corn. So Konkotsu ramen is corn-kotsu ramen,” he revealed.

Avocadamama
Avocadamama.square.site

Avocadamama co-founder Taylor Solomon calls the cart’s menu items the creamiest, most flavorful mac and cheese you’ll find. She and partner Nathaniel Perales launched as a YouTube channel in 2017, then found themselves wanting to do more than teach people how to cook.

“I wanted to cook for them. Mac and cheese is such a staple,” Taylor said. “We wanted to provide the vegan scene with the best.”

Tara Williams is new to Concordia and loving life on Liberty Street. She’s a writer and English professor, not always in that order. Contact her at Eudaimonia. Dr.Williams@gmail.com.

Find flavors of Yucatan just down the road

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Local Businesses

By Carrie Wenninger | CNA Media Team

Fredi Castillo and Manuela Interian offer the tastes of the Yucatan at their food cart in Cully. Photo by Garlynn Woodsong

Gloomy Portland winter weather got you down? Visiting Loncheria Los Mayas offers a quick trip to the Yucatan, no air travel or reservations required.

Here in the parking lot in front of Alder Commons at 4212 N.E. Prescott St., you’ll find a charming food cart offering Mexican specialties from the home state of proprietors Manuela Interian and Fredi Castillo.

Although for the moment their warm and sunny smiles are hidden behind COVID-safe masks, their culinary offerings are sure to communicate a deep love of food and a sense of place.

“The poc chuc – citrus-marinated, grilled pork – is quite unusual and people love it,” Manuela shared. “Try new things, one at a time, like the panuchos – stuffed tortillas – and salbutes – crisp-fried tortillas with toppings. And come back to explore other items when you can.”

Their intention is to build relationships with the community, and they encourage customers to return to try new dishes, depending on the season, the weather and one’s appetite.

Anything can be made vegetarian, and there are vegan options, too. Just inquire.

The couple came to the United States 20 years ago with a dream to build a business for themselves and their family. By working diligently, their objective was realized through sharing the food of their home country.

Other banks denied them loans despite having known them for years. Point West Credit Union stepped in, believed their vision was worth investing in and assisted them with the hefty expense of securing their cart and equipment.

To say they are grateful for the opportunity may be an understatement.

Originally opened in 2017 in the Cully neighborhood, Loncheria Los Mayas has been at this new location since July. Matt Faunt and Edy Martinez – of Native American Youth and Family Center and Our 42nd Avenue – assisted in finding the space.

Manuela and Fredi also expressed their appreciation to community members for their support, and to Karl Keefer and Rachel Munzig at Alder Commons.

The community space provides a storage area and assists with logistics, while all the food – including the handmade tortillas – is made in-house in the cart’s tiny kitchen.

Dine socially-distanced at outside tables, order to go or inquire about catering at 503.754.3059 or LoncheriaLosMayas@gmail.com. It’s open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays.

Carrie Wenninger lives on 29th Avenue in Concordia. She is a freelance writer, a mom, a world traveler and a small business marketing consultant. Contact her at WurdGurl@gmail.com.

Her advocacy makes a difference

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

By Marsha Sandman | CNA Media Team

Annette Pronk resolved her own housing instability with a move to Cully, so housing issues rate high among the several community issues for which she advocates. The former Sugar Shack strip club property pictured behind her is on track to become a 141-unit affordable
housing project. Photo by Nancy Varekamp

When Annette Pronk arrived in Portland from the upper Midwest in 1997, she spread her wings and planted her roots.

She was no stranger to the housing pressures many Portlanders experience. In fact, she moved between three Concordia properties – while she strived to find affordable housing – before she discovered housing stability in Cully.

With this burden lifted, Annette began to explore her new community.

She connected with her new neighbors, attended meetings in people’s homes and listened to stories of others facing housing insecurity as she once had.

“Sharing our stories and our lived experiences opens us up to take the next step, together,” Annette explained.

“I’m a big believer in creating space for community conversation, whether it be about racial justice, community resiliency, housing stability or root causes to houselessness.”

In an effort to pay it forward, she developed her skills as a community leader with the Cully Housing Action Team (CHAT). “This grassroots community-led group became a source of inspiration to me,” she said. “It lifts up the collective power to improve the common good through campaigns such as ‘Save the Oak Leaf.’” That mobile home park preservation effort prevented several families’ displacement at the hands of developers.

CHAT also campaigned to bring funding to the 141-unit Las Adelitas housing project underway at the former Sugar Shack property.

Resilient and resourceful, Annette also serves on the boards of the Cully Association of Neighbors and Verde. The latter is a Cully-based nonprofit that serves low-income communities of color by building environmental wealth and assets such as the Thomas Cully Park.

She is a lover of nature, holds a platinum level Backyard Habitat certification and is a Master Recycler.

As a solo parent and cancer survivor, Annette is quick to identify with the silver lining in any situation. That skill serves her well while she leans into building community resiliency against pending disasters. One effort is advocating for the Cully Neighborhood Emergency Team to broaden its capacity to work alongside the Latinx community.

“I see myself as a conduit of resources and information,” she noted. “How can I remove barriers to help folks feel prepared, feel connected?

“You do not have to sit on a panel or be an expert. All you have to do is be yourself. Try to offer a kind hello to someone,” Annette added.

“Be willing to listen with an open heart and mind. Be willing to share resources – one day at a time.”

After living east, south, north and west, Marsha Sandman is home at last. And she wants to hear your story. Contact her at MarshaJSandman@gmail.com.

Let’s make 2021 the year of climate action

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Land Use & Transportation

By Garlynn Woodsong | CNA Board Member, SW1 CNA LUTC Chair

We are emerging from not just four lost years, years during which our country made no national commitment to meaningful action in response to the threat posed by climate change. We are also emerging from a lost decade that saw us fail to achieve our emissions reductions goals for 2020 that were set at state, regional and local levels of government.

We must make 2021 the year we begin taking meaningful climate action.

There has been some discussion globally about 2021 being the year for sustainable energy. Indeed, sustainable energy is a policy focus at the state and local levels this year as well.

With passage of Ballot Measure 26-201 in 2018, the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) will soon begin paying for weatherization, clean energy installation projects, workforce and contractor development, green infrastructure, and regenerative agriculture. Its focus is on serving historically marginalized community members.

This will allow more neighbors to also begin to focus on sustainable energy at our own homes and businesses, with funding supplied through this program. Those folks who may not have sufficient income or assets to qualify for the Clean Energy Works Oregon (CEWO) program will especially benefit from the new PCEF program.

What does this all mean?
It means that buildings are a big chunk of the problem when it comes to climate emissions. It’s not just the petroleum-powered cars most of us drive around. Our homes and business buildings depend on electricity that comes from a grid that still includes a sizable amount of fossil fuel-sourced power. Buildings also may directly burn fossil fuels in the form of natural gas to heat water and our interior air.

The more we insulate our buildings, install double-pane windows and plant trees to shade our buildings during the hottest days of the year, the less energy it will ultimately take to heat and cool them.

Through PCEF and CEWO, a combination of loans and grants should be available for most residents and businesses to retrofit buildings. We can make buildings more efficient by installing electric room heating/cooling systems, such as heat pumps and mini-split systems. We can retrofit them with hybrid electric water heating systems, and renewable energy generation and storage equipment.

There’s at least one promising way to meet the moment locally when it comes to coordinated community responses to the need to transition our buildings off fossil fuels. That’s to form local sustainable energy cooperatives to hire and train local residents to retrofit buildings.

Work would focus on:

  • Increasing energy efficiency
  • Switching heating, cooling, water heating and lighting systems over to the most efficient options available today • Installing renewable energy generation and storage equipment
  • Installing grey water systems so trees planted in the yard to help cool the building receive water during summer droughts, even during outdoor watering curtailments

If you are or would like to be involved in such efforts, please contact me at LandUse@ConcordiaPDX.org.

—
Correction
The piece headlined “Let’s make 2021 the year of climate action” in the February CNews referenced the Clean Energy Works Oregon program, which is no longer available. CNews regrets the error.
—

Garlynn Woodsong lives on 29th Avenue, serves on the CNA board and is an avid bicyclist. He also is a dad who is passionate about the city his son will inherit. He is the planning + development partner with Cascadia Partners LLC, a local urban planning firm. Contact him at LandUse@ConcordiaPDX.org.

Concordia Art Works – You can help renew splashes of public art

Posted on by Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News

By Maquette Reeverts | Alberta Art Works

The bench in front of Just Bob’s on Alberta Street at 24th Avenue receives an artistic, colorful renewal by artist Chelsea Rose. Photo by Maquette Reeverts

In 1997, the Alberta Streetscape plan was hatched as an attempt to rejuvenate Alberta Street. The main street had lost its luster and the city finally invested in the district via the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

Aligned with the community, the plan included a focus on the aesthetics of the strip. Curbs were extended, trees planted, the iconic kinetic street lighting added and eight bus benches installed.

The idea was to make the street more functional and aesthetically pleasing for both pedestrians and cars.

By 2016, those bus benches had been forgotten. They were covered in tags and were in utter disrepair. Alberta Art Works negotiated an Adopt a Landscape agreement to do something about the eyesores that ranged from 7th to 24th avenues.

By creating a sponsorship program, businesses or individuals pay local artists to paint benches. The benches are repainted every two years. The artists thank the sponsor(s) on the backs of the benches, and they sign the fronts.

This spring several benches will be repainted and – with all the changes in the landscape of Alberta Street – it will be a welcome splash of public art in our shared space in time for summer.

Want to sponsor a local artist and contribute to our Alberta arts legacy? See AlbertaArtWorks.org to find out more.

Michel Reeverts, aka Maquette , holds a master of arts degree in art education, serves Alberta Art Works as director and Alberta Street Gallery as a board member. She is also a practicing artist. Contact her at Maquette@AlbertaArtWorks.org.

CNA respects the views and beliefs of all Concordians, and their cultures and faiths. The views expressed by this writer do not necessarily reflect the views of CNA.

Concordians fill final two board positions

Posted on by Posted in CNA, Concordia News

At its January meeting, the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) Board of Directors voted to appoint Matt Boyd to the Southwest 2 position. No one had been nominated to fill that seat during the November annual meeting election. Matt served a two-year term previously in an at-large position.

Also at the January meeting, Joseph Fraley was elected by CNA membership to the East 2 position. His term is two years.

CNA Board of Directors

Chair | Chair@ConcordiaPDX.org Peter Keller
East 1 | East1@ConcordiaPDX.org Heather Pashley
East 2 | East2@ConcordiaPDX.org Joseph Fraley
Northwest 1 | NW1@ConcordiaPDX.org Isham “Ike” Harris
Northwest 2 | NW2@ConcordiaPDX.org Amelie Marian
Southwest 1 | SW1@ConcordiaPDX.org Garlynn Woodsong
Southwest 2 | SW2@ConcordiaPDX.org Matt Boyd
At Large 1 | AL1@ConcordiaPDX.org Robert Bowles
At Large 2 | AL2@ConcordiaPDX.org John Fitzgerald
At Large 3 | AL3@ConcordiaPDX.org John McSherry
At Large 4 | AL4@ConcordiaPDX.org Sonia Fornoni
At Large 5 | AL5@ConcordiaPDX.org Truls Neal
At Large 6 | AL6@ConcordiaPDX.org Brittany van der Salm

Chair’s Corner – This is all about we

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

By Peter Keller | CNA Chair

Hello neighbors. I’m writing this as we just slammed the door on 2020 — like a scary monster was chasing us! 2021 is off to a frightening start too, but I think we can see the light. There’s so much to say about 2020, but let’s move on to 2021 and focus on our corner of Portland, Concordia.

You might be asking why I volunteered to be the CNA board chair. Well, I’ve enjoyed reading the CNews since 1997 when I bought my first home in Concordia and I’ve always found it to be informative, interesting and a great way to feel connected to the neighborhood.

Over the years I’ve often considered getting involved but didn’t feel like I had the time. Like many of you, I found that I have some extra time… and I decided it’s time to get involved.

The CNA chair position could have gone to anyone in the neighborhood who met the qualifications.

If you’re interested in getting involved with the board, visit ConcordiaPDX.org/2020/11/chairscorner-dont-forget-to-also-vote-in-cna-election, where outgoing chair Astrid Furstner outlined the process and qualifications in her column.

We have filled all positions for 2021 as of our Jan. 7 board meeting and special election. I’d like to welcome Joseph Fraley to the East 2 position and Matt Boyd to the Southwest 2 position! I look forward to serving with the 2021 CNA board, and we look forward to serving you.

While I am charged with writing this column, it’s not about me. It’s about we, Concordians. My plan for this column is to cover topics that come before the CNA board and other neighborhood topics of interest. I also plan to have other board members pen this column periodically so you can hear some other perspectives.

I’d like to thank Astrid Furstner, our departing chair. She has made this transition seamless and has worked tirelessly as CNA chair for the past year in addition to her full-time job and full-time job as a mom. I’d also like to thank Ali Novak, Donn Dennis and Steve Elder for their service on the CNA board.

I’m excited to take on this challenge, and I look forward to serving the neighborhood and the opportunity to meet and interact with more of you, my neighbors.

“There is a crack in everything.
That’s how the light gets in.”
– Leonard Cohen

Native Portlander Peter Keller has lived in Concordia since 1997. He runs a small marketing agency with partner Max, out of their home studio. He loves exploring outdoors with and without his dogs.

Concerts are out, so band takes music online

Posted on by Posted in Arts & Culture, Concordia News

By Tamara Anne Fowler | CNA Media Team

(Left to right) Ditte Kuijpers, Alex Whitcher, Ian Kelley, Peter Harrington and Chris Boitz arrived here from different parts of the globe. Once in Portland, they found each other and now write and perform music about their new home. Photo courtesy of Driving for Peaches

The drive for peaches has been a long one. Even spanning oceans.

In 2017, Driving for Peaches (DFP) band members Pete Harrington, guitar, came from the UK and Alex Whitcher, guitar, arrived from New Zealand.

Ditte Kuipers, vocals, had hit the Portland soil a few years prior. Ian Kelley, drummer, is originally from California and works at Extracto. Chris Boitz, bass, grew up in Oregon and has spent most of his life in Portland.

“DFP’s music is inspired largely by escape, road trips and relationships and the freedom of driving wherever you want… the journey. The peach is the often unattainable thing you are striving to reach at the end, whether it is the perfect destination or something connected to a loved one or relationship,” Pete said.

DFP has written and rehearsed all of the group’s first songs during COVID-19 lockdown.

“The Pacific Northwest is relatively new to most of us in the band, so we are inspired a lot by the energy, landscape and people of this place. Our music is steeped in the vibes of this beautiful part of the world,” Alex revealed.

“Our first releases channel the energy of different parts of the state – salt: Oregon coast, head straight: Willamette National Forest, blisters: high desert,” he added.

Most of the writing has taken place at Pete’s home, where they also recorded their first three tracks. It’s the only option during lockdown.

“We now practice with the full band at Cerimon House, where they have been amazing. Based on the COVID-19 restrictions and the fact they aren’t able to hold formal events, they were willing to let us use the space for our practices,” Alex explained.

It’s anybody’s guess when playing regular shows will be a reality. As such, DFP members are focused on what they can control – writing and recording music and creating a steady cadence of releases that people can get behind.

Internet presence and building DFP’s following without being able to play live much is important to the band members.

They invite people to follow them on:

Tamara Anne Fowler is Edit Kitten, a writer with 20-plus years of experience offering a sof ter, gentler approach to editing and coaching. Her personal editors – Armani, Max Factor and Spicey’D – are also her cats. Visit her at EditKitten.com or contact her at Tamara@EditKitten.com.

Local PDX Free Fridge creates solidarity

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

By Sharon Kelly | CNA Media Team

Matt Howard donates a bag of carrots to the PDX Free Fridge at Simpson Court and 42nd Avenue. It’s one of 15-plus mini-food pantries across the Portland area and one of 2 nearby. The other is at Cully Boulevard and 60th. Photo by Ruth Rodgers

Near Fernhill Park, at the border of Cully and Concordia neighborhoods, Portland’s mutual aid movement blossoms.

A donated refrigerator, an old cabinet and an outlet in a lamp post have been transformed into an ultra-local, 24-hour, no-questions-asked, neighborhood food pantry for anybody in need of the ingredients for a meal.

“We were looking for ways to contribute in a time when there were a lot of different fronts that needed people to fight for climate justice, social justice, racial justice, and especially culminating with the impacts of the coronavirus,” said Ruth Rodgers.

The Cully resident and PDX Free Fridge host added, “We knew we weren’t people who had a lot of money to contribute or time to volunteer. So, when we saw on Instagram that PDX Free Fridge was looking for hosts and volunteers, we jumped on it.”

Ruth and her husband Sean were busy adapting their northeast Portland business, a small independent gym, to the ever-changing climate of COVID-19.

They were also supporting their two children with distance-learning at home, but their concern for their community was growing.

PDX Free Fridge organizers had seen free community fridges working in New York City and many other major cities since the pandemic hit. They thought it could work here too.

Their call for support was met with a resounding response from Portlanders like Ruth, and now a network of 15-plus mini-food pantries spread from Beaverton to Troutdale. Each is hosted and maintained by local volunteers.

Backyard chicken eggs, cheeses, milk, bags of freshly harvested basil, salad greens, frozen organic chicken, individually-packed prepared meals, canned goods, masks, hand-sanitizer and other essentials. Those are just some examples of what you might find in the Simpson Court free fridge on any given day.

Organizers network with local farmers, grocery workers and food bank groups for donations of healthy, fresh food items. Volunteers visit the fridges every day or two to clean, sanitize, restock and snap pictures to post on Instagram. Those are tagged @pdxfreefridge to let followers know what’s in each fridge that day.

For details about the Free Fridge program, visit Instagram.com/pdxfreefridge and Linktr.ee/pdxfreefridge.

“It creates a sense of solidarity every time somebody opens the fridge and it’s stocked,” Ruth said. “When someone comes to drop something off, they feel that they can be part of something that’s bigger than themselves.

“We get a front row seat to mutual aid and how beautiful it is.”

Sharon Kelly uses her outreach and coordination skills to support trees, farmers, small businesses, and engage people to create more healthy, equitable, sustainable communities. She’s best known locally as market manager for Cully and Woodlawn farmers markets and as web manager for Trees for Life Oregon. Contact her at NaturalFarmerPDX@gmail.com.