In a town of meat and potatoes eaters, Chad Hankins and his wife, Nako, stand out. While they’re all in with the ‘potatoes’ part of that combination, they’re absolutely not down with the ‘meat’ part. They’re not only husband and wife but also co-owners of Pueblo’s Cutting Board Restaurant, the city’s only vegan or vegetarian restaurant.
“I quit eating meat in 2001,” said Hankins in a recent phone interview. Of course, prior to banning meat from his diet, he said, “I was a Taco Bell guy.’ But once he swore off eating animals, he’s been a “plant guy.” Same with his San Antonio, native wife.
Their restaurant, he said, is “100 percent plant-based,” and, in Pueblo, a real against-the-grain dining stop. But in a town where in some neighborhoods ‘kielbasa is king,’ Hankins and his wife are, if not making converts, at least opening a new horizon to diners.
Something he’s heard from more than a few customers who have become regulars at the Cutting Board is the sentence that begins with, ‘I’m not a vegan, but,’ followed by praise for one of the dishes served, including their version of Pueblo’s famous ‘sloppers,’ a hamburger or cheeseburger smothered in green chili. Hankins Cutting Board offers one he says competes comfortably with the original.
Of course, while the menu’s meatless, Hankins says the pair are not afraid to find imaginative ways to kick up the flavor in their dishes, including dishes that taste of fat and salt. “Our mashed potatoes are absolutely decadent.” They come dairy—milk and butter—free.
Hankins says between he and his wife, the pair have found a way to discover eye-opening flavors in foods not normally associated with it. They grind their own spices, including the chili that is generously incorporated into many of their dishes.
But what also makes the Cutting Board Restaurant different and unique is its staff, a number of whom are ex-cons. The other thing is something brand new. Hankins and his wife are offering cooking classes to kids aging out of foster care.
“We’re teaching them about food and technique,” Hankins said. “We’re also teaching them about professionalism and taking pride in the job you do.”
The foster care outreach, Hankins believes, gives foster care kids a foundation in something essential. Some of these boys and girls have shuttled multiple times to new homes. They get housed but very little else.
Hankins and his wife try and instill basic lessons in both cooking and responsibility. Everything is addressed in a 72-hour course that covers everything from taking orders to measuring, presenting and, of course, cleaning.
Their first foster care child, he said, wanted to study astronomy. “We try and relate what they learn here to science,” he said. Precision in following a recipe is what creates success, evenin the sciences. “Your technique needs to be consistent,” no matter what you do. Studying the stars is no different.
Hankins said working with foster care kids was his wife’s idea. After she explained it to him, there was no question, he said, that it was the right thing to do. “She told me a lot of times these kids just get dropped off, their stuff in a trash bag and ‘good luck.’ The ‘good luck’ part often never materializes.
Working with foster care children, Hankins said, has been a slow process, much slower than he would like. “We’ve been talking with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and the DHS (Department of Human Services),” he said. But things have moved much slower than he would like. Still, he and his wife understand. “The wheels of bureaucracy move very slowly.”
The Cutting Board’s current location, 400 South Union, is only temporary. Within a few months, it will relocate to a new spot at 130 South Union. But it will be open with a ‘pick-up menu for Thanksgiving, Hankins said. It’ll be a traditional Turkey Day dinner. It just won’t include turkey or at least a real bird. The Cutting Board’s substitute will be 100 percent featherless but, instead, 100 percent tofu, a soybean-based foodstuff. “You can do incredible things,” with plant-based ingredients, Hankins said. The self-described ‘skinny chef’ also says going meatless for more than 20 years has made him healthier. He says he stands out among some of his hometown, meat-eating family. “I don’t have some of the health issues they have.”
