Page 38 June 2 0 1 4 Getting to know your bartender, one question at a time By Amanda Savage Full name: Kaitlynn Bormann Position: Bartender, Boondocks Patio and Grill Where was your first job? My first job was at the gymnastics facility in NY where I started going to when I was 2. I began working birthday parties on the weekends starting at age 12 so I could help pay for my gymnastics tuition. When did you get your start in the bar business? Back in 2010, I had just graduated from ASU. I had been on a full ride for gymnastics and knew I was going to need a job that would enable me to continue school and still pay the bills so I got myself a serving job. How do you spend your free time? I don’t have too much free time since I need to study but I love playing with my dog and taking him on runs, being outdoors and hiking (when it’s not too hot), and just lounging and watching endless hours of Netflix. I love when I get a chance to do some kind of project having to do with my home. Oh and I recently bought myself a set of golf clubs and have been trying to become a pro. I’ve also taken a recently dangerous liking to the blackjack tables at Talking Stick. Guilty pleasure? Grey’s Anatomy, ice cream and pizza! Fun fact people might not know about you? My twin sister and I were adopted from Korea and we met our identical triplet and birth mother for the first time this past October. What is your favorite thing about being a bartender? I absolutely love all the people I get to meet and talk to. There are so many interesting people out there and Arizona is a frequently visited state (for obvious reasons) so they come from all over the place! What about your least favorite thing? It would definitely have to deal with those few really rude and inconsiderate customers, especially when you’re clearly working your butt off and they’re not being understanding of whatever situation is at hand. We bartenders are people too and we make mistakes and have off days just like everyone else. If you could only pick three things that embody a great bartender, what would they be? 1. Strong work ethic 2. People lover 3. Multi-tasker It’s a given that as a bartender you get hit on, or see others get hit on, what is the worst pick-up line you’ve ever heard? A guy called me over once to tell me he had yellow fever. What’s your go-to drink when you’re out? I’m a huge fan of craft beer and Moscow Mules. Where are some of your favorite local spots to hang out? I honestly spend a lot of the off time I have at Boondocks but on a weekly basis I like going to places like Carlsbad Tavern, O.H.S.O., Rehab Burger, and Talking Stick. What’s your favorite cocktail from Boondocks? I absolutely love our cocktail at Boondocks called the “Boondocks Blossom.” I’m a huge fan of peach flavored anything and it’s combined with a few other ingredients to make it flavorful, light and refreshing all at the same time. “Boondocks Blossom” - Peach Ciroc - St. Germaine - Lime juice - San Pellegrino limonata - Muddled mint leaves It’s your day off, you have nothing to do, money is not an object — what would you be doing? I would get my friends together and just do anything fun and adventurous we could whether it be hopping on a plane to an agreed upon destination or renting a bunch of water skis and heading out to the lake. Kaitlynn Bormann PAT I O

Page 39 June 2 0 1 4 me same time. ff, to do, ject — doing? ther and just us we could plane to an ting a bunch to the lake. Dairy alternatives expand options for vegetarian eaters By Amanda Savage June is National Alternative Dairy Month (who would have thought?) so I thought it would be fitting to do something a little different. Even if you eat meat, the popularity of lactose-free lifestyles has made alternative dairy options popular between both meat eaters and non-meat eaters. Although this column will focus on meat and dairy free living, there’s something in here for herbivores and omnivores as well. I like Sprouts and Whole Foods for alternative dairy shopping. Other grocers sell them too, but I’ve found that Sprouts and Whole Food consistently supply a lot of options. When it comes to price, alternative dairy products are about double the price of regular, but it depends on how you value food to say if that’s just or not. I personally believe in buying less but better quality. Cheese Most people I’ve talked to are a little freaked out by the idea of “fake” cheese. And while there is no true, store bought alternative you can enjoy raw, there are a few decent finds that you can use as toppings and ingredients in recipes. Typically there are soy, rice and almond based alternatives that come shredded, sliced and in blocks. Mozzarella and cheddar are the two most popular flavors when it comes to substitutes, although there are pepper jack and ricotta out there. The shocker with a lot of people when they try cheese alternates is that a lot of them don’t actually melt. Daiya is the best melting cheese alternative I’ve found, it’s sold shredded and in slices. It has a sort of funky smell in my opinion, but regular cheese does too. Almond by Lisanatti, Daiya and Go Veggie are the best I’ve tried for flavor and melting. The Lisanatti “cheeses” are sold in blocks while the other two brands are sold in shredded and slices form. All of these are soy-free as well. Mayo To me, Veganaise is hands-down the best, I’ve tried Nayonaise but to me it had an odd, overpowering sour flavor that I just couldn’t get past. Veganaise is great on sandwiches and substitutes well in recipes that call for the real thing. Sour Cream and Cream Cheese There are a few different options out there, but Tofutti is the most realistic to me. While I have never really liked cream cheese or sour cream by themselves I do use these as alternatives in a lot of recipes like artichoke dip, buffalo wing sauce dip and you honestly can’t tell the difference. My meat-eating family even loved it, and when I can convince them to eat vegan food, that really means something. If you are trying to push out dairy, but love cream cheese on things like bagels and toast, try mixing it with fruit, making your own “flavored” cream cheese. This helps disguise the fact that you aren’t eating real cream cheese. It works for sour cream by mixing in some chives or Veggie Beat WE’RE HAPPY TO SERVE YOU AT ANY OF OUR 8 CONVENIENT VALLEY LOCATIONS! • 22 S. Mesa Dr, Mesa • 1017 E. Apache Blvd, Tempe • 1111 E. Buckeye Rd, Phoenix • 2628 W. Van Buren, Phoenix • 3920 S. Central Ave, Phoenix • 4121 N. 44th St, Phoenix FAX: 602-952-9233 • 5516 W. Glendale Ave, Phoenix • 9309 W. Van Buren, Tolleson Need a menu? Visit our web site: WWW. PETESFISHANDCHIPS .COM Burgers, Dogs, Burritos! Scrumptious Fish & Chips! Fresh Breaded Onion Rings! Children’s Menus at Some Locations! Drive Thru/Take-Out Is Our Specialty! ☞ ☞ ☞ ☞ ☞ Family Owned & Operated Since 1947 HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! from your friends at Pete’s Cool out and chill down at 4144 E. Indian School Rd. 602-956-0178 $ 3 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 3 $ 3 $ 3 $ 3 $ 3 3 3 $ 3 $ 3 $ 3 $ $ $ $ 3 $ $ $ $ 3 $ $ $ 3 $ 3 $ 3 $ $ $ 3 $ Tuesdays are Back! Bean Burros Cheese Crisps Well Margaritas Domestic Beers ONLY $3 garlic salt to really add some strong flavors. Yogurt I’m a huge fan of the coconut milk based yogurts. Although they aren’t great for diets, they’re creamy and sweet. The chocolate SO Delicious makes a great dipping sauce for fresh strawberries. There are a lot of different brands that offer different styles (regular or Greek) from different bases (soy and almond). I do not like the taste of almond based yogurts, and find their consistency to be more like Jell-O than yogurt. Silk brand’s consistency comes the closest to real yogurt, although none of them really match up to the real thing. Milk Alternatives We’re all aware of these. No specialty store required. If you’re dieting almond milk is low in carbs and sugar, whereas soy is sweeter and creamier than its watery counterparts and is also higher in calories, carbs, sugar and all of that good stuff. Although I find rice milk to be a little too watery for my liking, almond and soy are both adequate alternatives that go great in cereal or mixed in to recipes. I know, where’s the ice cream? I’m dedicating an entire column to that next month, so stay tuned! Dining Out Although dairy alternatives aren’t on a lot of local menus, they do exist at local eateries. Below is a list of restaurants that offer meat and dairy-free options. All of the items listed are meat and dairy-free, even though it says ‘sausage’ and ‘nacho cheese.’ Bragg’s Diner: waffles, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, nacho cheese, pesto sauce and mayo. www.braggsdiner. com/menu Sage Kitchen: mozzarella, cheddar and blue cheese available on pastas, pizza, wraps and much more. www. sagekitchenphx.com/vegetarian-menu/ Pizza Heaven Bistro: ranch dressing, veggieball (their vegan version of meatball) sandwiches, hoagies, sausage sandwiches, pasta, calzones, pizza and cheesecake. www.phbistro. com/#!vegan-menu/c14ai Green: crab puffs, artichoke dip, mayo, a pita quesadilla and more. www. greenvegetarian.com/menu/green-menu Mellow Mushroom: They offer Diya cheese on pizzas, calzones and salads. www.mellowmushroom.com/corpmenu