Page 38 October 2 0 1 4 Professional musician and full time bartender tells all By Amanda Savage Full name: Nate Gullickson Position: Bartender Where was your first job? My first “real” job was a summer job back when I was 15 years old. I had the opportunity to work at an apple orchard in a small town just outside the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area, where I grew up as a child. I loved it! When did you get your start in the bar business? Like some college students, I had a tendency to frequent a few local watering holes. When I decided I really enjoyed working in the industry, I applied for my first restaurant position. I was hired and the rest is history. Where may have people seen you around town? This is a great question! When I am not bartending at True Food Kitchen at the Biltmore location, [you can find me] touring as a professional musician. I have performed at many local venues such as Ak-Chin Pavilion in Phoenix, the Marquee Theater in Tempe and Joe’s Grotto in north Phoenix. How do you spend your free time? I really am just a homebody. When I am not working at True Food Kitchen or working on my music career, I spend time on the upkeep of my home and taking care of my five pets. I have two dogs, two parrots and a rescue cat. Most of them are named after famous musicians. What’s your guilty pleasure? I’ll have to come clean I guess! I cannot resist gummy candy. Yeah, yeah, I know they aren’t the best thing health-wise for me, but that’s why they are my GUILTY PLEASURE! Gummy bears, gummy worms, Sour Patch Kids – you name it, I want it. What’s a fact people might not know about you? My initial move back in the mid ’90s to the Phoenix area was to pursue my dream in becoming a professional golfer. I grew up on a golf course back in Minnesota and my lifelong dream was to play golf. However, when you can only play three to four months out of the year because of the weather, it takes a lot more work and commitment to compete with others that are able to play 12 months out of the year, like you can here in Arizona. I had a lot to learn when I moved here. What is your favorite thing about being a bartender? Plain and simple – our guests! The interaction I have with all the guests who frequent our Biltmore location is a job reward in itself. I have been with True Food Kitchen for six years now and the uniqueness of our guests is remarkable. I wake up everyday and enjoy what I do because I get to serve quality food to people who have become a part of the True Food Kitchen family, and they let me into their families. I wouldn’t trade these experiences for anything. If you could only pick three things that embody a great bartender, what would they be? Being or becoming a great bartender is all about the personality. I’ve been doing this a while now and what I recommend is that you just need to be yourself. When people go out to eat or just want to sit back and enjoy a nice beverage, the last thing they really want to do is feel unappreciated or uncomfortable. One, be yourself! Two, truly care about the guest or guests sitting across from you at your bar and get to know who they are! Three, enjoy the atmosphere! Where else can you interact with so many different people, learn about them, and more importantly learn about yourself, while talking [with] your guests? What’s the oddest request you’ve ever gotten from a customer? I have heard plenty of odd requests. From marrying their daughter, to watching their million-dollar homes while they are on vacation, to looking at their new tattoos – this is just the tip of the iceberg. 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? It’s not the pick-up line that I tend to hear but it’s the people talking after the fact who regretted not using the pick-up line. I can’t count the number of times I have heard bar guests say, “If I only would’ve said hi or even talked to them.” If you don’t take the chance to talk to or “hit on” the person next to you, you might miss out on a great opportunity to get to know someone. What’s your go-to drink when you’re out? You can never go wrong with an old fashioned. It’s not for every occasion, but it seems to just hit the spot when I want to relax and enjoy a special evening! Where are some of your favorite local spots to hang out at (besides True Food, of course)? If I’m not hanging out at one of the local live music venues in Phoenix, I really enjoy quality food along with great draft beers and great cocktails for my girlfriend. I’ve been known to hang out at Culinary Dropout in Scottsdale or my local Irish Pub in north Phoenix called The Dubliner Irish Pub & Restaurant. What’s your favorite cocktail from True Food? Definitely the spontaneous happiness. We infuse a shochu liquor with fresh ginger and vanilla beans. Then we add St. Germain liqueur, fresh-squeezed lime juice and a touch of simple syrup to balance it out. It’s garnished with a fresh lime and, voilá You have this amazing cocktail that just enlightens your mood – hence the name, spontaneous happiness. Nate Gullickson live love arcadia

Page 39 October 2 0 1 4 A vegan’s guide to navigating Halloween candy By Amanda Savage Halloween is almost here – can you believe it? Before you know it you’ll be with the extended family, around the dinner table celebrating the holidays. Candy probably isn’t something that first comes to mind when someone questions whether a product is vegan or not. Unfortunately though, animal ingredients pop up in many popular candy brands. INGREDIENTS IN CANDY Animal ingredients often sneak into candy, because companies are not required to list many animal derived ingredients specifically. Castoreum, for example, which is a flavoring extracted from the castor sac scent glands of the beaver, is grouped under general terms like “natural flavor or flavoring.” The FDA defines natural flavoring as “essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.” You can find more information about natural flavorings at fda.gov. Luckily, there are more direct animal ingredient listings in candy. Egg yolks are commonly found in taffy; milk is in most chocolates; animal shortening is in cookies and crackers; carmine (which we covered in August’s column) is a red coloring derived from insects found in colored candies. It seems the ingredients list lays it out bluntly. Although, there are two major animal ingredient offenders when it comes to candy: Gelatin – Webster’s New World College Dictionary defines gelatin as “the tasteless, Veggie Beat odorless, brittle mixture of proteins extracted by boiling skin, bones, horns, etc.” This is commonly found in gummy bears, Starburst, gummy worms, marshmallows and candy corn. Pectin is a common plant- based alternative. Shellac and confectioner’s glaze – “Shellac is the purified product of lac, the red, hardened secretion of the insect Laccifer (Tachardia) lacca Kerr,” states drugs.com. Shellac is used in everything from furniture finish to vitamins and food. It promotes a shiny, hard surface. When it’s added to foods, it carries many different names like confectioner’s glaze or natural glaze. Note that there are also many ingredients that can be plant or animal based, but they may not denote it on the label. It’s safe to never assume, and to just get something else if you’re unsure. Animal-Free is a free smartphone app and animal ingredient glossary, that makes searching for animal ingredients while you shop easy. ACCIDENTALLY VEGAN CANDY PETA, regardless if you believe in their message or not, has a lot of great resources for vegans. They have a guide called “I Can’t Believe It’s Vegan,” that lists all different types of common foods that are accidentally vegan. Airheads taffy, Charms lollipops, Dots, Fruit By the Foot, Jolly Ranchers, Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish are among the dozens of candy options that are surprisingly vegan-friendly. Visit peta.org/living/food/accidentally-vegan/ for the complete list. “HEALTHY” VEGAN CANDY I traveled to Sprouts, Whole Foods and Trader Joes to see what kind of “healthy” candy options existed for vegans. I found that, by no surprise, that Whole Foods had the most to offer. YumEarth Sour Beans and Fruit Snacks, Panda Licorice, Annie’s fruit snacks and 365 Fruit Strips were among my favorites from Whole Food’s selection. BRUNCH SAT & SUN 8AM – 3PM OPEN DAILY AT 6:30AM - Happy hour - weekdays 4pm - 6pm HEN_ArcadiaNews_AD_10.25x6_Oct2014.indd 1 9/15/14 4:03 PM