“It came really fast and furious, and there’s been no looking back since then,” said Ari Shapiro, co-founder of Beaut Burger.
From the beginning, when Beaut Burger opened in 2018, co-founder and vegan macrobiotic chef Kerry Lane’s handmade patties hit the ground running and the business has been on a pleasurable cruise ever since at the MSA Annex.
Plant-based patties, in general, have been popular with companies like Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger making themselves apparent in grocery stores. Although, these types of patties are growing more popular inside restaurants, too.
It’s dazzling to have the alternative option when eating out and about, but Beaut Burger takes a different route, so to speak. They’re not trying to mimic meat and are simply recreating a great burger-eating experience — minus the meat.
Also, Beaut’s buns are a beast of flavor on their own.
“We don’t make our patty from textured protein and soy isolate,” said Shapiro. “Rather, we developed a satiating blend of veggies, grain, beans, and spices. Our bun is unique — a slow-fermented English muffin style that matches the patty wonderfully.”
Beaut Burger Home
A lot has happened since the restaurant opened and with a second location in the Phoenix area, Beaut Burger Home is the most recent development from the team.
It’s an idea that actually spawned from shootin’ the breeze with customers over the years. A lot of folks have requested to buy Beaut’s products for home preparation, and that’s when they decided to go ship directly.
“We are bypassing the traditional grocer channel, to maintain quality control, and speak directly to our customer,” said Shapiro. “It just kind of seemed natural to get into this chain called a CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods). So, we spent a good deal of the last couple of years developing the packaging and how we’re going to ship it. It’s all shipped in compostable, recyclable material and it’s just a really, really neat angle that we literally just launched a couple of weeks ago.”
In the end, Lane and Shapiro want people to have the opportunity to get a taste of what they do at their restaurants in the comfort of their own home kitchens.
“We can control how we pack it,” said Shapiro. “We know the state they’re gonna get it in because we’ve tested out shipping all over the country and it holds up great. It arrives at the proper temperature.”
Beaut Burger Home isn’t just available to those in Tucson either and can be shipped anywhere in the U.S. — a package of local love and meat-free greatness for the masses. In addition to the food, there is a recipe book, a video tutorial, and even more to come.
“Kerry is a trained vegan macrobiotic chef,” said Shapiro. “She has tons of ideas for recipes that you can do at home. You know, all plant-based, of course. We don’t recommend using a microwave.”
Beaut Burger is located at 267 S. Avenida del Convento. For more information and to order online, visit beautburgerhome.com.
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Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
