Hip City Vegan

Woody sat at a four-seat picnic table in the park on the corner of Pine and 11^th. Ear buds trailed to his black leather cased phone sitting next to a plastic takeout container. He stabbed at the last few spinach leaves in the bottom of the bowl.

About a half hour ago, he walked from Groom Barbershop where he works to Hip City Veg in Rittenhouse. He ordered a green smoothie and a spinach BLT salad – tempeh bacon over a bed of spinach with radish, tomato, garlic dressing, “And avocado. I’m a high roller like that,” Woody laughs, “I can afford to add avocado.”

Woody rarely packs his lunch. If he does, he forgets about it and discovers it in the fridge at the end of the day. (“I guess this is dinner now..?”)He’ll typically run over to Makiman or Sumo for sushi, or head to Eat A Pita for the wraps-turned-salad. Hip City Veg is a little further out of the way. “This is my person-right-before-lunch-doesn’t-show-up-and-I-have-an-extra-20-minutes lunch,” he says. It’s sunny and warm; he’s not complaining.

Woody’s been working at Groom for two and a half years, and yes, he does have the impeccably trimmed beard and crafted-casual pomp you’d expect. He wears rounded, black-framed shades and a black t-shirt under a light zip-up fleece.

If he could go anywhere for lunch, he’d go to V Street, the street food inspired (not price-wise) vegan bar launched by the chefs at Vedge. He described some kind of puff pastry with a creamy dill sauce and sweet peppers. “If Eastern Europe invented pizza, that’s what I imagine it would taste like,” he says. He recommends the spicy noodles with red chili-sesame sauce and the tofu kabob. “You have to try everything and then go back for your favorites,” he says. (note: the menu changes often).

Woody has followed a vegan diet for 11 years. “It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made,” he says. He’s glad it’s become more widely recognized in the professional culinary world as well. “It allows chefs to go further with their food,” he says. “Creativity comes from limitation.”

When his extended lunchtime is up, Woody heads back to the barbershop for an appointment with one of his regulars. “He’s a good dude. I finally convinced him to come back more frequently,” he laughs. “He should be coming back every four weeks, but now he’s got kids so he doesn’t care anymore.”

Standing up from the picnic table, he pitches the last sip of his iced soy latte from Elixir and heads toward Locust Street.