Food
BEAUT BURGER'S VEGAN AESTHETICS Story and photos by Jeff Kronenfeld For Valley residents heading south, Tucson’s vegan restaurant Beaut Burger has become something of a pilgrimage site since opening in 2018. Instead of serving meat substitutes made from a bevy of unpronounceable ingredients, owners Ari Shapiro and Kerry Lane make all their plant-based proteins — and nearly everything else — from scratch using vegetables, whole grains, legumes and spices. With the opening of its second location overall and first in Phoenix, now fans can satisfy their craving for these macrobiotic delights without driving 100 miles. Shapiro and Lane first had the idea for Beaut Burger while on a hike in the temperate rainforests of British Columbia in 2014. Despite the former being a vegetarian and the latter a vegan, they both craved a classic burger experience à la Shake Shack or In-N-Out Burger. However, they wanted to satisfy this desire without recourse to meat. “At that time, this was pre-Beyond, Impossible and pre-everything that's happened in the last two to three years,” Shapiro said. “It just seemed like there was the Boca Burger and the Garden Burger. All the veggie burgers were fine, but they just weren't what we were looking for, which was this kind of satiating, juicy, get-all-over-your-face burger.” Lane is a macrobiotic chef, which is a food movement popularized by George Ohsawa, a Japanese author. Guided by a dualist philosophy influenced by Buddhist beliefs, the diet focuses on plant-based foods made without industrial processing. Shapiro is a serial entrepreneur who ran several food concepts in Tucson over the years. The romantic couple pooled skills and began planning. Though their relationship transitioned into a platonic friendship, they continued to collaborate and remain business partners.
22
May 2021
phoenix.outvoices.us
With the success of Beaut Burger in T-Town, the owners began to think of expansion. While several places were considered, the steady stream of visitors from the Valley suggested Tucson’s larger urban neighbor to the north as the ideal choice. They found a location in Phoenix near the intersection of Indian School Road and 33rd Street. COVID-19 reared its spiky head soon after they signed the lease, forcing them to make a tough decision. “We definitely had to do some soul searching as to whether we should go forward with this with the restaurant business being so uncertain,” a solemn Shapiro explained. “We were just getting going on this and it was really difficult to be perfectly frank, but the developers were really supportive and showed a willingness to work with us a little bit and we just kept pushing.” As I pulled into the parking lot for the vegan burger joint’s new location around one pm on Wednesday, the recently renovated commercial complex gleamed in the early afternoon sun. Two carloads of people dined happily in their vehicles as I approached the twin glass doors of the entrance. Beaut is currently the building’s only tenant, aside from Bristlecone, which is a dairyfree soft serve business also run by Shapiro and Lane. Bristlecone occupies one side and Beaut the other, while a wooden planter serves as a divider. The space isn’t huge, but its efficient layout and ample outside seating made social distancing easy. The sleek industrial décor of the mostly concrete and metal interior was softened here and there by rustic notes like a neon light and wood paneling. As I waited behind a group of three customers placing their order, I debated what to get. There are 11 varieties of burgers available. The most basic is the B1, which comes with ketchup, mustard, lettuce, onion
