Since 2006, Chicago-based Upton’s Naturals has been committed to making delicious varieties of seitan using real, simple ingredients. The company was founded by Daniel Staackmann hopes that by cooking with Upton’s Naturals, more people will see how easy it is to be vegan-and that it’s not about just eating salads.
Upton’s Naturals recently opened West Town’s very first 100 percent vegan establishment, housing their production facility, a top floor yoga studio, and Upton’s Breakroom: a vegan cafe with a modest menu featuring the company’s seitan, soft serve ice cream, and pastries created in-house by Chicago-area native Kelly Peloza (author of The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur and Cheers to Vegan Sweets).
Daniel and his partner Nicole Sopko, the company’s Vice President and certified yoga teacher, also live on the top floor of the building. The couple have been meat- and dairy-free for 20 and 16 years, respectively. I recently had a chance to chat with Dan and Nicole, and we talked about what vegans usually end up talking about when they get together: food.
Chic Vegan – What motivated you to become vegan? Was it an overnight switch or more gradual shift?
Dan: I went vegetarian at 15. I didn’t have any close vegetarian friends when I made the switch, but was introduced to the concept through music and a person I knew at school a year prior. I remember eating a French dip sandwich at a 50’s supper club, while the idea of vegetarianism was running through my mind, and the sandwich just seemed so gross at the time. So, I stopped right there. A short while later a friend called me out on the hypocrisy of being “just” vegetarian. After thinking about it for a few days, I couldn’t deny it and went vegan.
Nicole: I became vegetarian at age 15 out of a strong compassion for animals and a desire to lessen their suffering. At 16, I adopted a vegan diet for the same reasons. I didn’t know any other vegans and the internet wasn’t really available to me yet, but I knew about veganism and started to do my best to work out the details of what to eat, where to shop, and so on. Through the years things have only gotten easier in terms of what information and products are available. So far, so good!
CV – Tell me a little bit about Upton’s Naturals. What inspired you to start the company?
Our bio says: “Upton’s Naturals is a Chicago-based natural foods producer specializing in vegan meat alternatives. Since 2006 we have offered a wide variety of gourmet seitan that is healthy, delicious and completely unique.”
Dan: As a long time vegan, I wanted to do something with food and seitan was always one of my favorites. I noticed there weren’t many companies producing it so I thought I would give it a shot. I started with a friend of mine in a shared kitchen and through trial and error we came up with our Italian seitan and expanded from there.
CV – Right now the Upton’s Naturals product line consists of several seitan products. Are you planning on adding any new products soon?
Dan: We have 5 seitan varieties for retail (Italian, Chorizo, Ground, Traditional and Bacon) and a few more for foodservice. In the Midwest we also have a line of prepared foods (packaged wraps, sandwiches, bowls) we do for Whole Foods as well as a frozen tamale (featuring our Chorizo with black beans and mole). We have a few ideas on expanding the line, but primarily, we are focusing on supporting our current retail products (since they are still new to many areas of the country).
CV – Please tell the Chic Vegan readers a little bit about the new Upton’s Naturals building. I’ve heard it houses a yoga studio as well the Upton’s Breakroom!
Nicole: Yes! We just opened the facility in late July of this year. The first floor houses Upton’s Breakroom – a vegan cafe featuring our products plus soft serve ice cream (by Chicago Vegan Foods) and pastries (made in-house by Kelly Peloza) as well as our seitan production space. The second floor consists of our office, and the top floor is part yoga space (Maha Dharma Center – to open later this year) and part living quarters for Dan and I and our two rescues dogs (Greta & Maizy).
CV – The name might make it sound like the Upton’s Breakroom is just for employees, but it’s actually a café that’s open to the public. How was the menu determined?
Dan: Yes, we just thought it would be a fun name since the café is attached to the factory and everyone working in the building would also be eating there. We have an “Employee Meal” on the menu, which is a rotating priced at only $6 (employees eat for free). The rest of the menu fairly heavy on seitan; a pastrami sandwich on marble rye with sauerkraut and mustard, an Italian sandwich with our thinly sliced Italian seitan in broth with giardiniera on Italian bread, a BLT, sides of fried bacon mac & cheese and mashed potatoes & gravy.
CV – Cookbook author Kelly Peloza created the Upton’s Breakroom dessert menu. How did you team up with her?
Dan: We’ve known Kelly through different vegan events over the years and when she moved back to the Chicago area, it seemed like the perfect fit.
CV – Do you have any favorite recipes that use Upton’s Naturals products?
Nicole: There are so many! Our website has a recipe section that I highly recommend visiting. We make a product that, while it could be considered “ready to go”, it is also highly versatile and people are doing some pretty cool stuff with it. That said, I love a good Chorizo Seitan taco, a Bacon Seitan pizza, or a breakfast gravy with Italian Seitan!
CV – What do you typically eat in the span of a day?
Dan: My diet is 40% chocolate, 40% chips & salsa and 20% various fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, etc (including seitan).
Nicole: Dan is not lying about that, by the way. I have a smoothie every morning and eat a lot of grains, fruit, and veggies in various forms. I like to eat a lot of avocados.
CV – What is your favorite vegan indulgence?
Dan: Currently, it’s Kelly’s chocolate mousse brownie which we have for sale at Upton’s Breakroom.
Nicole: Always cookies. I love cookies. Lately it sure has been challenging living two flights of stairs away from a soft serve machine, I can tell you that!
CV – In your wildest dreams what will your life look like in 5 years?
Dan: Pretty close to how it is now!
Nicole: I agree, a lot like this! Maybe we work a little less and relax a little more, but I don’t really see that happening. We’re passionate about what we do and we’ll probably always be taking on new projects and working on what we love in some form or another.
