Sweetpea Baking Company » Welcome to the future

Welcome to the future

In a few weeks it will be 2010, how weird is that? I thought things would be all futuristic and flying cars by now, but technology just hasn’t kept up with my imagination. Except for the part where I can flip a coin on my phone (without an actual coin), and use satellites to give me directions when I am lost (which is constantly). Oh, and that OHSU tram is pretty futuristic too. Aside from all of their archaic and useless animal testing at least OHSU is moving us into the future.

get outta my dreams, get into my pod

(I stole this photo from portlandground.com.)

Anyway, the point is, I feel like it’s time for us to get with it, embrace the fact that the future has arrived, and start serving you fresh, made-to-order sandwiches at the bakery. Usually I would just make it happen, and hope you like it, but this time I’m asking for your suggestions. Remember all of those times you have walked in the bakery and said “You know what you should make? You should make [insert your favorite item here] and I will come in every day and buy it.” Well now, here’s your chance to get what you want. Tell me this: what kind of sandwich would you want? What kind of bread, hot or cold, what veggie fixings, condiments, and sides to go with it. My choice would be this, which will most likely make it onto the menu:

fake meat, i love you so much

This is a vegan Italian Sub that my friend Ed made for me once, I think about it several times a week, with great longing and joy. Please leave you feedback in the comments section and I will start working on our new sandwich menu!

Tags: jet packs, ohsu kills innocent animals, portland, sandwiches, suggestions, vegan, wave of the future

Uncategorized | admin | December 18, 2009 10:33 am

39 Comments

By joanna, December 18, 2009 @ 10:51 am

i want that sub right this second. it’s pretty rude of you to post a photo of it without then driving it over to my house.

but yes, i’d say for sandwiches: more fake meat, please! subs with plenty of vegenaise, possibly flavored vegenaises or roasted garlic aiolis? or secret sauces. or ranch.

i know that portland needs another reuben like i need a hole in the head, but… it IS the best sandwich in the world.

i’d also love a fancy pb&j option for my kid. almond butter and marionberry-lavender jam? something like that.

and i love you.
By Lorelei, December 18, 2009 @ 10:57 am

Things I love on my sandwiches: olives, sliced banana peppers (or pepperoncinis…or just a big one on the side), spinach, tomatoes, grilled onions/red bell, veganaise, and lots and lots of fake meat.

I would also love if you offered the bacun scallion schmear as an option for a sandwich spread – I can only imagine how yummy that would be.

So happy to hear you are doing this!
By Karstan, December 18, 2009 @ 11:02 am

Gluten Free Sandwiches! I don’t care what flavor-way. Please save me from my sandwich-less existence.
By farrell, December 18, 2009 @ 11:42 am

maybe expand on soups? more veggies and fake meat in the soups. i miss the seitan and tomato kale. carrot soup? maybe offer quinoa in the bowls? i know if you had a veggies and quinoa bowl id get it all the time. more than one veggie option would be awesome too. veggies and greens are the best.
By Kurt, December 18, 2009 @ 2:55 pm

I would like one milk steak, boiled over hard, and a side of your finest jelly beans, raw.
By Susan Kelley, December 18, 2009 @ 3:50 pm

Cinnamon buns. All the time.

Maybe bubble tea?

Idunno, you guys are freakin’ awesome as is.
By admin, December 18, 2009 @ 4:13 pm

thanks everyone, good suggestions so far. i’m definitely looking for mostly sandwich suggestions – we are going to start baking our sandwich bread in-house, and quite possibly our bagels as well. we gota meat slicer, so we are looking at doing thinly sliced “deli meats”, and some hot sandwiches – maybe a french dip? let’s fancy it up!
By Anonymous, December 18, 2009 @ 4:15 pm

Please believe me when I say, I mean this with all my love and no snark.

I think the sandwich offerings (or any offerings) are much less important than a new attitude. This is coming from someone who tried to be a ‘fan’ for a few years now, promoting you guys and defending you guys. But you know what? Shitty customer service makes people feel shitty, and I don’t like to go to places that make me feel shitty no matter how much I support the cause.

So please, I don’t care what you’re serving, just ask your baristas to smile and act like they care. It IS a customer service job, after all. You guys have a bad reputation and it’s a damn shame.
By Katherine, December 18, 2009 @ 5:19 pm

First of all, I love you guys!! Everything you make is awesome. The sandwich idea is great! As much as I love your sweets, it would cool to order more meal type foods. With what you already have on the menu-bagels with cream cheese, soups, potatoe salad, mac. salad etc, warm sandwiches would be delicious! Fake meats and melty(ish) cheeses. I used to love french dips when I was a kid, so that would be awesome to try a vegan version. Grilled *cheese* sandwiches..I have hooked my mom on your bagel with bacun scallion spread, so that would be a great option for a sandwich spread, with fresh veggies…Anyways, too hungry to keep going now. I cant wait to see what you all come up with.
~Thanks for being my fav. vegan place in Portland!
By Jerry, December 18, 2009 @ 5:33 pm

I like the fake meats occasionally, but I’d prefer some creative vegetables/spread/bread combos, which I’m sure you would be better at creating than I!! Thanks!
By karla, December 18, 2009 @ 6:01 pm

ooo, that pictured sandwich looks amazing, lisa!!
i wouldn’t mind a B.L.T.! or….breaded chicken patty! (w/sprouts, tomato, vegenaise/vegan mayo of some sort)…..”turkey” reuben! Soy Curl Philly!

i would love to be able to get cucumbers, sprouts or tomatoes on my bagel!

i’m not very creative though, so i look forward to what other people can think of!
By admin, December 18, 2009 @ 6:48 pm

yes! we will definitely be doing some good veggie oriented options, and not just fake meat, and bagel sandwiches will be an option as well. i’m looking forward to working on (and taste testing) this menu!
and anonymous, thanks for the feedback on the customer service issue, you’ve got my attention, and i will do my best to make sure we are staying on top of our customer service skills.
By kate, December 18, 2009 @ 9:43 pm

grilled cheese
philly cheese steak
BLT and other bacon-y sandwiches (I like the bacon you have on the maple donut)–ooh grilled cheese + bacon
soup/sandwich specials (like 1/2 sandwich + cup o’ soup)
pepperoni sub
smores (not a sandwich, but sandwich-like)
yum
By Lena, December 19, 2009 @ 3:56 am

BEYOND excited!!

Definitely think you should do some warm/toasted sandwiches!
By Renate, December 19, 2009 @ 9:39 am

I am in dire need of a pesto unchicken sandwich.
By Eddie, December 19, 2009 @ 10:12 am

FIELD ROAST FIELD ROAST FIELD ROAST
Definitely some kind of club sandwich with that awesome bacon
By Beccy, December 19, 2009 @ 11:04 am

I second the gluten free option. I used to really enjoy a sandwich at veganopolis with almond butter, shredded carrots, sprouts, cucumber and vinegar. Maybe a white bean hummus spread as an option.
By Emily, December 19, 2009 @ 7:37 pm

How about a bahn mi sandwich? Or maybe a pesto panini?

I know you are mostly looking for sandwiches, but PLEASE make bobka more often! I only saw it there once but it was by far the best dessert I’ve ever had at Sweetpea and my boyfriend won’t stop asking for it!
By kittee, December 19, 2009 @ 8:43 pm

hey lisa,
sandwiches sound great:
pizza bagel
grilled cheeze with tomatoes
some kind of po boy seitan with a brown gravy is really good–dressed with veggie mayo, tomatoes, mustard, pickle and shredded lettuce

xo
kittee
By Salvaged, December 19, 2009 @ 11:20 pm

French dip would be awesome…also something dijony/mustardy with melty nutritional yeast cheese sauce maybe…a club sandwich would be cool…definetly a fan of the fake meats…a build your own option like Food Front has would rock too…and I don’t know what anonymous is talking about because I’ve never had anything but super friendly folks wait on me at your place!
By Peter, December 20, 2009 @ 2:10 am

A nice, simple grilled portobello sandwich, maybe some avocado and fake cheese, and I’d be there every single day.
By Anonymous, December 20, 2009 @ 10:49 am

just thought that there needed to be another “anonymous” comment.
I LOVE SWEETPEA! EVERYONE THERE RULES! I LOVE THE FOOD! IT’S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO DINE THERE!

- a hummus based sandwich.
- a bacun scallion based sandwich
- grilled sandwiches
By Amanda, December 20, 2009 @ 12:51 pm

I love you, and you are an awesome place. I do have to agree with the assessment that the customer service has gone downhill lately. I have been taken aback a couple times with the attitude of the counter servers. I try to shrug it off, and I come back because I love you guys, but if a new customer comes in and gets treated like that, they probably won’t come back.

About sandwiches, yum, yes please I would love the Italian sub. What about panini style sandwiches? I also agree with the pesto unchicken suggestion.
By Emily, December 20, 2009 @ 4:38 pm

Gluten free for sure!! That would be soo amazing and allow me to eat the sandwiches. Everything else is significantly less important to me.

Though, I’m loving the grilled cheese idea someone else posted. Bacon-y or pesto-y sandwiches would be good, also
By Leslie, December 20, 2009 @ 6:01 pm

What about a temeph, tomato, avocado? I’m not into fake meats. I like temeph and tofu better. Spinach, peppercinis, pickles, lettuce
By julia, December 21, 2009 @ 2:12 am

i second the smores!
i would look forward to a sandwich without fake meat on it. just lots of veggies and some jalapeno cilantro hummus and peppadews.
By Lena, December 21, 2009 @ 2:21 am

Maybe you could just have a checklist with all the possible toppings and different breads, etc. and then the customer could build a custom sandwich?
By admin, December 21, 2009 @ 11:34 am

thanks for all of the great responses folks! i’m really looking forward to this. definitely yes on hot sandwiches, and we will have a check-off order sheet so the sandwiches will be custom made. looks like grilled cheese for sure, since everyone says they want that, and i like the pesto unchicken idea a lot, didn’t Veganopolis have one that was super good? anyway, its looking like we will be closed most of the week after xmas so we can do a little remodel on our kitchen and retail area to accommodate the sandwich making, and add a little more seating. feel free to keep the comments coming, i’m making a list.
By Geanna, December 21, 2009 @ 6:54 pm

I fourth the gluten-free vote. It would be great to eat no meat and no wheat and feel good afterwards (both ethically and in my stomach!).
Thanks for asking for our opinions.
By Sherri, December 22, 2009 @ 11:23 am

Hot sammies?! Oh yeah! I love the French dip idea, I also used to love those as a kid. Patty melts were a big fave, particually served with a sweet pepper relish. I also like the bahn mi idea – this is something I occasaionally make at home w/grilled tofu, daikon/carrot pickle, avocado, cilantro & mung bean sprouts w/a little Veganaise & lime. Yum.

The Veganopolis sandwiches I miss are the one with the raw almond pate & avocado. I should stop being so damn lazy and make some almond pate up at home. They did an unchicken burger that had kalamata olives served with it that was pretty tasty too. I miss their pot pies, but that’s way outta sandwhich territory.

Although I like a fake meat deli type thing once in a while, I’m also more into grilled/marinated tofu & braised tempeh on sandwiches. A pannini with braised tempeh, yummy sauce & grilled onions sounds great.

For the record, I’ve never experienced any kind of customer service issue. Everyone’s always been cool, sweet and helpful, even when it is crazy in there. I’m sure people have run into off days, that’s just got to happen, but I’ve never seen it.
By Kristi, December 22, 2009 @ 5:10 pm

For the gluten free people (and me) you could make (spelt) english muffin pizzas and egg mcvegans – tofu, fake ham, fake motz cheese. For sandwhiches I used to love the Mediteranian from Veganopolis. It had artichoke pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted artichoke hearts and spinach. Not sandwich related, but I would also like a quinoa or other grain options instead of rice for the bowls.

As for customer service, I haven’t been hugged. That’s so rude! If I don’t get a hug next time I come in, I may not come back.
By Amy, December 25, 2009 @ 9:21 pm

Sammies!!!! I am pretty happy with the following fillings, not necessarily all in the same sammie though: avocado, hummus, spinach, shredded carrots, roasted garlic tofu (I have an awesome recipe for this that makes a massive batch, using like 8 pounds of tofu, but it is easily scaled down to more manageable amounts and I would happily give you the recipe), roasted red peppers, shredded cabbage, sprouts, dijon mustard, cucumbers…

So excited!!!!
By Janessa (epicuriousvegan.blogspot.com), December 27, 2009 @ 8:53 pm

Totally on board with french dip, pesto un-chicken, something mustardy and cheesy, and order-pad sandwiches.

Also:
* Club!
* A Panini Press would be cool for loads of sandwiches
* ‘turkey’ cranberry type sandwich
* Something SPICY
* Hawaiian BBQ–with pineapple and bbq sauce and pulled ‘chicken’
* BBQ ‘Pork’
* Jerk ‘Chicken’
* Something with ‘turkey’ and grilled onions and peppers and horseradish or something

Really looking forward to your changes!
By Anonymous, December 29, 2009 @ 12:10 pm

A veggie dog (like an Yves Jumbo Dog) wrapped in bread/bagel dough that’s rolled in a mixture of poppy seeds, garlic, onion, and sea salt. Mmm. This is so easy to make, I don’t know why no one offers a vegan version of it anywhere. This would be excellent with sausage as well!
By Sarah, December 29, 2009 @ 5:50 pm

I like the existing sandwiches, but I wish they had more vegetables on them, instead of just the bit of lettuce. All of these suggestions sound amazing and I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with. More veggies please!
By Marcus, December 30, 2009 @ 11:43 am

I’m going back to my German roots and thinking grilled tempeh with warm saurkraut and hot mustard. For us wheat-free folks, please have a spelt, kamut or other alternative bread option.
By Jennifer, January 1, 2010 @ 1:47 pm

I would love a nice hot panini with grilled veggies, daiya cheese or nut cheese, and pesto. A muffaletta, Barbequed seitan po boy or Mediterranean wrap would be great, too. Have you considered offering mini pizzas?
By Brooke, January 9, 2010 @ 11:08 am

I would love a whole wheat bread option instead of sour dough.
By anonymous, January 25, 2010 @ 1:14 pm

Please, no Daiya, or offer an alternative vegan cheese in addition to it for sandwiches. My family and I find the flavor of Daiya offensive, though I know people are fond of it for it’s meltiness. I think it has a funny aftertaste. We like Follow Your Heart or Sheese!