It takes three to four months for Sage Vegan Bistro & Brewery’s famous buffalo cauliflower “wings” to reach a table. The process begins at Sage’s Sow A Heart farm in Fillmore, California, where cauliflower is planted in rows between orchard trees.
The vegetable is harvested and transported in a refrigerated truck from Ventura County to Sage’s three popular locations in Echo Park, Pasadena, and Agoura Hills.
Once in the kitchen, the head is cut from the base, which is returned to the farm to use as feed or compost, chopped into pieces, flash-fried in rice oil, and then tossed in a spicy buffalo sauce.
The cauliflower dish is emblematic of Sage’s top-to-tail cooking practices and its commitment to regenerative farming, which relies on composting, uses little or no fertilizer or pesticides, and creates nutrient-rich soil.
“Regenerative agriculture is about giving more than you’re taking,” chef and owner Mollie Engelhart says.
When she opened Sage in Echo Park in 2011, she was one of the first restaurateurs in Los Angeles to adopt these practices and quickly became one of the state’s leading proponents of regenerative farming. It reduces carbon emissions and is on the rise in California. The Biden administration pumped $20 billion to encourage the spread of such farming nationwide in 2022.
“I see nothing more important to focus on: creating healthy soil, healthy food, healthy humans,” Engelhart says.
In recent years, Engelhart and her husband chef Elias Sosa have adopted regenerative farming to make their own beer, a rarity in Los Angeles. Read on to learn more about Sage’s sustainability practices.
Early embrace of regenerative farming
Engelhart grew up on a small farm in upstate New York. After a stint in the entertainment industry, she opened vegan ice cream shop KindKreme in 2010. Her early work in the industry quickly made her aware of the amount of food waste in hospitality. She knew she had to work to rectify that.
Engelhart opened the 17-acre Sow A Heart farm in 2018, a dream of hers since she began working in food service.
Sage’s menu is largely informed by the farm’s efforts to keep biodiversity alive and reduce carbon emissions. Much of the food comes from Sow A Heart. Some other vegetables and legumes are sourced from local farmers in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
“Growing up on a farm informs everything about the way I make decisions in the restaurant industry today,” Engelhart says.
Food waste from Sage goes back to the farm to fertilize and replenish the soil. In addition, the farm’s chickens or sheep “weed” kale to make way for new plants, a low-maintenance technique called holistic planned grazing.
During the fall and wintertime, newly harvested avocados, lemons, and tomatoes arrive at the restaurant. Their waste goes back to replenish the soil which helps toward a good summertime abundance of squash, peppers, and eggplant.
All of this means that Sage’s dishes such as tempura avocado tacos ($19) and black bean-packed grain bowls ($21) cost more than similar options at other vegan restaurants. Engelhart is committed to sustainable practices at the farm and the restaurants, including paying workers fair wages.
Extending regenerative farming to beer
Engelhart added brewing to the regenerative farming family in 2017. Sow A Heart is now one of the few organic hop yards in southern California.
Cascade and nugget hops thrive on the farm. Once harvested, the hops go to Sage’s small brew system at its Echo Park outpost. These flowers create different styles of beer with other seasonal ingredients grown on the farm.
Sage’s Sour Squeeze IPA is made with kumquats, the Kiss the Ground ale has notes of oranges and lemon verbena, and a variety of kombucha comes in seasonal flavors such as apricots and peaches.
The restaurant has a beer pairing for almost every popular dish on the menu. The cauliflower ‘wings’ pair well with crisp Field Day American style pilsner, the spicy barbecue pineapple pizza tastes like summer when accompanied with tart Kiss The Ground farmhouse ale, and the breaded eggplant arrabiata is a comforting accompaniment to the classic La La Lager.
Looking to the future
Engelhart hopes her restaurants will encourage others in the city to adopt similar practices. She’s buoyed by the widespread excitement for regenerative farming, but as a mother of four, she says she feels a greater sense of urgency.
“My children inform everything about how I [work] because I want them to have a future,” she says. “I think that sustainability is not the right word to use, as we do not want to sustain the status quo. Now we need to reverse the damage we’ve done.”
Lisa Kwon is a reporter and writer focused on arts and food culture in Los Angeles, CA. Find Lisa on Instagram and Twitter.
