“We’re ran by aliens that took a fifteen-minute course of people and sort of made some assumptions,” Aaron VandenBroeke, HELLOFOOD’s meals and beverage supervisor, says solely half-jokingly. Nevertheless, within the grand scheme of Convergence Station‘s 90,000 sq. ft and greater than seventy quantum-travel-themed immersive installations, HELLOFOOD serves an necessary position.
“It was speculated to be like a palate cleanser. … That is speculated to be the a part of the exhibit-slash-narrative that is not screaming at you,” VandenBroeke provides. Whereas the inside design is toned down in comparison with the close by artwork installations, the foods and drinks share the identical cosmic really feel.
Meow Wolf guests typically come out from displays straight into HELLOFOOD, or cease by for a fast break earlier than exploring additional.
Tom Hellauer
With menu gadgets coming from over forty Colorado-based distributors, HELLOFOOD provides a big selection. VandenBroeke and others on the meals and beverage crew have had the distinctive alternative to craft the HELLOFOOD menu since its opening final September, typically searching for distributors which can be LGBTQ-, women- or minority-owned. “We had a fairly strict standards — you already know, a number of the B Corp standards,” he provides. (Meow Wolf can be a B Company, that means it meets excessive requirements of inclusivity, environmental influence and different areas.)
By way of the method of curation, HELLOFOOD has managed to construct enduring partnerships with lots of the distributors which have proved mutually helpful to its community of inventive innovators within the native foods and drinks scene.
“I do not assume that Meow Wolf would be the solely inclusive, clear place for individuals to work. I feel there are numerous. I simply assume that for individuals who need to transfer up within the business, it may very well be powerful. Some function in very a lot in a great previous boys’ membership nonetheless, and it is arduous to interrupt by that,” VandenBroeke notes. “The magic that Meow Wolf creates within the artwork business and the immersion class, it very a lot additionally touches the meals and beverage space. … If there’s an artwork, it is by the meals. If there’s an immersion, it is by the meals. I simply really feel the story of Meow Wolf affecting the neighborhood that they are in may be very a lot alive right here,” he concludes, gesturing to HELLOFOOD’s partitions.
Listed here are among the HELLOFOOD distributors which can be shining brightly within the Meow Wolf multiverse:
Combi Taco’s aguas frescas are available in three varieties bought at HELLOFOOD and elsewhere.
Alejandro Flores-Muñoz
Combi Taco
Alejandro Flores-Muñoz, who sells three flavors of his aguas frescas at HELLOFOOD, opened a brick-and-mortar location known as Combi Cafe at 8012 West Lengthy Drive in Littleton this February. HELLOFOOD supplied, “not solely constant revenue promoting my aguas frescas, however I used to be additionally capable of mannequin my cafe construction in a similar way,” Flores-Muñoz says.
Flores-Muñoz additionally tries to rent minority and LGBTQ-owned and native distributors for his personal cafe now. Enterprise constructions like Meow Wolf and the brand new Combi Cafe be sure that marginalized companies are being highlighted, serving to to construct generational wealth amongst these communities, he provides.
At Combi, which he calls a “up to date Mexican cafe,” Flores-Muñoz provides basic Mexican flavors a brand new twist with gadgets like horchata lattes and concha bread French toast alongside tamales, breakfast burritos and — after all — tacos. “Being Mexican, I am surrounded by these flavors on a regular basis, and having the ability to experiment and incorporate them may be very cool.”
Osage Cafe
This nonprofit cafe, which gives coaching and internships for at-risk and different youth, provides a lot of grab-and-go gadgets at HELLOFOOD. Based by the Denver Housing Authority (DHA), it is also received growth plans. “By way of our partnerships with Meow Wolf and different distributors, we have outgrown our area,” says Lori Laurita, operations supervisor for social enterprises inside DHA.
The brand new Osage Cafe will probably be only a half block from the present one at 1035 Osage Avenue and can open in late spring or early summer season. The present location will remodel into Osage Cafe Kitchen, a coaching floor for the youth going by Osage’s internships. “That is the place all of our studying will occur, and the restaurant will probably be our bread and butter. … We work with people in all walks of life, and we’re right here to be taught as properly,” Laurita says.
As a part of Osage’s coaching, college students make the grab-and-go gadgets bought at HELLOFOOD, put together gadgets for different distributors, and work in front-of-house or wholesale roles. The crew behind Osage additionally opened Decatur Fresh Market last year, offering inexpensive and culturally related grocery gadgets to the Solar Valley neighborhood that Meow Wolf calls house.
The Motherchip show at HELLOFOOD bears a emblem from JR Mulroney’s previous music label, Mothership.
Tom Hellauer
Motherchip
HELLOFOOD staff Josh Porter and JR Mulroney partnered with Raquelita’s Tortillas to create a collection of brightly coloured, distinctly flavored chips. The chips can be found at HELLOFOOD, and the pair additionally plans to distribute the product by Shamrock Meals within the close to future. “We’re making an attempt to nail down a par of what the demand will probably be,” Porter says.
Clients needs to be warned, although: The chips — chili lime, salt, jalapeño ranch and barbecue — may not appear as they seem. “The colours do not essentially match the flavour,” Porter explains. “Type of like that inexperienced ketchup within the ’90s. It is extra pure, however nonetheless had that angle. … It will catch eyes, however is nice for you.”
Like Meow Wolf and HELLOFOOD, Motherchip will observe the B Company philosophy; Raquelita’s is solely wind-powered, and Porter and Mulroney are testing out completely different recyclable and compostable packaging choices. “We need to have this be wholesome sufficient. The utilizing of Colorado farmers is wonderful for us,” Mulroney notes.
For the 2 companions, it is all about having the ability to “specific ourselves by the untapped medium of corn chips. … The celebrities have aligned on quite a lot of events by this course of,” Porter jokes. Motherchips are actually being served with a number of gadgets at HELLOFOOD, together with sandwiches from Osage Cafe.
The brainchild of Jessica La Forge, God Save the Cream delivers playful craft ice cream flavors to shoppers resembling HELLOFOOD, Brown Bear on the Denver Zoo, Blake Avenue Tavern and extra. Certainly one of La Forge’s concoctions, dubbed Unicorn Poop, was developed particularly for HELLOFOOD, and is cotton sweet sprinkled with “occasion poo,” La Forge jokes. “Aaron, HELLOFOOD and Meow Wolf are by far probably the most inventive and supportive collaborators we have had the posh to work with. They encourage me to deliver bizarre, thrilling flavors to them,” she provides.
In a single collaboration, HELLOFOOD bought a cosmic Valentine’s Day cone that “different distributors would not think about,” La Forge factors out. The elevated visibility and enterprise from HELLOFOOD and different partnerships has La Forge weighing growth. “We’re throwing round subscription concepts that may enable Denver-wide supply, however need to be sure that we develop sustainably and responsibly whereas holding high quality top-tier,” she says.
For now although, God Save the Cream appears poised to remain at HELLOFOOD for a while. “Meow Wolf caters to creative and quirky creators. Their enterprise mannequin permits God Save the Cream to experiment with attention-grabbing and thrilling flavors, with nothing out of the realm of chance that’s nonetheless food-safe, after all,” La Forge notes.
HELLOFOOD is positioned inside Meow Wolf Denver, at 1338 First Avenue, and is open solely to visitors with tickets to Convergence Station. For extra info, go to meowwolf.com/visit/denver.
