About a year and a half ago, at an open-to-the-public food development meeting at Clover, we blind taste-tested a new plant-based pulled pork. This wasn’t a totally new thing for us to do—as a company with a climate mission, we tend to get a lot of samples of plant-based everything, and we love trying all of them. We’ve tried mycelium-based mushroom meats, wheat-and-soy nuggets, and burgers made from kelp.

One bite in, and it was clear this pulled pork was special. It was smoky and succulent, with just the right mix of textures, including those delectable crunchy bits you get from perfect caramelization. Whoa. Even the carnivores among us were going back for seconds, thirds, and fourths. (The sales rep finally agreed to bring more back the next day.)

We discovered these plant-based meats were made right down the street by a company called Tender. We got to know their team and learned that they use a special process to spin plant proteins into muscle-y fibers that feel and taste astoundingly like the versions that used to cluck, oink, and moo.

Chris, Sara, and the kitchen crew got to work learning how to cook Tender. After a few iterations, they created 2 craveable additions to our Bowls. We’ve been testing them out at a few restaurants for the last few months, and the reaction has been amazing.

Starting this week, Tender is finally available at all locations!

Our spiced, crunchy Tender fried chicken strips can be added to any Bowl.
Our Mexican-inspired pork (with peanut morita pepper salsa macha) is the perfect companion to our Verde Rice and Bean Bowl