Viva owners Rich Baker and Paco Hernandez
Although I did lots of fun things in Tacoma, visiting Viva was what originally got me on a train from Portland to visit this Washington port city. Two of the three owners — Rich Baker and Paco Hernandez — generously devoted a couple of hours to feeding me dinner and telling me the story of their vegan restaurant.
Since Viva opened in September of 2014, they’ve done a good business and gotten excellent press. The focus of this small restaurant is on vegan, organic and gluten-free dining, with about a quarter of the menu options raw. “I’m amazed how many people come in who aren’t vegan or vegetarian,” Rich told me. Some value the organic or gluten-free options, or just eating delicious food that makes them feel good. Last year Viva won both best vegetarian restaurant and best new restaurant in South Sound Magazine, which includes Seattle.
The partnership formed when Rich and his wife, Nancy Parkison, were alarmed that Tacoma’s AmeRAWcan Bistro was closing. Paco was the chef there. “I made a joke, I said ‘you guys should open up a restaurant,’” Paco remembers. But as the three thought about it, the idea turned into a serious business proposition.
Viva interior
“We always wanted to do something to pay it forward to society,” Rich said. He and Nancy are devoted to healthy living, a lifestyle they’ve slowly adopted over the years to include vegan food and yoga.
Paco found a spot for Viva in Proctor, one of Tacoma’s most progressive neighborhoods. Since the space had formerly housed a deli, it required minimal build-out. They even kept the gorgeous deep red walls.
Top-selling dishes include raw enchiladas, mac and cheese, and Portobello tofu tacos. They go through 50 pounds of cauliflower a week to make their popular cauliflower wings. Here’s the secret, according to Paco, who developed all their recipes. Toss cauliflower in a little gluten-free flour with powdered garlic and coconut milk. Bake, then fry in olive oil. Top with a mixture of sesame oil, ginger, tamari, coconut nectar and roasted sesame seeds. “The sesame seeds must be roasted,” Paco emphasized.
Raw enchiladas
I had the raw enchiladas, which are stuffed with walnut meat and cabbage and topped with avocado and cashew sour cream. Since I’m a hot sauce addict, Paco brought me some of his homemade habanero hot sauce. Highly recommended! I didn’t really need to eat any more than that. But Rich had told me about the cashew-based ice creams he makes strawberry, chocolate and vanilla) and I couldn’t resist trying them. He’s developed a technique to freeze ice cream just enough that it doesn’t get too hard to scoop. I have experienced this phenomenon with non-dairy ice creams more time than I want to admit. I tried all three, and liked his chocolate best.
Put Viva on your list for next time you’re in Tacoma. If I lived there, I would eat at Viva all the time.
