September 10, 2006

Fire on the Mountain Fuels Environmental Concerns and the Eating Habits in Portland

It may seem unlikely that the snow-packed slopes of the Colorado Rocky Mountains would inspire Portland’s premier buffalo wings restaurant, Fire on the Mountain. Then again, the Rockies to the Cascades may not seem like much of a stretch. But buffalo wings and global warming? The heat radiating  from the grills in the kitchen and the fire emerging from a few of the sauces may increase the internal temperatures of some customers, but what happens outside Fire on the Mountain is as much a passion for owners Sara Sawicki and Jordan Busch as the food they serve in their North Portland restaurant.

By Sherry Harbert

On the Wings of a Dare

Upon a wall inside Fire on the Mountain a brief history of the buffalo wing serves as a memorial to the 40-year-old invention that has become as synonymous with football as the hot dog is to baseball. But unlike the questionable by-products used in the making of the all-American foodstuff, buffalo wings have always served a more edgy attitude and appetite. The pleasure gained from eating chicken covered in spices is a time-honored tradition even outside of football season. It is also a tradition for some to challenge their resilience against that of the chili pepper. But those daring feats are temporal, (except maybe for the effects of Fire on the Mountain’s “El Jefe” sauce—you have been warned).

The challenge of creating a collection of sauces for the fire-eaters and the more delicate palettes is a life-long passion of Busch. So much that he took a daring challenge of his own to leave law school, while Sawicki would leave the Colorado slopes behind to open a restaurant in Portland that would serve both their passions inside the kitchen and outside for the environment. Busch and Sawicki would be daring, but not foolish. They researched every aspect of their dream, from the best cities in the country to how they would operate the restaurant. And as the unusual collaboration of spices and flavorings highlight each menu item in their restaurant, the collaboration of the two blends perfectly within their Portland neighborhood.

Located on North Interstate Avenue, the restaurant sits across from Portland’s premier public transportation icons, the MAX. It is a perfect setting for a pair fully aware of the environmental impact they have with their restaurant and personal lifestyle. Sawicki says they each bike to work often, except for errand days which make carrying pounds of chicken a challenge better left to four wheels than two. In less than two years, Fire on the Mountain has become a popular success.

“Our wings were a unique concept to Portland,” said Sawicki. “It was one thing Portland was missing and we’ve had lots of good response.” One of the reasons for such good response is the way their menu items are prepared. Everything is made from scratch with a bit of added humor (you’ll catch it inside their menu and on their fun website, like their Events section which features the two most popular attractions—lunch and happy hour). Customers are greeted by the restaurant’s colorful atmosphere that includes local artwork adorning the walls. And Busch’s ever-evolving list of unique sauces guarantees customer returns. Sawicki said Busch has always had a passion for sauces and it is evident in the restaurant’s offerings. It gives Busch a venue to play around with the elements and creates an ever-changing venue for the taste palettes of Portlanders that includes vegetarian items and some of the wildest desserts. A sampling of each sauce is offered upon ordering to give everyone a taste of what’s in store. The sampling of sauces quickly address any questions of authenticity in each blend of ingredients and taste. It should be noted that the tears shed at the counter could be that of joy or pain, depending on one’s capacity for extreme heat. Fortunately for each customer, Sawicki and Busch make sure each sauce is appropriately labeled.

Making the “Green”

Sawicki and Busch’s laid-back attitude and passion would find the perfect home in Portland when they arrived three years ago. Not only was there a genuine lack of the food source craved by many a football fan, there were both lifestyle and business incentives for going “green.” For Sawicki and Busch, that meant a great deal. Sawicki said they researched cities and business plans before they “could pull it off.” But unlike most traditional business plans, Fire on the Mountain’s plan included the impact on the environment, especially the by-products from operating a restaurant. “We knew we needed to dispose of the oil,” said Sawicki. “So we researched.”

Their research led them to Portland’s biodiesel cooperative, GoBiodiesel. The volunteer organization gathers waste vegetable oil (WVO) and converts it into fuel-grade diesel. The renewable energy source not only saves the environment from waste oil, but helps reduce dependency on foreign oil and helps the local economy. If that sounds like a “win-win” scenario, it is. According to the GoBiodiesel website, though the initial cost of filling up is a bit more than petrol-based diesel, the benefits of added engine efficiency and cost to the environment make it a more reasonable energy source.

“Grease is the least favorite part of the job,” said Sawicki. “When GoBiodiesel can take that used, nasty oil and convert it into a renewable fuel, that is nice to see.” Though Sawicki contends that the restaurant’s contribution may be small to the overall picture of global warming, it is still worth the investment.

For Sawicki and Busch, the benefits far outweigh any added work to gather their waste oil. “Though a small amount is absorbed in the food, it means recycling all the way,” said Sawicki. She said the restaurant contributes about 50 gallons each week. All they have to do is drain the WVO into five-gallon jugs and set them outside for volunteers of GoBiodiesel to pick up. “It’s easy,” she said. The only problem they have faced was theft of the WVO jugs. But by placing some signs about where the oil was going stopped the theft.

Sawicki and Busch carry their environmental lifestyle over into their personal lives. “We bike to work when we can,” said Sawicki, who concedes that picking up produce can thwart those good intentions. “At some point, we’ll purchase a diesel vehicle.”

Burning for a Better Future

It is of great consolation that the greatest burning contributions from Fire on the Mountain are positioned strategically on the tongues of the extreme-eating crowd. For others, a variety of vegetarian and mildly-spiced options is available and adds to the draw of the restaurant. But serving such varied tastes led to another dilemma for Sawicki and Busch—disposing of the chicken bones and other products.

Fire on the Mountain’s next foray into the environmentally-conscience lifestyle led them to composting. “Our dumpsters were overflowing,” said Sawicki. “We’ve cut two-thirds of our waste by composting.” Sawicki said the City of Portland was instrumental in helping find a feasible option to restaurant waste. Since most of the waste is biodegradable, composting is both an easy and convenient option. The city dropped off bins that allow staff to separate the biodegradable items into the bins, rather than throwing it all into a trash container. Sawicki said that plastics are still difficult in the recycling arena, but it helps to know that most of the waste is not going to a burn pile or dump site. Besides the bones and other food items, the restaurant can compost paper products. In just the six months that Fire on the Mountain went to composting, it has dramatically changed their waste output.

Even when an option to recycle is apparent, the cost of energy use is weighed against alternative options. “All our beer is draft so we don’t go through a lot of bottles,” said Sawicki. “It helps cut down on energy use.”

“Restaurants are one of the most wasteful businesses, so we try to limit our impact as much as possible,” said Sawicki. “We’re definitely into reducing and recycling.”

Firing on Other Causes

Fire on the Mountain operates on both a local and global vision. Sawicki said she and Busch researched every aspect of their plan before they even opened the doors to Fire on the Mountain to contribute to local causes. The environment is always important, but Fire on the Mountain contributes in many other ways.

“We try to be involved in the city,” said Sawicki. “We sponsor a T-ball team and donate to other causes.” Their causes can range from a Katrina benefit to a Pangaea Project for youth. Schools and the “Race for the Cure,” held in September, are additional contributions Sawicki and Busch make sure to add to their priorities. It is a perfect mix of cultural awareness and environmental consciousness. And such a mix will fuel Sawicki and Busch’s passions for the present and future, along with that of Portland’s.

© 2006, Foreign Interest

For more information:

Fire on the Mountain:  www.portlandwings.com

GoBiodiesel: www.gobiodiesel.org

Contact the author: sharbert@foreigninterest.com