Bookie’s elevates plant-based pizza and vegan ‘wings’ from afterthought to stars

When I decided to explore vegan foods in Santa Cruz County for the month of January, I had a second goal: to not eat boring food. I was on the hunt for plant-based meals that didn’t sacrifice flavor, texture or joy. I wondered, which chefs celebrate the bounty of the plant world with creativity and skill? No offense to grain bowls and salads, but I eat enough of those in my own kitchen. 

Chef Todd Parker delivers a vegan experience in a package I never thought it could come in: pizza and wings. At Bookie’s, his restaurant located inside Sante Adairius Rustic Ales’ Santa Cruz Portal, Parker specializes in making Detroit-style pizzas, a style characterized by thick, focaccia-like crust and a crispy cheese “crown” along the edges. The frico-like crown is created when the cheese melts off the edges of the pie and is fried against the edges of the pan. Could a dairy-free cheese create this critical crust?

Parker channels fine-dining experience gained at some of the best restaurants in the world, including Manresa in Los Gatos, into his pies, using the best ingredients he can find and creating flavor combinations that shift with the seasons. His attention to detail extends to his vegan pie ($25), a pizza with toppings that are both fresh and unexpected, while pushing the boundaries of what I thought vegan cheese was capable of. 

On the vegan pie, crushed green olives, sweet heat-burst cherry tomatoes and vegan mozzarella are piled on top of a tomato sauce enriched with earthy, spiced harissa, black garlic and creamy zucchini, then heaped with a salad of fresh arugula, yellow nasturtium petals and salty vegan feta. It’s beautiful, but also stays true to the pizza’s roots with an addictively crunchy edge. I couldn’t believe it when the gooey melted “mozz” clung to the pie in long threads when I pulled away a slice.

Getting vegan cheese to perform like dairy cheese is a challenge, says Parker, and he still thinks he could improve the results. He uses Plant Ahead vegan cheese, made from coconut oil, potato starch and other ingredients, because it’s melty, stretchy and allergy-free; it doesn’t contain soy or nuts. 

“We try to make a pie that appeals to vegans, not to people who want a meat substitute,” says Parker. “I want to make something that’s not like a traditional meat pizza, or uses Beyond Meat pepperoni or sausage. It’s a vegetable-focused pizza.”

Bookie’s vegan wings ($16) are appealing no matter your dietary preferences. Parker uses maitake mushrooms, a culinary mushroom prized for its flavor and texture, and prepares them so both the stem and frilly caps remain. The maitakes are deep-fried and tossed with a plant-based version of his house buffalo sauce: Frank’s hot sauce, vegan butter and a little garlic. The silky, spicy sauce coats the shatteringly crispy exterior over the meaty, flavorful mushroom. 

The “wings” are served with the traditional carrots and celery, along with a dairy-free blue cheese dip by vegan cheese company Follow Your Heart — one of the few condiments Parker doesn’t make in house. He turned to this brand after he unsuccessfully tried to make his own by inoculating a homemade cashew cheese.

Parker says his plant-based options should be as appealing as the rest of his menu.

“It’s important to me to have really good vegan options that aren’t an afterthought, because we live in a community with a lot of people who are vegans,” says Parker. “And from a business standpoint, if you go out to dinner with a group of friends, one vegan guest can dictate where you eat.” 

Located inside Sante Adairius Rustic Ales Portal at 1315 Water St., Santa Cruz; 831-246-6158. bookiespizza.com.

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