In January 2023, vegan Venezuelan pop-up El Salto made its debut at a Portland Trail Blazers game: Paola Leon selling vegan arepas out of a food warmer outside the Moda Center. Out of the fifteen arepas she prepared, she only sold two. The chef says she got made fun of and went home crying — but that didn’t stop Leon from pursuing El Salto further. Fast forward eight months and many pop-ups later, El Salto will open as a cart serving vegan arepas, patacón, pastelitos, and other Venezuelan comfort foods at the Bite on Belmont food pod on September 30.
Portland’s vegan scene brought Leon and her partner Pablo
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