New owner works to create a conscious kitchen that minimizes waste
Jacob Lienhardt, new owner of The Lively Daikon, formally The Living Tree, works in his restaurant on Feb. 12 on Main Avenue in downtown Durango. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
Jerry McBride
With a selection of organic salads, pickled vegetables and homemade kombucha, The Lively Daikon is a place for probiotics.
“We’re a green, probiotic and really a conscious kitchen,” said owner Jacob Lienhardt.
He said he tries to purchase as much fresh and organic produce as he can locally.
A taco salad, red potato dal soup, kombucha and cornbread is served by Jacob Lienhardt, new owner of The Lively Daikon, formally The Living Tree. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
Jerry McBride
“We usually get more locally sourced stuff during the summer,” Lienhardt said. “I always try to find as much local stuff as I can.”
For his February special, a Spanakos Bowl, Lienhardt said he’s using local tempeh from Luv Tempeh in Durango. He said the bowl is like a vegan gyro, and it costs $9.75 for a half order and $17.25 for a whole order.
Because salads are such a visual food, he enjoys mixing new things to find a balance between taste and physical appearance.
“It’s fun to tinker with things, and see what looks the most presentable when you sit down and eat it, in addition to what tastes good,” he said.
Red potato dal soup made and served by Jacob Lienhardt, new owner of The Lively Daikon. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
Cornbread is made and served by Jacob Lienhardt, new owner of The Lively Daikon. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
Before Lienhardt became the owner of the business and rebranded it as The Lively Daikon, the shop was known as The Living Tree. The Lively Daikon can be found at 680-B Main Ave., in the same spot The Living Tree was located.
“A few months after I started working here, the old owners told me they were trying to move out of Durango, and asked if I wanted to buy it,” he said, adding that he took over the business and opened it in August.
“Business has been OK; the few months at the tail end of summer were really nice,” he said. “Beginning in November, things have fallen off a bit, but that’s just kind of winter in Durango.”
Customers enjoy lunch at The Lively Daikon on Feb. 12. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
Lienhardt said he received a lot of positive feedback from tourists during the late summer months.
“I had so many people come through and tell me that I should open up one of these on the West Coast or in Texas,” he said. “Maybe 10 years down the line, but right now, I’m just trying to get my feet under me.”
The Lively Daikon, formerly The Living Tree, is located across from the Strater Hotel. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
Aside from salads, Lienhardt said The Lively Daikon serves vegan and regular chili, nachos using grass-fed beef and a baked potato bar.
One of the most popular salads is the Vietnamese chicken salad, which costs $9 for a half salad and $16.25 for a whole salad, he said.
“It’s a chicken that we marinate overnight in brine from the kimchi that we make, and then we serve it with a pineapple kimchi, cucumbers, almonds, onions and some white cabbage,” he said.
In the future, Lienhardt hopes to bring more live music to The Lively Daikon. Currently, he hosts an open mic night from 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays. Also, every other Monday, Lienhardt has live music during lunchtime.
As the business grows, he said he would also like to open for breakfast and offer a granola bar. Lienhardt currently has five employees, but plans to hire as many as seven during the summer months.
Lienhardt said he tries to produce as little waste as possible. He has contracted with local composter Table to Farm to take all of the kitchen waste.
“We try to minimize waste in general,” he said. “All of our to-go containers, when I can source them, are compostable. I also use wooden forks and compostable spoons. Kind of the whole idea that you use every part of the buffalo.”
njohnson@durangoherald.com
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