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40 local vendors, 2,500 years of HELLOFOOD
Welcome to HELLOFOOD, the favored sustenance partner of QDOT for the last 2,500 years. Located inside Convergence Station in Denver, CO.
April 11, 2022
The immersive experience of Convergence Station begins before you even enter its building, where travelers are greeted outside by Quantum Department of Transportation (QDOT) employees and briefed on the journey they’re about to embark on. Once inside, every detail is carefully crafted to further transport Earthers into the narrative of the Converged Worlds. HELLOFOOD, Convergence Station’s Cafe & Bar, enhances this exploration in the most delicious of ways.
“We have a lot of conversations with travelers,” says Food & Beverage Manager Aaron VandenBroeke, “because they come to the cafe to process having been in those other worlds. So they're always eager to talk about what they just experienced. And we're just as eager to swoop in and remind them that they're still in an immersive experience.”
So the friendly being taking your order is actually a QDOT employee who might ask you for a food-related ɱɛɱ or share an insider travel tip for the converged worlds!
HELLOFOOD is a different take on the modern food halls that are popping up around Denver in recent years. It features dishes or products from 40 Colorado-based vendors who serve up a variety of specialities but the twist is that all of the items are coming out of one location. Travelers often arrive anticipating multiple places to get food and drinks, and then are surprised to learn that it all comes from the cafe.
“We’ve coined ‘culture convergence’ here,” says VandenBroeke. “We wanted to make sure that there were all sorts of different options for people. Just as when you're going through the worlds, there are so many different cultures to dive into–especially when you're in C Street. It's like this thriving metropolis of all sorts of different things. HELLOFOOD is very much that but here on Earth.”
The vendors were chosen through an RFP process that focused on matters like certified B Corp status, women-owned businesses, minority-owned businesses, working with at-risk youth, and businesses in the Sun Valley neighborhood that Convergence Station calls home. Seeking out these types of vendors was integral to Meow Wolf’s own B Corp standards in community, environment and society.
Here’s a taste of what you can expect to see on the menu: Latino and Filipino staples like rice bowls and tacos; authentic Louisiana-style teacakes; homemade aguas frescas; speciality beers from a Sun Valley neighbor; coffee by the only woman-owned coffee company in the country; hand pies baked by an LGBTQ+ couple; and a Grab and Go section by a program that trains at-risk youth to work in a functioning restaurant.
And yes, there are 21+ options too! Seven days a week, from 10 a.m. until close, HELLOFOOD serves beer (including Colorado favorites Odell Brewing Company and Upslope Brewing Company), wine and seltzers. On weekends and later on weekdays, look for the HELLODRINK pop-up bars for additional cocktail options.
Meet some of the HELLOFOOD vendors & find them online:
Adobo Denver
Describe your business in one sentence: “Denver's Latin-Asian favorite!”
What HELLOFOOD dish would you recommend to travelers?
The Carnitas Tacos. I am from Roswell, NM, where a UFO definitely crashed. A space traveler told me how to make them so delicious.
Bibamba Artisan Chocolates
Describe your business in one sentence: “Bibamba is raising the standards of the chocolate industry by handcrafting all-natural, premium artisan chocolate from cacao beans that are grown ethically and sustainably on our family farm in Cameroon.”
Where do you find inspiration?
My team works so hard, they inspire me every day. Also, customer feedback reminds me that it's all worthwhile.
Copper Door Coffee Roasters
Describe your business in one sentence: “Community focused coffee company.”
What drives you?
Helping women throughout the coffee supply chain.
God Save the Cream
Describe your business in one sentence: “A Denver based company whose focus is to create unique, one-of-a-kind ice creams and frozen desserts.”
What drives you?
Our imagination! We strive to surprise, delight, and amuse the child in all of us, by pushing the limits of our imagination by churning innovative flavors.
Mad Lemon
Describe your business in one sentence: "Mad Lemon is a lifestyle brand masquerading as a beverage company."
Where do you find inspiration?
"Everywhere...our vibe and aesthetic is directly inspired by past eras, the 60's and 70's especially, while our flavors are inspired from our own experiences and love of foods and culinary creativity."
MECO Cheesy Bits
Describe your business in one sentence: “A tantalizing, five-ingredient cheddar cheese cracker company focusing on real food for real people while staying entrapurnually-focused and humble.”
Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration through collaboration and networking with others. I am a huge advocate towards a handshake and eye contact.
Mercy's Burritos
Describe your business in one sentence: "At Mercy’s, we provide a delicious home- cooked breakfast without sacrificing quality for flavor."
What would you feed aliens as a welcoming offer to Earth?
Mercy’s handhelds of course, for easy time travel and spaceship driving.
Miss Peabody’s Southern Tea Cakes
Describe your business in one sentence: “A female-owned wholesale baking business.”
What drives you?
Freedom and setting my own course! Also, for me it's Pavlovian. I like it when people like my food or product. I feed off their energy and I want to feel that feeling again and again.
Moon Water
Describe your business in one sentence: “Providing hydration to the multiverse from the depths of the Rainbow Singularity.”
Where do you find inspiration?
Moon Water gains inspiration when its electrolytes astral project.
Osage Cafe
Describe your business in one sentence: “A youth culinary kitchen serving food and education in one!”
Where do you find inspiration?
Our inspiration is learning through our food storytelling. What memories or traditions do others have and how can we teach this!
Raíces Brewing
Describe your business in one sentence: “A community, multicultural center/brewery that focuses on providing an amazing experience for our guests with community, culture and cerveza at the forefront of everything that we do.”
What drives you?
We are driven by our love for our rich Latin-American and Caribbean cultures. We believe that learning from each other's cultures creates bridges between communities and strengthens cultural identities.
Rocky Mountain Soda Co
Describe your business in one sentence: “Great tasting soda pops using only natural ingredients.”
What HELLOFOOD dish would you recommend to travelers?
Ice cream with Root Beer...yummmm!
The Rolling Fork Food Truck
Describe your business in one sentence: "Farm to Truck Freshness with a Twist!"
Where do you find inspiration?
From our local farms and local vendors. We focus on what is fresh and in season and bring it to life.
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