New Vegan Fried Chicken Cart to Open in Portland 

This June, vegan comfort food cart The Mocking Bird plans to open at the Rose City Food Park in Portland, OR. Owned by Kayla Lamberson, the cart will specialize in vegan fried chicken served in sandwiches, as part of plates that include waffles, and in nugget form on the kids menu. Lamberson will also offer grilled cheese sandwiches and mac and cheese made with homemade cashew-based cheese sauce, along with fries and a variety of sauces, including Follow Your Heart Bleu Cheese and buffalo, along with homemade Chipotle Mayo and Dill Ranch.   

Prior to moving to Portland from Hawaii, Lamberson studied marine biology and volunteered in zoos and aquariums before realizing that doing so was contributing to the exploitation of marine life. “Growing up, I’ve always loved two things: cooking and animals,” Lamberson posted on Instagram. “I’d rather volunteer my time and money towards animals than to make a profit off of them.” The recent Portland transplant decided to open The Mockingbird as an extension of her activism, this time through food. “Starting my own cart/restaurant just seemed like a perfect calling of mine,” Lamberson said. “I absolutely love my new journey and I only hope that I can continue to make an impact while providing comforting food to the community.”

Earlier this month, The Mocking Bird popped up at the Happy Valley Farmers Market, where Lamberson donated 10 percent of profits to support rescue group Rabbit Advocates.