The concept’s as brilliant as it’s delicious. “Chic Full Gay,” a Burlington, Vermont pop-up is serving a tasty alternative (with tasteful sides and sweets) to those chicken sandwiches at Chick-fil-A — the fast-food joint whose outspokenly homophobic CEO has donated millions of dollars to anti-LGBT groups through his fast-food company.
“We can’t be hating on people for dumb things like sexuality or race or gender anymore,” Chic Full Gay chef and pop-up creator Bryan Gildersleeve told SevenDaysVT.com.
So the plan is to pop-up twice a month, with a portion of the proceeds going to LGBTQ+ organizations. One recent pop-up, for example, raised over $1,200 for the Pride Center of Vermont. To find out when they’ll pop up next, check out the Chic Full Gay Facebook page‘s events section for upcoming pop-ups.
Reports SevenDaysVT.com:
The perfectly named pop-up is the work of Bryan Gildersleeve, the chef at Burlington’s St. Paul Street Gastrogrub, which hosts Chic Full Gay twice a month. When Gastrogrub closed in December 2020 for renovations, Gildersleeve, 32, looked for an income source. Early concepts included Piled High Stoner Sandwiches and Let’s Get Smashed Burgers & Fries, but the one that ruled the roost was Chic Full Gay.
“I had no idea it would blow up so hard,” Gildersleeve said with a laugh. “But I have a passion for chicken sandwiches — always have — and it’s taking on Chick-fil-A for being homophobic, pointing the finger.”
While lots of chicken sandwiches are available around town, Gildersleeve pointed out, a focus on chicken is unusual. Chic Full Gay offers three sandwich variations and a smattering of sides, snacks and sweets.
The OG sandwich — with “shrettuce,” housemade dill pickles and buttermilk aioli — stays the same from pop-up to pop-up; the spicy and the deluxe versions rotate toppings. (All of the sandwiches can be made vegan with a substitution of fried oyster mushrooms from St. Albans-based FUNJ. Shrooming.) Each sandwich comes with a full potato’s worth of ultra-flavorful barbecue potato wedges. …
Read the complete story at SevenDaysVT.com.
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