Velvet Taco: Weekly Taco Feature Out, Velvet Bowls In
Velvet Taco, the nationally acclaimed restaurant brand known for redefining tacos with its daring, flavorful creations, announces a groundbreaking evolution of its globe-trotting menu. This March, for the first time in its 13-year history, the taco concept will retire its legendary Weekly Taco Feature (known as WTF) to introduce a bold new menu item: Velvet Bowls.
Ushering in an entirely new era for the anything-but-ordinary taco brand, Velvet Bowls will debut as rotating weekly specials – known as Weekly Bowl Features – across Velvet Taco locations nationwide starting March 19. While WTFs have long been a hallmark of Velvet Taco, this evolution takes its unique combinations beyond the tortilla, reimagining them into curated flavor-packed bowls. This launch establishes the brand’s commitment to adventurous flavors and culinary creativity, offering guests a fresh way to experience its globally influenced combinations.
“Pushing boundaries through relentless innovation is at the forefront of everything we do at Velvet Taco. Weekly Bowl Features are more than just new limited time items, they are revolutionary for the Velvet Taco brand. Each bowl delivers the bold flavor and creativity that guests appreciate from our tacos in a convenient, health-conscious format,” said Clay Dover, CEO of Velvet Taco. “If you love our Weekly Taco Feature, don’t worry. WTFs will be back to stay in April after four weeks of Weekly Bowl Features. We can’t wait for guests to discover the value and uniqueness of our new Velvet Bowls – they are unlike anything available today.”
Fan-favorite tacos have been reimagined into enticing bowls and will run for one week each as Weekly Bowl Features.
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March 19- 25: Spicy Tikka Chicken Bowl, featuring crisp tenders or roasted chicken, spicy tikka sauce, raita crema, marinated red cabbage, cucumber and Thai basil.
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March 26-April 1: Slow Roasted Angus Brisket, with house-marinated slow-roasted brisket, queso blanco, roasted corn pico, black beans, guacamole, red chile aioli and micro cilantro, complete with two comte cheese crusted tortilla halves.
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April 2-8: Mexi-Cali Shrimp, made with blackened shrimp, napa slaw, roasted corn pico, Sriracha aioli, guacamole and micro-cilantro.
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April 9-15: Rotisserie Chicken or Steak Bowl, available with rotisserie chicken or grilled steak, queso blanco, roasted corn pico, black beans, guacamole, avocado crema, charred tomato poblano salsa and cilantro. Also to be featured during the final week, the Seasonal Veggie Bowl (not offered as a taco), is a premier vegetarian option featuring seasonal roasted veggies, guacamole, roasted corn pico, avocado crema, pickled onion and napa slaw.
All Velvet Bowls feature a cilantro basmati rice base, while a “Make It Lighter” option to swap rice for a carb-free (yet flavorful) napa slaw is also available. All Velvet Bowls are currently available in DFW restaurants.
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Carbone Fine Food Named to Insurgent Brands List
Carbone Fine Food
Carbone Fine Food has been named to Bain & Company’s 2025 Insurgent Brands list, which identifies companies redefining growth in the fast-moving consumer goods sector. Carbone Fine Food is one of 120 brands to make this year’s list.
“It is an honor to be recognized on the Insurgent Brands list again this year,” said CEO Eric Skae. “Our efforts to introduce new innovations across the premium sauce category continue to help us drive growth, increase shelf space and solidify our position as a leader in the segment.”
Bain & Company defines insurgent brands as those that generate more than $25 million of annual revenue in tracked channels, have grown more than 10 times their category’s average growth rate over the past five years, and maintained positive growth over the past two years while remaining independent or having been acquired by a large consumer packaged goods company only within the past two years.
“Bain’s insurgent brands list offers valuable insight into where innovative, disruptive growth is taking place within the consumer packaged goods sector,” said Charlotte Apps, executive vice president of Bain’s Consumer Products practice. “While the broader sector continues to grapple with stagnating volumes, limited pricing power, and consumer headwinds, these insurgent brands are unlocking incremental growth by addressing unmet consumer needs in new, authentic, and often founder-led ways.
“These brands provide a roadmap for sustainable growth in this evolving marketplace, and they showcase the power of compelling consumer-centric value propositions, strong brand engagement, and superior velocity on the shelf. Looking ahead, we anticipate these insurgents will continue to capture an increasing share of category growth and play a meaningful role in shaping the future of the industry.”
Carbone Fine Food sauces feature the same fresh, quality ingredients found in the brand’s iconic restaurants, including the world’s best-tasting tomatoes, grown in volcanic ash and handpicked in Italy. Using a traditional technique, the sauces are slow cooked in small batches. Chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi oversee the entire sauce process from start to finish, from choosing the farms that the ingredients are sourced from to testing hundreds of batches to ensure that the quality of the jarred sauce is second to none.
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Naturally Seattle Seeks Naturally Rising Applications
Naturally Seattle announced its biggest event of the year, Naturally Rising. Formerly known as Pitch Slam, Naturally Rising has evolved into a premier competition that spotlights emerging, purpose-driven brands and celebrates conscious leaders in the natural products industry. Applications are now open (see details below). The event will be held in Seattle on June 4 from 6-8 p.m., (location TBD).“Naturally Rising is more than a competition—it’s a celebration of innovation, purpose, and the incredible entrepreneurial spirit driving the natural products industry forward,” said Debi Goldman, executive director of Naturally Seattle. “We are proud to provide a platform that empowers emerging brands, connects them with industry leaders, and helps them take the next step in their journey to success.”
Naturally Rising provides a platform for innovative, better-for-you brands to gain exposure, refine their pitches, and receive invaluable mentorship to prepare for retail success. Five finalists will be selected to compete in Naturally Seattle’s Naturally Rising competition and will receive one-on-one mentorship in preparation for their live pitch in front of prominent industry judges. The winner will be rewarded with the opportunity to pitch on the national stage at the national Naturally Rising pitch competition, which takes place at Newtopia Now— formerly Expo East, the natural product industry premier experiential immersion trade show —held in Denver, Colorado, on August 20-22, 2025.
The national champion of Naturally Rising’s pitch competition will receive exclusive prizes, including a booth at Expo West 2026, one of the industry’s most influential trade shows.
Applicants for Naturally Seattle’s Naturally Rising Competition are open to established, better-for-you CPG brands based in Washington, Oregon or Idaho. To be eligible, brands must:
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Have an annual revenue of at least $100,000 and no more than $2 million.
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Have a retail partner (physical or online retailer distribution).
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Be an active Naturally Seattle member.
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Be available to attend Newtopia Now in Denver on Aug. 20-22.
Applications close on April 11. Please contact debi@naturallyseattle.org if you are interested in supporting Naturally Seattle’s Naturally Rising Pitch Competition. Sponsorships, mentorships and judging positions are available.
For more information and to apply, visit www.naturallynetwork.org/naturally-rising
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