Pete's Drive-In Moves Away from Seed Oils in the Kitchen

A popular Roseburg restaurant, Pete's Drive-In, is making a bold move away from modern seed oils to a more traditional cooking method using olive oil and lard. These changes are already reflected across their entire menu for the sake of healthier food to serve their customers. "The motivation for our switch from seed oil stemmed from observations of increasing health issues in society. Upon reading about the side effects and hazards of highly processed oils, and considering the numerous medications promoted by pharmaceutical companies, it prompted us to question whether the foods we have trusted are as beneficial as we once believed," said Darrell Orth, owner of Pete's Drive-In. Modern seed oils, including canola, soybean, and corn oil, are facing growing criticism from health researchers and chefs alike. These highly processed oils undergo industrial processing, which involves bleaching, deodorizing, and adding chemicals. These processes create harmful byproducts which are destructive to people's health. Orth continued: "When considering the switch to different oils, it became clear that my grandparents did not suffer from health issues related to their diet. This led me to believe that the way food was processed and cooked played a significant role. Consequently, I decided to revert to using lard, which had been employed for decades in culinary practices." The transition at Pete's Drive-In has yielded positive results in both food quality and customer satisfaction. "Instead of using canola oil, we have decided to switch to lard for our frying needs, while using light olive oil on our grill ... we've received positive feedback from individuals who avoid fried foods but are interested in ours now that we no longer use seed oil. We value all our customers, especially our loyal ones, and believe health-conscious customers will understand our decision," concluded Orth. Pete's Drive-In is located on 1270 W Harvard Ave, Roseburg. First photo courtesy of Pete's Drive-In.