Usually, when I want to eat something vegan that actually tastes good…. I head West or to Silverlake. My latest discovery is SunPower Natural Organic Cafe in … waitttt forrr ittt… Studio City, folks! And YES, it is delicious, highly nutritious, annnddd crave-worthy! SunPower offers a combination of both raw and cooked foods. Chef Rawsheed has created an incredibly varied and sophisticated menu, that speaks to his knowledge and talent for vegan "cooking".
You cannot miss the bright yellow storefront. Walk into a tiny little dining area and you will be greeted by a friendly waiter who may just pull up a chair to take down your order in a kind and leisurely fashion. There is always some interesting conversation happening amongst fellow diners and the friendly vibes are so apparent that they're practically bouncing off the walls. During one of my last visits, I learned about the mono-diet… eating one food for extended periods of time and apparently, the highest form of eating. Fascinating! I recently sat down with owner and longtime vegan Ron Russell Jackson to pick his brain a little….
Q: What's the inspiration behind the name--Sunpower?
A: The SunPower name came from the energy and life the sun gives to the earth, and our organic, raw food represents that life.
Q: How long have you personally been vegan and what prompted your transition?
A: I've been vegetarian 34 years, vegan about 10. My initial conversion to a vegetarian diet was prompted by working as a fry cook and being disgusted by all the meat. It quickly evolved into, "I don't have the right to take this animal's life."
Q: When i take non vegan friends out to eat, i often hear the phrase "i prefer to eat REAL food". People fear that if it didn't come from an animal, they will walk away hungry or with their wallets emptied. I found neither to be the case with Sunpower. The food is EXTREMELY filling and energy giving. Why do you think your average American has come to think of vegan food this way?
A: I think many meat eaters have experienced bad vegan food (no taste, not creative, not filling, etc.). But at SunPower we put taste first. More than half our customers are meat eaters that come for the taste, and the health aspect. We had one meat eating customer, Joseph, who wrote a review saying, "The food is so good I almost cried. I crave this food everyday now. This is a once in a lifetime experience."
Q: The dining area is quaint and cozy, and seems to encourage socializing amongst patrons and staff. Was this intentional or are your customers and employees just super friendly?
A: We wanted to create a community feel to the restaurant. We've seen many customers start up conversations with each other and become friends. It's great to see.
As SunPower's popularity continues to rise, you may need to wait a short while to be seated. Luckily for us though, they will be doubling the size of their dining room in the next couple of weeks! My grumbling tummy wants to say thank you in advance!
Check this sweet little gem of a place out for yourselves and let me have your thoughts! The prices are reasonable, the food AMAZING, and the ingredients high quality… and you will likely walk away with some food for your soul in the process! Can't beat that now, can you, hm?
** Must try's :
Raw tiramisu (I always like to start with dessert, hey, life is short people!)
Raw supreme pizza with marinara sauce, cashew cheese (don't knock it 'til you've tried it!), SunPower "sausage", peppers and onions
Sunpower Natural 3711 W. Cahuenga Blvd. Studio City, CA 91604 sales@sunpowernatural.com 1-818-308-7420 |
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