Vegan, Please

By Aimee Vorhaus

I can’t be the only one out here who wishes there was a vegan eatery on the west side of Petaluma. And I’m not even vegan; more like pescetarian, without dairy or eggs. Or perhaps you’d say I eat a whole foods, plant-based, with fish diet.  

But I crave a restaurant that offers healthy, seasonal vegan soups and salads. Macro Bowls. A daily selection of Greens, Beans and Grains (gluten-free, of course). Organic, freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices.  As a busy mom, I’d appreciate the convenience of a local vegan go-to for a satisfying, good-for-me, good-for-my-family, meal.

More and more research has shown vegan eating to be the healthiest alternative to the standard American diet of meat, cheese, sugar and processed foods. Some choose to eat vegan for health promoting, disease-preventing, allergy-avoidance reasons. Others opt for a vegan diet out of an affinity with, and compassion for, all animals. And still others are most concerned with the welfare and sustainability of our earth, and eat vegan to use less resources and to challenge the hegemony of our industrial agricultural system.

San Rafael and Berkeley have Café Gratitude. Napa, Ubuntu. In San Francisco, there is Herbivore, Source and of course, Millenium. Los Angeles has two Real Food Daily locations. But on Petaluma’s westside, there is nothing. Sure there are great restaurants here with vegetarian-friendly offerings. And yes, the recently opened is amazing.  But it is all the way over on the other side of town!  

In the heart of Sonoma County’s small-farm abundance, why can’t my Petaluma neighborhood feed me vegan? Even in the land of eggs and dairy, of which we are reminded this week with the celebration of Butter & Eggs, surely there is room for a vegan restaurant.

I recently noticed some prime locations that are available on the Boulevard…just saying. No need to be fancy. Please just serve fresh, delicious, simple, local, seasonal, organic vegan food. I bet there will be a line out the door.

Aimee Vorhaus is on the board of the Petaluma Mothers Club, grows fruit, vegetables and herbs in her garden and is an Etsy entrepreneur. For more information, visit Vorhaus's online store at www.redambrosia.etsy.com.

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