Cafe Prana Welcomed into Evanston

Prana Café wants your vote!

The presidential election is over… and you’re done voting for at least two years. Right?

Truth is, we vote every day. With every dollar we spend, we reflect our values. A trip to the grocery store is a trip to the voting booth. Our spending choices either support ethical farming practices or not. The food we purchase either nourishes our bodies or it doesn’t.  The same is true of the restaurant we frequent.  

When Ken Cox and his business partners, Griffin Cox and Simon Blanco, were exploring the idea of opening a breakfast and lunch spot called Prana Cafe, Ken identified the idea of serving food to their customers as a sacred experience that starts with choosing healthy ingredients. “When you think about creating and cooking food for another person, you are responsible for meeting one of their most basic human needs: nutrition. And higher-quality ingredients means more nutrition, not to mention supporting better farming practices and happier animals.”

“The word 'prana' comes from the ancient Sanskrit language”, says Ken Cox, co-owner of the newest café in Evanston, Prana Café. Ken, a yoga practitioner for 26 years and a yoga instructor for 10 years, became interested in nutrition as a result of his yoga practice. The meaning of prana is “life force”; it is the energy that travels through the channels of the human body. “It is similar in meaning to the ancient Chinese word ‘chi’, which some people may be more familiar with due to the popularity of acupuncture and tai chi practices”, explains Ken. He was adamant about offering healthy options and avoiding poor sources of what passes for nutrition in our culture. This includes high fructose corn syrup, deep fried food, and nitrate-laden deli meat. “One of the favorite items on our menu is the daily home-made soup; we make it fresh everyday using only the best local ingredients that we can find”, mentions Ken, “ Our intention is to provide the most nutritious food we can each day. Our menu continues to evolve based on items our customers request and we include some gluten-free items.” Future menu plans at the café include offering a daily Paleo Plate, based on the nutritional content of the paleo diet which is based on balancing the omega 3 and omega 6 content to reduce inflammation in the body. 

Prana Café is located in the Evanston Enterprise Building at 1840 Oak Avenue. The café is open Monday through Friday, serving breakfast and lunch in the west part of the downtown area. “We are marketing to the nearby condominium and single family home residents as a means to expand our business,” says Ken, “When we have enough of the local residents stopping by to eat or enjoy a latte and fresh pastry, we plan to open on Saturdays as a place for neighbors to gather and create community.” As part of their business mission to create community, Prana Café also displays the artwork of local artists on a monthly basis; there are also future plans to hold free lectures on spiritual topics, and to start a book club.

“We hope to become a place for friends and neighbors to gather and enjoy conversation while connecting with each other.