Some restaurants are out there to really push the boundaries of what food can be; some are just out to turn a profit. But then, every so often, you get one that really cares about the community it is in and actually puts its money where its mouth is. If you couldn’t already tell from the name, the Loving Café in Pleasant Ridge is one of the latter.

“Be Veg. Go Green. Save The Planet” is what is written on the home page of the Loving Café’s website. They unquestionably believe this and have followed their words with action, using recycled material from the Cincinnati area for shelving, doors and even granite table tops in the restaurant (fashioned from the floor of a house in Walnut Hills). So how can the Loving Café convince the average, not-so-knowledgeable person to try the place out? I’ll give you a hint, it has cheap prices.

If you’ve ever ventured into the world of healthy eating, the words “organic” and “vegan” are rarely associated with “inexpensive” or “accessible”. I’m not vegetarian or vegan, but love cooking and trying new foods. No meat (substitute), stinky cheese or imported mung bean curd in my path have gone without being tasted. Taking into consideration my foodie nature, at times painful frugality, and a thumbs-up from a friend at the JCC who had just gone there for lunch, I suspected that The Loving Café would be right up my alley. So, on one of my snow days earlier this winter, I decided to dig myself out from underneath the blanket of snow and sludge and experience it for myself. 

And right up my alley it was. The menu is full of “accessible, inexpensive vegan food for all tastes”, as manager Megan Burke put it. For the conservative eater, TLC offers vegan chicken wings, gyros and chili -lacking only in texture, not in taste, and definitely not in nutrition. For fellow open-minded omnivores and people in the raw community (nothing is cooked over 108 degrees so as not to lose enzymes and nutrients), TLC offers raw sea kelp pasta and pizza, made with crust from Cincinnati raw bakery Love Force. There are smoothies, various soy and nut milks, and a variety of raw or vegan deserts. Everything I’ve eaten there has been surprisingly delicious (my favorites are the strawberry pie and the spring rolls). After being filled with tasty, nutritious food and surrounded with positive energy, I was totally sold after the first visit. But, what really blew me away was learning about how the café is run. 

Beginning as a meditation group, the group of friends that opened The Loving Café in March of 2009 believes that by serving vegan cuisine to the community, they are helping save the planet. This belief is founded in many startling statistics, such as the fact that vegetarian/vegan food production consumes 2/3 less fossil fuels than meat production does. Perhaps it isn’t so far-fetched to think they people who work here really are doing there part to save the planet.

Besides using found, local supplies to reduce its carbon footprint, they use containers, cups and utensils that are composed of biodegradable or recyclable products for take out food. Additionally, each owner works a few times a week without pay in order to keep it running, knowing that it takes a few years to get a restaurant off the ground. The Loving Café truly is aptly named.

TLC also hosts cooking classes in an effort to reach out and educate the community about healthy, natural eating. I had the good fortune of attending one of The Loving Café’s cooking classes in February. As a once-in-a-while vegan, I lack knowledge of various protein replacements, necessary cooking equipment, and general tricks of the trade when it comes to vegan and raw cooking and lifestyles. The class was not only informative and economical, but offered a neat way to network and meet interesting people. My favorite part, of course, was making the food: an absolutely terrific raw strawberry pie, and Vietnamese summer rolls accompanied by a perfect peanut dipping sauce. 

After the class, I had a chance to speak Meghan Burke of The Loving Café about her own journey into veganism, why giving up meat can save the planet, and what The Loving Café means to her. Being around a group of people this passionate, I felt torn between enlightenment and dilemma. I was confronted by the reality of my own good-intentioned, but sometimes mediocre dietary selections. If we are routinely given the choice (and responsibility) to maintain a healthy, balanced diet, why do we choose pizza and Diet Coke instead? If what we choose to eat everyday really does impact our life, our community, and the environment, maybe people on a plant-based diet are on to something. 

I highly recommend even the pickiest of eaters to check out The Loving Café. You may not notice the difference between a bowl of vegan chili and the real thing, but you can be sure that Mother Nature does!

The Loving Café’s winter hours are: Tues-Fri: 11-4, Sat: 11-7, closed Sun and Mon. Cooking classes take place after store hours. For information about classes and vegan buffets, call 513-731-2233 or visit www.thelovingcafe.com and sign up for email updates.