Vegan Party (aka Michael Pollan Walks Into A Bar...)

When Michael Pollan walks into your joint and you happen to be focusing on local, organic produce, it's natural to get excited and, say, want to take pictures with him and post them online as soon as you get home. :) A friend visiting from L.A. remarked that she's around celebrities so much it doesn't even phase her anymore -- but, she admitted, it's different with someone like Michael Pollan. Perhaps it's his extensive career, including teaching at Cal, or his various books and films, or his straightforward, digestible manner of digging to the heart of a complex issue like food ("Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants." & "Spend more. Eat less."). Certainly he has touched and inspired many to lead healthier food lifestyles, for ourselves as well as for the land.

But the story of this night goes well beyond a kodac moment with a local celebrity.

This past Sunday was our second major party since kicking off Ambrosia Juice Bar at Himalayan Flavors a little over a month ago. The first, the "soft opening" party back in December was a blast, filled with well wishers and dear friends (including another local hero and inspiration after whom the "Nipunnnzzzer" drink was named ;)) and felt like a blessed way to start the project. That night we sampled a bunch of drinks that we were considering for the menu, and invited feedback both on the drinks themselves, as well as fun names for them, which eventually birthed the first season's menu.

This time we went a step beyond the juice bar menu and worked with Dhruva-ji, head chef and restaurateur extraordinaire, to introduce more vegan food options to the restaurant menu -- and then, why not, have a party to celebrate that! And to top it off, our friend David was kind enough to provide ambiance with live sitar music, as well as some ukulele I believe, from another friend of his. So it was shaping up to be a great night of ambrosia drinks, new veggie dishes, live music, and again good company, from both old friends and new.

And it's the story of new friends that really touched hearts that night.



Michael Pollan's picture has made the rounds enough that he's pretty recognizable on sight, but can you match the name Jimmy Williams to the face? Jimmy, with co-author Susan Heeger, who was also present, recently wrote a wonderful book called "From Seed to Skillet" detailing the entire process of organic gardening and cooking from, yep, planting the seed to cooking up the harvest in the skillet.  As we would later discover for ourselves, it's an informative and beautifully illustrated book. Clearly this table of seven was a powerhouse of promoting a local, organic, sustainable food movement -- to degrees we probably still aren't fully aware.

I was talking to a table of good friends about this, and suddenly one of them said (before knowing that they had ordered from that night's special price fixed menu, which included the "smiling iron goddess" juice), "They should totally try some of your juices! Actually, my family and many others I know have been deeply affected by their work, I would love to get them a juice for their table as an expression of gratitude." Now we had a tag on our hands. :) I agreed to be the vehicle for this tag and we agreed on the "pomegrateful" as an appropriate choice, given that we had been sourcing the organic apples and the pomegranates directly from local farms (Smit Orchards and Blossom Bluff Orchard, respectively).

Minutes later, with fresh juice and smile card in hand, :) I approached the table and delivered the tag. "Some guests have been deeply touched by your work of supporting local, organic food and wanted to pay forward their appreciation by offering you this drink." Wow! Really?  It was sweetly received, with the request that thanks be sent back to these anonymous well-wishers. :)

But the anonymity wouldn't last long, because Jimmy, whom Aumatma had already connected with and tried to coax into giving an impromptu speech about his work, :) insisted on knowing who had tagged him! Why? because he had a return tag of his own! Aumatma couldn't stand in the way of that, and showed him to Eva & co's table.

"You!" Jimmy said, upon spotting Eva. "I want you to have this," as he gifted her a copy of his book. "Oh wow, I have to give you a hug!" she exclaimed getting up from her seat. It was a beautiful connection made, and heartfelt opportunity to express gratitude for the goodness that we can each bring into the world, whether through a book that inspires thousands, or a genuine tag that touches a few hearts. 

At the end of the night, as folks were readying to leave, more hugs and smiles were exchanged (and yes, a few pictures :)).

Who knows how the night would have gone had the initial idea not spontaneously arisen in conversation. Typically, a night out at a restaurant is an experience in formalized hospitality. That night, formality ended up taking a back seat to genuine human connection.

As the last of the group were headed out the door, one turned back with a special request: "You know, I really like those smile card things, do you have some more I can take with me?" The spirit behind that kind of question made that one special night.