Mark Smith is a meat eater. So when the 36-year-old chef at the all-vegan, all-organic Café Gratitude chows down on a greasy, meaty dish he really likes, he stops and says to himself, “Yeah, I can do that.
“I have an absolute blast taking the most unhealthy dishes in the world,” he says, “and all of a sudden making a comparable thing that’s good and won’t kill you.”
SCW: Is there a lot of creative freedom here?
MARK SMITH: There definitely is. We get a lot of our stuff from our farm in Vacaville. They dictate what’s in season for us, because organic’s expensive, and out-of-season organic is unholy expensive. We try to stay in season for restaurant viability, and because our palates should be seasonal.
How do you name dishes?
We’ve just decided to get as creative as possible. I made a shepherd’s pie last week and called it “I’m Guided.” They have the “I Am Grounded” for the potatoes.
What kind of mood should I be in to order an “I Am Warmhearted?”
Anything works. My first time here I said, “these are weird.” It’s just a rite of passage. You should come in here and think this is out of your element, this is odd…I’m uncomfortable. Honestly, that’s the point. Everyone’s going, “I’m five minutes late,” or “I’m in a hurry” or “I didn’t do as good today as I should have done.” It’s a good thing to challenge people. People disagree with it or think it’s silly, but it sparks a thought in the brain that far too few people actually spontaneously create.
Is there a name you think is kinda silly?
My favorite was the burger, “I Am Excellent,” but I named it after Bill and Ted.
When did the Grateful Bowl switch from being donation-based to $8?
That was supposed to be “pay what you want,” but it just became 90 percent of people paying a penny. “Oh, what? I can pay a penny? I have 10 bucks in my wallet, but I’m gonna pay a penny.”
Why did you start making waffles?
A mistake in an order. I was going to start making seitan out of whole-wheat flour and play with it as a meat alternative. They shipped a wrong supply, and it was gluten-free pastry flour. It has no egg, no nuts, no dairy, no soy. Just using hazelnut milk and banana as an egg replacer made perfect waffle mix. I can’t wait for the strawberries, to start making the strawberry sauce. Maybe some cashew whipped cream.
