Recently, I was invited to a lecture about food (my favorite topic!) held at LYFE Kitchen in Culver City, California. I had absolutely no idea what to expect because I had never heard of LYFE Kitchen (and didn’t have time to research it prior to going). I was certainly surprised upon my arrival to learn that this is a fast food restaurant. Yup. Before you stop reading, please bear with me.
Let me begin with the fact that “LYFE” stands for “Love Your Food Everyday.” How great is that? Talk about a Silver Lining! This idea is sounding better, right? Well, let me just tell you that I was BLOWN away by LYFE Kitchen!
See here’s the thing: LYFE aspires to build a fast food franchise that serves healthy and affordable food. If you think that these concepts cannot be put together, I would beg to differ. My food was not only healthy, but also AMAZING…so great, in fact, that upon leaving the luncheon, I picked up some snacks for the drive home.
LYFE Kitchen food is organic and locally sourced. The calorie counts are listed on the menu (every dish less than 600). Nothing costs over $15 and to top it off, there are tons of vegan and gluten-free options.
The dining room is far from fast foodie. Rather, it is clean, modern, airy and bright, with lots of woodgrain on the floors and tabletops (created , and trendy white-and-orange upholstery. It feels very upbeat and happy. I also loved the fact that in the center of the room is a large planter filled with different herbs and greens.
The team behind LYFE is most impressive. On the business side is a former executive at Gardein (the faux-meat company) and a couple of high-ranking past and present McDonald’s executives; on the chef side are (my good friend!) Art Smith and (my favorite vegan chef) Tal Ronnen. It is definitely a winning team!
Silver Linings abound at LYFE Kitchen. The only sad part was leaving. My fingers, toes and eyes are crossed hoping that they will come to Santa Barbara!