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San Diego's vegan food scene is getting a serious boost this summer, thanks to South Park's vegan cocktail bar KINDRED and the 100% organic, plant-based eatery Café Gratitude, which is scheduled to emerge at 1980 Kettner Boulevard by the end of July.
The iconic gourmet vegan restaurant, whose dishes are named after affirmations like "I Am Whole" and "I Am Humble", has headquarters in SoCal and locations around Los Angeles and the Bay Area; the company is opening its first San Diego branch in a 4,000-square-foot space in the base of Broadstone Little Italy and has another, more upscale version of Gratitude landing in Newport Beach later this year.
San Diego's Café Gratitude, designed by Wendy Haworth, will be based on the Los Angeles restaurants' layout, with an open-air space that includes a bar, to-go counter and dining room that seats 140. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, the seasonally-driven menu from executive chef Dreux Ellis will be sourced from local farmer's markets and Gratitude co-founders Matthews and Terces Engelhart's own farm in Vacaville, CA.
The restaurant's management team says that they're gearing up for opening by holding interviews for 75 front and back of house positions, from line cooks and servers to hosts and bakers for their gluten-free pastry program, at the Little Italy site on July 6, 7 and 8; interested parties can download and submit an application.
