One of my pet peeves about the whole 'eating healthy' push for families and individuals, is how damn expensive the whole proposition is.
What families who really are struggling with low incomes, poverty, can afford to shop organic, afford to feed their kids great organic farm to table food?
Well guys, the answer is here. For those lucky enough to live in Santa Cruz, CA, that is.
On a recent trip there, I stumbled upon a restaurant named "Charlie Hong Kong", which blew my mind. Having won the award for "Best Cheap Eats" and "Best Meal for a Deal" for the last 13 years, I expected a fast food version of cheap Chinese Food.
What I discovered was a casual restaurant that served 'Thai Street Food.' It was filled with all kinds of people, pregnant and nursing moms at the communal table with kids sitting and eating bowls of greens and noodles; businessmen stopping in for lunch; surfers leaning their boards against the walls, stopping in for a quick bowl of 'Spicy Dan.'
I wanted to see if what seemed to be too good to be true was: Could this truly be organic food as their advertising proclaimed, and if so, how did they get the food? Where was it coming from?
"We start cooking every morning at 5, we don't get pre-chopped vegetables. You can smell the ginger, the garlic; it emanates from the building" said Carolyn Rudolph, a co-owner with her husband 'Darryl. "We have a relationship with all of the local farmers we buy from and all of the food we buy is organic."
"Feeding people healthy food is a conscious choice," continued Carolyn. "When I was in my '20s I started to wonder if what I eat affects how I feel? That might seem ridiculous now, but in 1969, no one was asking that question. The organic movement is a form of health and wellness that we are passionate about and feeding people healthy food is a conscious choice of educating through their bodies. Because of the high sugar, high fat content of most of our food, our palates are unsophisticated, there is no discernment of eating. We Americans have low standards of what is acceptable food."
"People come every day; it's their kitchen. Each dish has two cups of organic greens; enough to meet your nutritional needs for between two to three days. Most people don't take the time so we want people to know that this is their kitchen. People have started friendships here, proposed to each other; the elderly come so that they aren't isolated at home."
The restaurant fascinated me. Not only because it served such delicious, healthy food at affordable prices, but because of the environment. There was a 'vibe' you might say, of contentment, happiness, welcome.
"People in the food service business are the bottom of the food chain, says Darryl Rudolph. "How can we say we're committed to health if our employees are poorly treated?"
"Kindness, respect, gratitude and personal relationships are our missions, along with serving healthy food," says Carolyn. Unlike most businesses which struggle to keep good staff, most of Charlie Hong Kong's employees stay year after year. They are offered 'no interest' loans, money to take courses; a health/wellness program and the use of a computer in the office to work on language skills, do their taxes, and weekly meetings to maintain communication.
"This is a 'lifestyle model' of doing business," stated Darryl. Having come from working in corporate America expanding many businesses, Darryl admits that he felt tempted at times to respond to the many invitations to sell to a larger franchise wanting to bring Charlie Hong Kong to every city. "I have gotten so much pressure to expand, because you are trained for that in this business," he says. "But bigger and more isn't necessarily better. We have complete control over keeping our food fresh every day. It is impossible to stay fresh and buy from smaller farms when you are serving food on a large scale."
For Earth Day, Charlie Hong Kong closed the restaurant to do a fundraiser for Life Lab, a program at the University of Santa Cruz farm which focuses on education.
"We are using this day, as we try to every day, to educate people about organic farms and food supplies. If we don't protect our food supply, they don't have to drop a bomb on us."
Happy Earth Day!
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