Kelowna's Only 100% Vegan & Gluten Free Cafe Has Something for Everyone

If you have ever had difficulty finding somewhere to eat because of allergies, nutritional requirements, or dietary concerns the Gratitude Café should be your go to place.

The cozy space of the Gratitude Cafe (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)

Kelowna’s only 100 per cent gluten free, vegetarian, raw, and vegan restaurant will celebrate its one year anniversary, and owner Kristi Reich couldn’t be more proud of what she has accomplished. Reich opened her first café in Calgary six years ago because the city lacked restaurants that catered to people with allergies.

Reich calls her café a place that serves “food for healing” that specializes in whole foods. She does not have soy or by-products on the menu and everything is made in house. Everything from entrees to sauces is produced in house and almost everything is sourced locally. The Gratitude Café is located at 585 Osprey Avenue and open from 11:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., but closed on Sundays and Mondays.

I am thankful -nutty "cheezy" loaded flax nachos (Photo Credit: Gratitude Cafe)

Reich chose Kelowna for her new location because she knew it was an untapped market and the demand was not being met.

“I thought, maybe I will just fly there and check it out and see if anyone has opened anything similar,” explained Reich. “I met with a realtor and looked at some locations and this spot was the very last one we looked at. We pulled up and I saw the baseball diamonds and I knew. In our original business plan we wrote that we would play baseball in the middle of lunch with everybody in the restaurant.”

The Gratitude Cafe is Kelowna's only 100% vegan and gluten free restaurant (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)

It took no time for Reich to decide to open up shop, uproot her life and move to Kelowna to continue her passion. And not only did she continue it, but flourished with her new venture. The café has been wholeheartedly embraced by the community, especially those who have allergies and find it next to impossible to go out with friends for lunch or dinner.

Gratitude can be found all over the cafe (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)

The menu at Gratitude Café is always changing as Reich is always changing things up, unless of course the demand is there to keep the favourites. Essential oils are blended into as many items as possible, as many of the customers Reich serves are fighting diseases. Completely self-taught, Reich has found her calling in creating food that not only tastes amazing but is healthy and healing for you.

I am healthy -cashew and coconut curried kelp noodle "chow mein" (Photo Credit: Gratitude Cafe)

Around 50 per cent of customers that come to Gratitude Café still eat meat and Reich is inviting to everyone and anyone, especially those that are skeptical about trying raw or gluten free food. The café is warm and inviting and fully stocked with fun board games and activities and open to families.

I am sharing - rustic thin crust pizza w/ everything you choose on top (Photo Credit: Gratitude Cafe)

Reich and her employee Natalie live the philosophy of the Gratitude Café and not only offer amazing food but a positive and fun atmosphere. Reich’s food is infused with her bubbly personality and wholesome values. Guests that enter the door will immediately be greeted with the aroma of delicious smelling food and a smile from behind the counter.

The Gratitude Cafe is located at 585 Osprey Avenue in Kelowna (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)

Two weeks ago, KelownaNow wrote a feature on a a new Italian Cafe, as part of our bi-weekly restaurant features.

Do you know of any fun and yummy restaurants to check out in our community? Let us know in the Facebook comment section or by e-mailing KelownaNow at news@kelownanow.com.