Step into the PlantPure Café at 1115 Walnut Street in Center City, and you realize immediately that this is something new. Chef Fernando Peralta—you know him from the former Vge Café in Bryn Mawr—has developed a healthier approach to plant-based eating by adopting a no-added oil practice. Opened since mid-December, Peralta is working hard to have people understand and enjoy pure, plant-based eating, which is a form of veganism, but it uses no oils, refined sugars or table salt and encourages large amounts of fresh greens, legumes and whole grains. No processed foods are used.
The name of the eatery is derived from the acclaimed documentary PlantPure Nation (2015), produced by Nelson Campbell. It addresses the impact that poor nutrition has on the development of chronic disease, like hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease, to name a few.
There’s actually a back-story to Chef Peralta’s move to Walnut Street. He first met Nelson Campbell, the film’s producer, when Fernando and I made a plant-based dinner for Campbell and the film crew in 2015. Campbell’s father, acclaimed Cornell University researcher T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. and author of The China Study (BenBella Press, 2006), was also a dinner guest that evening. A plant-based dinner for 12 was not a problem. But when Nelson and Fernando met, they realized that they shared the same passion for a whole-foods, plant-based diet. And, that’s how PlantPure Café got its legs. Plus, everyone loved the dinner that we created!
PlantPure Café is a very healthy place to eat. Everything is made from scratch. Nothing is frozen. Nothing is commercially made. If you’re looking for a veggie burger that is packed with legumes and freshly roasted veggies AND served on a whole wheat roll, then stop what you are doing and head to the café. You can also grab a Groothie®, the exceptionally healthy and delicious smoothie that is free of refined sugars and packed with greens and fresh fruits.
Chef Peralta describes his menu with these six characteristics:
- 100% vegan
- No added oils
- Prepared, from scratch, on site
- Zero cholesterol
- Each dish is under 500 calories
- Based on the research of T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.
So, you are asking yourself, “How do Fernando’s salad dressings taste so creamy?” PlantPure Café makes luscious and creamy dressings, most of which have a cashew base. Nuts are more nutrient-dense than an extracted oil. Selections for your food can be made in the form of a soup, sandwich, salad or bowl. Imagine a delicious baked falafel served on a 100% whole wheat pita that’s also packed high with vegetables and contains no added oils.
According to Nelson Campbell, who is also the founder of the PlantPure movement, “When we started PlantPure, we knew food would be at the center of our efforts. If we are going to change the world around the life-changing message of plant-based nutrition, we must provide people food options that are affordable, convenient and enjoyable.” It’s easy to see how Fernando and Nelson have come together to create an eatery that is not only delicious, but beneficial to one’s overall health and well-being, not to mention the planet.
Aside from the delicious, fresh offerings from the PlantPure Café, you can get PlantPure frozen dinners to go. Each box contains two generous servings; add a side salad and you have a perfect dinner. The flash-frozen entrees are entirely plant-based, are low in added salt and sweeteners and have no added oil. You can get the frozen dinners at the café or order them online.
NOTE: A guideline in the plant-based foundation is that there is a milligram of sodium for every calorie in a dish. If a dish has 480 calories of nutrient-dense food, it will contain 480 milligrams of sodium (which is generally derived from soy, liquid aminos or its gluten-free counterpart, tamari).
Sitting with Chef Peralta, you can clearly understand his passion in wanting to make the world a healthier place, one bite at a time. He adds, “Our food is good for you, and good for the planet.” If you read Dr. Campbell’s book The China Study, he outlines the benefits of following a whole-foods and plant-based diet. Peralta adds, “The fact that you can head to PlantPure Café and grab healthy plant-based food is an amazement. Ten years ago, this would have been impossible.”
WHYY recently featuredPlantPure Café on its Friday Arts show. To see the program, visit the WHYY website (the segment starts at the 19:00 mark).
Whether you’re watching your weight, paying honor to the environment or need to prevent or reverse any chronic illness (like Type 2 diabetes or heart disease), it’s like Hippocrates said, “Let thy food be thy medicine.”
That’s a great reason to head to PlantPure Café and say hello to Chef Fernando. Grab a delicious, vegan, plant-based bite to eat. You’ll be doing something really good for yourself.
Hours of operation are Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
PlantPure Café is located at 1115 Walnut St. in Philadelphia; phone: (267) 777-5383.
- Photos: Char Nolan
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