DINING OUT TOFU SCRAMBLE
TOTALLY PLANT-BASED DINING AT
The Greenhouse Café BY M ARIA N FRANCES W OLBERS | PHOTOS BY HEID I REU TER
It’s
a café, coffeehouse and a haven, no, an absolute oasis, for deliciously guilt-free dishes and custom cold and hot drinks made entirely from plant foods. For vegetarians and vegans, The Greenhouse Café has already become well known in a very short time since opening in fall of 2019. As for the thousands of Berks Countians who swore on New Year’s to eat more mindfully and healthfully in 2022 — adding fiber, cutting back on daily meat intake, avoiding saturated fats and foregoing dairy — this inviting restaurant is a clear destination to trust for astonishingly tasty, wholesome, satisfying dinners, as well as lunches and breakfasts. Co-owners Uday Shah and Nikki Motichka are genial, caring chefs with clear dedication not only to plant-based foods, but fantastic flavor. They check with patrons to please their palates, tweaking culinary creations toward a more perfect eating experience. They support local suppliers and cook with ingredients in harmony with the seasons. Uday himself comes from a tradition 38
MARCH 2022 | berkscountyliving.com
of South Indian cuisine, remembering spending time in Temple City, Madurai, site of a famous 6th Century temple. “I am a lifelong vegetarian,” he says, smiling, “and I have never eaten meat.” Nikki has been a vegetarian for years and has come to embrace a vegan diet. She says many of their customers are omnivores who want to expand their lifestyle. Located next to Bell Tower Salon & Spa just off Penn Avenue, there’s never a worry about parking. The Café’s interior sports an airy, cosmopolitan atmosphere, offering exciting daily specials in addition to popular standards. They’re open most mornings through early afternoon, while Wednesdays and Fridays offer additional hours for dinner. Dishes on those nights might include entrees like dairy-free lasagna, Alfredo or couscous with roasted cashews and lemon-garlic sauce. As a way of serving the larger Berks community, the restaurant also offers order-ahead takeout for various private gatherings
