Pure Taste DINERS HAVE NO BEEF WITH THESE VEGAN OPTIONS
Photos by Linda Smolek
GS By Greg Sabin Restaurant Insider
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POC MAR n 22
J
amie Cavanaugh, owner of Pure Soul Plant Based Eats, doesn’t mind if you aren’t vegan. “I care what I eat,” she says. “I don’t want to eat meat or dairy, but I don’t mind if the diners at my restaurant are vegans or vegetarians or just taking a meal off from their usual diet.” She adds, “I just want to serve good food.” And she does. Cavanaugh opened the small eatery in East Sacramento during the fateful
month of March 2020. Taking over a corner storefront previously occupied by The Wienery, Pure Soul battled shutdowns, lockdowns and slowdowns its first two years. Today it’s positioned to be busier than ever. What sets the restaurant apart is a playful attitude toward food and the ridiculously awesome, face-blasting flavor. This stuff is off-the-charts yummy. I speak as a lifelong meat eater. I have never entertained a vegan or
vegetarian diet, and reflexively wrinkle my nose when anyone suggests a vegan restaurant as a dining option. I’m a meat snob. But eating at Pure Soul feels like no sacrifice. This is plant-based comfort food. This is large-portioned, down-home, deepfried delights. The burgers are as big as my head and have meat-eaters telling Cavanaugh they are the best burgers ever. The tater tots topped with queso, guacamole, pico and jalapenos are a giant, guilty pile of deliciousness.
