RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT

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FROM OUR ARCHIVES …
Due to a seasonal bad cold (not COVID!) our editor is way behind schedule for the January, 2023 issue and so we offer some articles from our archives, updated with new information,
that we think are definitely worth repeating.
Like this “Restaurant Spotlight” feature from 1919 about Ofra’s Kitchen.

Ofra, in her kitchen is a one-woman show … she shops, chops, cooks, serves, and cleans, all with a smile. (click any image to enlarge)

RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT

OFRA’S KITCHEN

When Ofra Sixto arrived in Vancouver from Israel 30 years ago she had a dream. Coming from a family that had long been involved in the food and hospitality business, she knew that the kitchen was her home, and she wanted to share that home with everyone.

Adapting to a new culture, Ofra met with some challenges; a new language, a new climate, and very different food. With time, she got used to many changes, and even loved many of them, however the one thing that she could not fully adapt to was the food. Her palate craved the taste of Israeli delights: crunchy falafel, creamy hummus, mouth-watering shakshuka, finely chopped Israeli salad, and other dishes from her home region.

She and her brother operated a Moroccan cuisine take-out shop on Hastings near Victory Square for three years, but when her brother returned to Israel, Ofra found a new career in child care, until she decided that it was time to fulfill her lifelong dream and opened Ofra's Kitchen on Denman. The name, she thought, would tell her story. "People will come to my home, my kitchen and share the food I make”.

In Ofra’s Kitchen you can discover those authentic Israeli dishes, all made from scratch, using the freshest ingredients, with attention to details, taste, and presentation.

Ofra’s menu is exclusively vegetarian and vegan, but many of the dishes are hearty and filling. “It’s not one of those vegetarian places where they just give you a salad,” she says. “I’m vegan, but I’m not a rabbit. I love food that fills you up! I find it difficult to find satisfying vegan dishes in Vancouver. Many places offer you salads, or carbs, potato, rice, and so on.”

Something you’ll notice when you visit Ofra’s are the beautiful paintings on the wall. While her new business doesn’t leave her much time for painting anymore, these are all works by your hostess, adding splashes of color to the decor.

Having worked for a few years in the Downtown East Side, Ofra was well aware of the struggles and challenges of Vancouver’s homeless residents, and she’s not one to sit by and wait for someone else to do something about a problem. Ofra provides free meals to the growing number of homeless in our own community. She takes soup out and about the neighborhood and has come to know many of the homeless by name. More than 4,000 meals have been distributed in this way since she opened in 2019.

A West End resident since opening the restaurant, Ofra is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood, and we’re all invited to be a part of the Ofra's Kitchen community, where, she tells us, “people and food come together in perfect harmony."

“Come home for a meal” is her slogan!