Vitality brings vegan fare to Capital City

New business operator Olivia Hudek-Foss serves lunch to Tad Mayfield and Susan Savage, who work in downtown Jefferson City. The pair have become regular customers at Vitality, an eastside vegan restaurant. Photo by Julie Smith.

By Gerry Tritz

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Disappointed at the vegan and vegetarian options at local restaurants, Olivia Hudek-Foss opened her own restaurant.

Vitality not only quenches her desire to provide healthy, tasty options to vegans, but the eatery reflects her basic belief that her life should be centered around love and kindness.

She credits her outlook to Dharma Mittra, the New York City yoga instructor who she considers her guru. “He has completely transformed my life,” she said. Hudek-Foss, a self-proclaimed foodie, has no formal culinary training. But she learned ....

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More like this story

spelchek 7 months ago

Does bacon count? I can't live without bacon.

melbrooks 7 months ago

bacon=meat candy.

JCLifer 7 months ago

Vincent: Want some bacon? Jules: No man, I don't eat pork. Vincent: Are you Jewish? Jules: Nah, I ain't Jewish, I just don't dig on swine, that's all. Vincent: Why not? Jules: Pigs are filthy animals. I don't eat filthy animals. Vincent: Bacon tastes gooood. Pork chops taste gooood.

JCLifer 7 months ago

I wish this town had some more chefs. We have cooks at most of our restaurants, but no chefs.

Cracks me up that places open up, serve cafeteria quality food with fancy food prices, then go out of business. A few weeks later someone else opens them up with a new coat of paint onthe walls, serving cafeterial quality food, and then the 2nd place goes out of business. Happens over and over and over in this town.

I love all the new restaurants and bars uptown, but they all serve the same manufactured hamburgers, fries, and other food straight off the Sysco truck. Like I said, we have lots of cooks in this town, but very few chefs.

Off to Columbia or Lake Ozark for a great dinner tonight....

spelchek 7 months ago

I go to Springfield to get my fix.

JCLifer 7 months ago

Lots of good culinary delights in Springfield, and for not much money! Agree with you there!

eileen10 7 months ago

Springfield here I come!!!

spelchek 7 months ago

Cashew chicken!!!

JCLifer 7 months ago

Leong’s Asian Diner 1540 W. Republic Road

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!

spelchek 7 months ago

The one and only. Peanut butter in the egg rolls.

JCLifer 7 months ago

Yum Yum!!!

melbrooks 7 months ago

Couldn't agree less.

Cork has great food--the proprietor really knows how to pair eclectic food with very good (but still reasonably priced) wine. The Grand Cafe is another wonderful establishment. The chef there is first-rate. Swadee's Thai is also very different from the usual fare in Jefferson City.

Love Sushi on the Boulevard is the real deal. Rick's Cafe in the Governor Hotel is excellent for lunch, and ECCO as well as Pasta Fresca in Old Munichburg has some great food. And don't forget Paddy Malone's--Tommy is an excellent chef. Lots of choices, and all of it excellent.

JCLifer 7 months ago

Bones J Phenneys Spectaters Tiki Keggleys Mels High Street Pub Binghams Town Grill Daisy Delight

TickledPink 7 months ago

Tiki has a new owner and name (can't think of what it is right now) and their chef came from Summit Lake Winery.

JCLifer 7 months ago

Cook came from Mel's. Same difference, though. Summit Lake Winery never had any good food either.

spelchek 7 months ago

Love Paddy's reuben!!!

JCLifer 7 months ago

Ecco burger with waffle fries!

PatsyDecline 7 months ago

LOVE SUSHI!!

TRY IT!!

JCLifer 7 months ago

Tjhe good news is that the simpletons who live in this town wouldn't know good food if it bit them in their palet. Jefferson City is so mediokre, and poor quality can easily be made up with quantity.

spelchek 7 months ago

Our work pool is pretty awful. Don't get me wrong, there are good ones out there but overall, not so much. On a lighter note, I've been impressed with Firehouse Subs so far! Probably cause my sandwich is filled with meat. God gave me canines, I'm gonna use em' as designed. Good luck Vitality! I hope there's a market for your fare.

eileen10 7 months ago

Vegan? Give me a cow and a pig any day.And chocolate and a baked potato and butter and a carrot. Ok. Forget the carrot.

spelchek 7 months ago

"like"

richg 7 months ago

JCLifer explain to me why you continue to live in Jeff City if you hate so much about it? If I hated a place and everything about it as much as you do I would definitely move somewhere I enjoy more.

I'm guessing you just like to complain about everything. I'm guessing you are one of those old guys that sits on his front porch and yells at kids to stay off his sidewalk.

Sequoia 7 months ago

Yeah, Lifer and Spel sound like they don't get out much. Jeff City is changing for the better in a lot of ways. It's like they went inside 20 years ago and haven't gone out since.

Spel gets impressed with a chain restaurant because it packs a lot of meat, but there are great local options being mentioned.

There's a lot more great local stuff in J.C. than ever before.

We're always looking for good vegetarian. We'll be eating Vitality for sure.

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