I visited my favorite local farm-to-table vegan restaurant, The Plot in Oceanside, during the disastrous fire in Los Angeles to find out more about the donations they were cooking up for survivors of the fire.
Jessica and Davin Waite, owners of The Plot Oceanside and a new location in Costa Mesa, are determined to “give veggies the respect they deserve in an imaginative way. Our goal is to contribute to the sustainability movement in Southern California.”
The Plot Oceanside has been cited by Tasting Table as one of the 20 best restaurants in San Diego. Jessica is also president of Berry Good Food, a nonprofit that promotes local food sourcing and sustainable vegan restaurants.
Davin has been honored with the 2022 Sustainability Award by the California Travel Association and has received rave reviews for his cooking talents at his sushi restaurant, Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub, also in Oceanside.
FOOD DONATIONS FOR DISPLACED FIRE VICTIMS
Along with their daily restaurant management and cooking tasks, Jessica and Davin decided they had to contribute their culinary skills to help feed the victims of fire disaster. Davin, Chef Travis Roe and The Plot staff teamed up to cook gallons of vegetable curry stew at their Costa Mesa location.
The giant stock pots filled with vegetable curry and brown rice were packed and transported to the Dream Center in Los Angeles to feed 300 displaced fire victims on Jan. 9. Coffee for participants in the production of the meals was furnished by Noah Vernick of Anomaly Coffee in Costa Mesa.
A U-Haul truck was rented to carry the food donations as well as clothing supplies that were donated by local residents and customers. Davin and staff delivered the food and donations to the Dream Center, which was serving food to hundreds of residents each day.
As Jessica said, “Everyone is trying to do what they can either by making donations of clothing, helping out in the kitchen or simply donating their time.”
DREAM CENTER LOS ANGELES
The Dream Center, one of the charitable disaster relief centers in Los Angeles, has set up a large, organized donation center where residents can receive food and much-needed clothing, pet supplies and toiletries.
North County restaurants are contributing to the Dream Center effort. For further information regarding clothing donations, contact The Plot Oceanside at www.theplotrestaurant.com, or call 442-266-8200. The Plot restaurants are located at 1733 S Coast Hwy., Oceanside, and 2937 Bristol St., Costa Mesa.
OCEANSIDE RESTAURANTS STEP UP TO THE CHALLENGE
Evaga Lounge in Oceanside was the site of a marathon cooking project last week as the owners, staff and volunteer crew worked for 24 hours to deliver 1,500 hand-made burritos to the firefighters and first responders on Jan 16.
A TRIBUTE TO THOSE WHO SERVE
According to Evaga owner Mike Frausto, the first responders did not always have access to full meals each day during their exhausting days fighting the Los Angeles fires. The Evaga restaurant crew delivered the meals to the Rose Bowl, which housed the firefighters and first responders.
“We wanted to make sure they had enough to get them through the day. These guys are risking their lives and we wanted to keep these heroes fueled as they work tirelessly to protect our lives, homes and the environment.
“Our customers responded to the challenge of raising the funds for the huge amount of ingredients, transportation and packaging the full-scale donation of 1500 Carne Asada and Chicken Burritos to the Rose Bowl. Me and my partner, George Lopez and Chef Santiago Castillo and lots of volunteers stayed up all night stuffing those burritos!”
The restaurant at 1906 Oceanside Blvd. in Oceanside is open seven days a week. Hours and more at evagalounge.com or 760-547-5624. The menu features their signature burritos, ceviche, seafood dishes, tacos and a full bar.
FOR FUTURE DONATIONS
If you have information about other location sites for donations for the fire victims, contact me at [email protected].
Jano Nightingale is a Master Gardener and teaches at the Carlsbad Senior Center. For information about her classes, contact the center at 442-339-2650.
