A "sometimes-raw" food restaurant in Ashland, Oregon, called Mana Community Cafe, recently received some publicity in the Mail Tribune (a newspaper targeted towards southern Oregon). Manna Community Cafe serves all raw food on Sundays and Mondays. Article excerpt is below, and was written by Paris Achen…

Manna Community Cafe

If a raw foods diet conjures up images of eating cold, bland vegetables off an austere table, it's time for a visit to the new Manna Community Cafe in Ashland's Lithia Park. The outdoor raw foods cafe — with a few cooked organic, vegetarian offerings — debuted July 26 within view of Ashland Creek. A raw foods novice — except for my daily salad and weekly tub of hummus — I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful Manna's food is. Post-cravings are a sign of well-seasoned food. As we sat on black wrought iron chairs in Manna's garden patio, my friend and I listened to the gurgle of the creek and enjoyed the caress of a sweet mountain breeze as we sipped fresh watermelon juice and pomegranate-colored sun tea, which is a combination of nettle, hibiscus, honey and lemon. Like most, I've visited restaurants where the plates are piled with pallid, overcooked vegetables and starches sealed with a film from lingering under a heat lamp.

Manna defies all that.

The idea behind a raw foods diet is that in nature, animals eat raw food. Raw food has more health benefits as it retains its moisture and nutrients. Manna's cuisine is made with such care and detail even my cynical side could believe Chef John Larson's declaration that the food is infused with "good energy and love." Everything from the watermelon juice to the marinated salad tastes extraordinarily fresh. The living foods platter (living, in this case, is just another term for raw) was a nutritious tour of textures and flavors pleasing to the palate and kind to the body. And the platter was satisfying for the hungry vegan, hot food lover or the occasional carnivore.

We munched on dehydrated crackers dotted with flax seeds, cole slaw bursting with a kaleidoscope of chopped red pepper, carrots and cabbage, spicy gourmet olives, and greens drizzled with tangy ginger tahini dressing. My favorite was the vegetable paté, a complex nutty-flavored spread enlivened with fresh herbs and a delectable substitute for meat. I added it to just about everything on the plate and found it was versatile as well. The platter at $8.95 is the most expensive item on the regular menu. We also tried the tempeh skewers, a cooked finger food with a barbecue-like coating. Fresh juices, smoothies, sparkling beverages, veggie dogs, rice curry and raw soup are some of the other regular menu items.

Larson opened a raw foods restaurant called Luminescence on the second floor of an old house on Water Street about three years ago that survived for less than a year. Manna's location in a structure owned by John and Maya Viknius (Maya Viknius and Larson own the business) will likely draw more patrons during fair weather. But as we enjoyed the delicious food on a warm summer day, we wondered how the cafe would fare in the winter, as there is no indoor seating. Larson said he hopes takeout food and community events at the venue will keep customers trickling in. The cafe also has the advantage of neighboring the ice-skating rink.

Larson said he envisions the cafe becoming a community hub, where local musicians, poets and dancers can perform. Local artists already feature their pieces at Manna's patio. The Lovers Manna, a weekly community event, kicks off Monday, Aug. 7 at the cafe. The cafe will serve raw food with aphrodisiac properties and hold games from 7 to 11 p.m. on Mondays. Raw foods only are served on Sundays and Mondays. Both cooked and raw dishes are available on other days.