{"id":35345,"date":"2020-09-11T03:49:55","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T10:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=35345"},"modified":"2020-09-10T10:33:51","modified_gmt":"2020-09-10T17:33:51","slug":"an-israeli-moroccan-kitchen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2020\/09\/11\/an-israeli-moroccan-kitchen\/","title":{"rendered":"An Israeli-Moroccan kitchen"},"content":{"rendered":"

The falafel plate at Ofra\u2019s Kitchen. (photo from Ofra\u2019s)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ask Ofra Sixto what makes her Israeli-Moroccan restaurant successful and she\u2019ll unabashedly tell you: it\u2019s keeping a positive attitude. But it takes a whole lot of moxie, too.<\/p>\n

After all, it isn\u2019t easy to launch a new restaurant in the midst of an unexpected economic shutdown and to create enough name recognition that patrons are willing to line up at your door for takeout. But that all speaks to the allure of Ofra\u2019s Kitchen, which opened this past December, just as the holiday season was coming into full swing. Sixto, who owned a Moroccan restaurant on Hastings Street with her brother years ago, said it\u2019s been her dream to open another restaurant \u2013 this time centring on vegetarian and vegan dishes.<\/p>\n

Her previous restaurant was called Jacqueline Moroccan Food and was named after her late sister. When her brother was forced to return to Israel, the two siblings realized they would have no choice but to close the restaurant.<\/p>\n

Jacqueline\u2019s \u201cwas very successful. Very,\u201d Sixto acknowledged.<\/p>\n

It was the venue\u2019s eclectic Israeli-Moroccan cuisine that later gave her the idea for a vegetarian follow-up focusing on classic Israeli dishes and flavourful specialties from around the Middle East.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a great need, I think, for good vegetarian cuisine,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

As a \u201cflexible vegan,\u201d Sixto said she often has trouble finding truly appealing food when she eats out. \u201cWhen I go to a restaurant and I ask, \u2018Do you have anything vegetarian?\u2019 they push a salad. I\u2019m not a rabbit, I want something substantial, right? So, when you come to my restaurant, you actually eat food. You eat really, really good and healthy and fresh and made-on-the-spot food that makes you feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The choices run the gamut from iconic falafel and pita, shakshuka and Israeli salad to lesser-known Iraqi kube and delicately spiced Moroccan beet salad. Diners can also enjoy an array of traditionally made desserts and Turkish coffee.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Ofra Sixto\u2019s restaurant focuses on vegetarian and vegan dishes. (photo from Ofra\u2019s)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Asked about her favourite dish, Sixto admitted she is partial to eggplant, which plays a starring role in several of her popular dishes. Her sabih \u2013 a Tel Aviv specialty that consists of fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg, tahina and an Israeli chutney \u2013 can be ordered as a pita sandwich or as a platter. She also serves homemade babaganoush and eggplant salad, early pioneer dishes that are still popular in Israel today.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd, of course, my falafel is the best in town,\u201d she said. \u201cNot only by what I say but everybody else who eats it. It\u2019s fresh, it\u2019s crunchy outside, it\u2019s moist and soft inside. It\u2019s beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

But cooking isn\u2019t the only exceptional quality that she brings to Denman Street. A big heart and an innate sense of civic responsibility are helping mobilize a small movement to ensure that those who can\u2019t afford to eat at Denman\u2019s restaurants also have food to eat.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Sixto noticed that the number of individuals on Denman who were homeless was growing. She said the economic shutdown, which closed many establishments and sections of streets in downtown Vancouver, exacerbated the homeless problem, forcing many people onto Denman from Robson and Granville. Rather than ignoring the issue, Sixto decided to do something to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I would walk [to work] I would see so many homeless people. I decided, you know, I need to do something about it. I have the means and I could help \u2013 whatever my capacity is, right? So, I started feeding the homeless by giving away soup and falafels.\u201d<\/p>\n

And her reputation began to grow. \u201cI mean, they are hungry,\u201d said Sixto. \u201cThey get drinks, they get food, whatever they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

In time, she decided she could do even more. \u201cI decided to make it a social thing and make people be a part of the solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

She began letting customers know that each $5 they donated would go toward feeding an individual who was homeless. Sixto said the idea is catching on. \u201cIt\u2019s amazingly successful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

So far, Sixto estimates she has given out in excess of 1,300 meals. She admitted that the donations she receives don\u2019t fully cover the out-of-pocket expenses. \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t matter to me,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not about that $5 that people give. It\u2019s about the acknowledgment of the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I speak with [the people living on the street],\u201d Sixto said. \u201cI stop and say, how are you today? Did you eat anything? How are you feeling? They are people. They were babies. Somebody loved them or not when they were babies, you know? Something happened to these people along their lives [before they got to where] they are. Nobody chooses to live on the street because it\u2019s fun, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

In June, the province of British Columbia issued a revised health order to guide restaurants in how they can operate safely during the coronavirus pandemic. Sixto has taken those rules to heart. Her seating is about half-capacity, with tables situated two metres apart. And she has some gentle ground rules: patrons must agree to sanitize (either with hand sanitizer or by handwashing) when entering the restaurant and wear a mask when walking to and from the table.<\/p>\n

Sixto also supports the province\u2019s request to record the contact information of at least one customer per table. According to the province\u2019s health office, the information is retained only in case COVID-19 contact tracing is necessary. Sixto said most people appreciate the effort that restaurant owners are making to keep their venues safe and comfortable.<\/p>\n

When it came to navigating the recent shutdown, Sixto said her landlord played a big role. \u201cMy landlord is amazing,\u201d she said. The temporary rent reduction allowed her to keep operating \u2013 \u201cI never closed, not even for one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ofra\u2019s Kitchen, located at 1088 Denman St., in Vancouver (604-688-2444, ofraskitchen.com), is open Israeli hours, starting at 11:30 a.m. and closing at \u201c8ish\u201d in the evening.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as there are people, I\u2019m feeding them. If you come by and I am there, I will open the door and seat you,\u201d Sixto said. \u201cJust like Israeli hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jan Lee<\/strong>\u2019s articles and blog posts have been published in <\/em>B\u2019nai B\u2019rith Magazine, <\/em>Voices of Conservative and Masorti Judaism, <\/em>Times of Israel, as well as a number of business, environmental and travel publications. Her blog can be found at multiculturaljew.polestarpassages.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The falafel plate at Ofra\u2019s Kitchen. (photo from Ofra\u2019s) Ask Ofra Sixto what makes her Israeli-Moroccan restaurant successful and she\u2019ll unabashedly tell you: it\u2019s keeping a positive attitude. But it takes a whole lot of moxie, too. After all, it isn\u2019t easy to launch a new restaurant in the midst of an unexpected economic shutdown […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35346,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[3851,9717,9784,3129,6073,2090,19757,19758,3812,1959,1742],"class_list":["post-35345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-business","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-food","tag-homelessness","tag-ofra-sixto","tag-ofras","tag-restaurant","tag-tikkun-olam","tag-vancouver"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}