Meet Sanctuary Bistro and a Cookbook Giveaway!
Sanctuary Bistro Cookbook Giveaway!
Jennifer has graciously given us a copy of the newly released Sanctuary Bistro Cookbook. Scroll to the end of the post for instructions on entering to win the cookbook!
Tucked in a quiet little Berkeley neighborhood just blocks from the bay, Sanctuary Bistro is an oasis. Chef Barry Horton’s passion for exquisitely prepared, delicious plant based, gluten free food is embodied in every dish. Starting with a seasonal amuse-bouche, every dish that follows is exceptional in it’s flavor combinations and presentation.
Chef Barry’s approach is simple. He lets the fresh, organic ingredients speak for themselves. The dinner menu is French in style while the lunch menu is more simple, but every bit as flavorful. And, their Sunday brunch? With gluten-free pancakes and waffles, portobello Florentine, and a host of other wonderful choices, it is a favorite of ours.
The food at Sanctuary Bistro is extraordinary, but that is only part of the story. The true heart and soul of the restaurant goes way beyond what is on the menu. Jennifer Jones Horton, Chef Barry’s wife has created an amazing space that not only gives back to the surrounding community, it is a space based on compassion. A place for the Horton’s to help support and showcase other family businesses and causes.
Compassion and wanting to make the world a better place have always been what Jennifer desires. Together their mission is creating a loving place where people can enjoy a meal. They consider Sanctuary Bistro their home and welcome everyone, vegan and non-vegan alike.
Chef Barry and Jennifer met at the Stanford Inn in Mendocino. Jennifer was driving across the country and her car gave up when she reached the Inn. It was meant to be. She started by running the organic gardens, which she admired she really didn’t know much about and ended up being Jeff Stanford’s assistant.
Chef Barry was in the kitchen at The Ravens, Stanford Inn’s restaurant, which was vegetarian at the time. The two began dating. For Jennifer, eating vegan came from making healthier choices and her compassion for animals. Barry made the change overnight. He quietly removed cheese from the menu at The Ravens and no one seemed to notice. The Ravens is now a highly respected vegan restaurant that still uses many of the recipes that Chef Barry developed.
The two started dating and eventually got married. Wanting a larger community, they moved to San Francisco. Jennifer was teaching and Barry worked as a personal chef. They started Local Love catering, a plant based catering company.
In 2013, they decided that what they really wanted was a restaurant. But not just any restaurant, a place to develop a supportive community. They launched a kickstart campaign and surpassed their goal. A year later, Sanctuary Bistro opened.
Chef Barry and Jennifer work insanely hard. Running the restaurant and also making sure they and their two young children enjoy a family life outside of the restaurant takes a lot. I love that on Mother’s day, Jennifer’s daughter was following her around, hanging onto her apron strings.
It’s all about love. Clients are friends, stories are shared, and people are supported. They have done exactly what they set out to do…create a sanctuary that also happens to be an outstanding bistro.
Chef Barry and Jennifer kindly gave us permission to share one of their recipes from the cookbook with you. Their delicious raw “Rawlmond Joy’s” are so tasty and a great sweet treat to have on hand. For the recipe, click here: Rawlmond Joy’s.
Contest is now closed. Our winner is Alisa from Connecticut.
Contest is now closed. Our winner is Alisa from Connecticut!
Sanctuary Bistro has just released a wonderful cookbook featuring many of Chef Barry’s delicious recipes. If you can’t make it to Berkeley, CA, you can still enjoy his skills at creating delicious gluten free, vegan food. I love this cookbook and we are giving away a copy!
Can’t wait for the contest? You can order a copy of the cookbook here: Buy Sanctuary Bistro Cookbook
To enter, just leave a quick comment about why you like eating plant based food in the comment section of this post. Winner will be selected by random number generator and notified on Saturday, June 24! Contest closes at 10:00pm on Friday, June 23.
All Photos ©Susan Powers Photography, 2017
Donna wrote on June 22, 2017
Healthy, life promoting choices!
jill inforzato wrote on June 22, 2017
i love eating plant based. The variety, colors and textures are endless. I never feel weighed down
after I eat a plant based meal. I feel like I am loving myself.
Carol wrote on June 22, 2017
Love how I can feel the energy coursing through! I so wish I had known about your restaurant when I was visiting the area last week. One of the first things I do is map all the raw restaurants before traveling and, unfortunately, Sanctuary Bistro never popped up.
Steph wrote on June 22, 2017
I love eating lighter foods like this
Zdenka wrote on June 22, 2017
My answer is simple: because I feel good.
(And I love animals 🙂
Love Zdenka
mary moss wrote on June 22, 2017
How amazing are the numbers of plant based food!
Kansas Andrade wrote on June 22, 2017
I eat plant based foods for a multitude of reasons but, mainly because I believe that our world is in a dire place right now and eating in this way provides some much needed relief.
Kelly Paquet wrote on June 22, 2017
I feel much more energized eating plants and plant based meals. Your dishes look so delicious!
Marianne wrote on June 22, 2017
I like eating plant-based foods because I consider myself a kind and compassionate human being and can’t find it in me to contribute to societal mechanisms that are based on greed (profit) at the cost of animal welfare.