Audrey Barron, a certified raw food chef and massage therapist, had her eye on the garage in the back of her business, Be Bliss Healing Therapies, at 6516 Ferguson St. for quite a while. She had dreamed of turning it into a cafe, and when her son, Ezra, was born a year and a half ago, she decided to make the dream a reality and open Ezra’s Enlightened Cafe.
Ezra’s Enlightened Cafe has opened at 6516 Ferguson St. in Broad Ripple.
The raw foods cafe is gluten- and dairy-free and, except for the use of honey, vegan as well.
“We’re serving whole foods that are organic and fresh,” said Barron, “and it happens to be that everything is raw. We’re not cooking or heating anything above about 120 degrees.”
Keeping food below that temperature, she said, ensures that healthful enzymes remain.
The cafe offers a menu of salads, wraps, raw soups, dips, spreads, smoothies, juices, herbal infusions and tonics.
One of the treats available at Ezra’s Enlightened Cafe.
“Our Buddha Bowl is the most popular,” said Barron. “It’s a huge bowl of marinated kale and greens and beets and carrots and all kinds of wonderful stuff.”
Smoothies, such as the popular Cherry Love, with house-made fresh almond milk, have also been a hit, she said. The cafe also offers treats such as chocolate triple-layer brownies, key lime cheesecake, carrot spice muffins and a chocolate mousse that’s made with avocado.
Owner Audrey Barron, left, and head chef Allie McFee.
“Healthy doesn’t have to mean boring or bland,” Barron said.
And customers are apparently eager to try her healthful fare. Lines have been out the door, Barron said.
Such response has been gratifying, said head chef Allie McFee.
“This is our passion,” McFee said. “We’ve been wanting to serve the community of Indianapolis this extremely healthy, organic food, and to see people wanting it and loving it, it fills our hearts up.”
Ezra’s Enlightened Cafe is located in a former garage at 6516 Ferguson St. in Broad Ripple.
Ezra’s Enlightened Cafe is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Check out the website for more info.
Here’s a link to an earlier EatDrinkIndy story on Barron and Ezra’s Enlightened Cafe. — Jolene Ketzenberger
