RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT
/OFRA’S KITCHEN
When Ofra Sixto arrived in Vancouver from Israel 30 years ago she had a dream. Coming from a family that had long been involved in the food and hospitality business, she knew that the kitchen was her home, and she wanted to share that home with everyone.
Adapting to a new culture, Ofra met with some challenges; a new language, a new climate, and very different food. With time, she got used to many changes, and even loved many of them, however the one thing that she could not fully adapt to was the food. Her palate craved the taste of Israeli delights: crunchy falafel, creamy hummus, Mouth watering shakshuka, Finely chopped Israeli salad, and other dishes from her home region.
She and her brother operated a Shwarma take-out shop on Hastings near Victory Square for three years, but when her brother returned to Israel Ofra found a new career in child care, until late last year when she decided that it was time to fulfill her lifelong dream and opened Ofra's Kitchen on Denman. The name, she thought, would tell her story. "People will come to my home, my kitchen and share the food I make”.
In Ofra’s Kitchen you can discover those authentic Israeli dishes, all made from scratch, using the freshest ingredients, with attention to details, taste, and presentation.
Ofra’s menu is exclusively vegetarian and vegan, but many of the dishes are hearty and filling. “It’s not one of those vegetarian places where you just give you a salad,” she says. “I’m vegan, but I’m not a rabbit. I love food that fills you up!”
Something you’ll notice when you visit Ofra’s are the beautiful paintings on the wall. While her new business doesn’t leave her much time for painting anymore, these are all works by your hostess, adding splashes of colour to the decor.
Having worked for a few years in the Downtown East Side, Ofra was well aware of the struggles and challenges of Vancouver’s homeless residents, and she’s not one to sit by and wait for someone else to do something about a problem. On the wall by the door you’ll see a large sign reading “Get a Soup, Give A Soup”. Add $5 to your lunch or dinner bill and it will go towards helping Ofra provide free soup to the growing number of homeless in our own community. She takes soup out and about the neighbourhood and has come to now many of the homeless by name. More than 1,000 meals had been distributed in this way at the time of The West End Journal’s visit with Ofra.
A West End resident since opening the restaurant, Ofra is a wonderful addition to the neighbourhood, and we’re all invited to be a part of the Ofra's Kitchen community, where, she tells us, “people and food come together in a perfect harmony."
