Restaurant goes vegan after compassionate owner sees graphic, ‘heartbreaking’ animal-rights film
Maria watched it for about 20 minutes before making the Facebook post at 1am. She wrote: Whatever meat products we have now will be the last sold unless I find a better way, I will make the High Note Cafe into a completely vegan establishment in the coming weeks.
MICHAEL DEEDS: ‘It was past midnight when Maria Bahruth suddenly decided something that could make or break her small Downtown Boise restaurant. The High Note Cafe’s owner had gotten 15 minutes into watching “Dominion,” a graphic animal-rights documentary available on YouTube. Bahruth, who calls the 2018 Australian film “heartbreaking,” suddenly found herself baring her soul on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
“Whatever meat products we have now will be the last sold unless I find a better way,” Bahruth wrote. “I will make the High Note Cafe into a completely vegan establishment in the coming weeks. I do promise to still serve excellent food that everyone can enjoy. If it works out, great, if it doesn’t and costs me my livelihood, then so be it”. “I can no longer go forward knowing that I have supported great suffering and inexcusable practices by the meat/egg/dairy industry. I’m terrified, but I know I’m doing the right thing, and the right thing isn’t always lucrative or safe. All my love Boise, Maria.”
From the day it opened in 2012, the High Note Cafe, 225 N. 5th St., has served vegetarian options. Vegan food had grown to include about one-third of the menu in recent months. But Bahruth hadn’t considered making the High Note fully vegan until the night of “Dominion,” she said via email. (Bahruth declined to be interviewed but answered emailed questions.) “I started watching it about 20 minutes before the April 26 original post,” she said. “(It) took about 5 minutes of thinking before I made the post at 1 a.m.”…
The High Note Cafe serves all-day brunch, lunch and dinner… Reinventing the High Note’s from-scratch menu has required long hours and considerable stress. The cafe also juggles a live music schedule. But Bahruth is hopeful a Boise vegan restaurant can be successful. “The movement is growing fast,” she said. “There’s not many good options for dining out if you’re vegan”.’ SOURCE…
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