Arnold Kauffman. (John Slavin / Inquirer Staff)

A Lansdale cafe that doesn't cook

Cynthia J. McGroarty
Philadelphia Inquirer
Published: Wednesday, August 21, 2002

Eating at a raw-food restaurant requires a serious attitude adjustment. Don't expect any wafting aromas, steaming plates from the kitchen or hovering servers asking, "Would you like me to heat that up?"

On the other hand, you will never burn your tongue.

At Arnold's Way Vegetarian Raw Cafe, a little eatery tucked off West Main Street in Lansdale, kitchen aromas don't seem to matter to the small, but steady, clientele.

"One hundred percent raw," Anne Austin Fishman said one recent afternoon about the diet she adopted to help her regain her health after chemotherapy for stomach cancer.

Fishman, 59, of Lansdale, has been eating at Arnold's Way, named after proprietor Arnold Kauffman, since the restaurant opened in May. Raw foods have taken some getting used to, she said, but the benefits have been worth it.

Kauffman, 55, who moved the cafe to Lansdale after 10 years in Manayunk, makes friends easily with his customers. Many first try his eatery on a lark and come back with a more philosophical commitment to the food, he said.

"This is the most awesome place," said Bernadette Derstien, 35, who has been frequenting Arnold's Way for the banana whip, a frozen drink made from bananas and other fruits.

Derstien, also of Lansdale, said she isn't a total convert to raw food, but "I'm starting to switch over."

"There are some things I don't like, but some things I really like a lot."

Kauffman's menu is made up of vegetable and fruit dishes, with a few seeds and grains added to the mix. There are soups, salads and wraps, as well as pizza, veggie burgers, and something called Monti's Steak, made with mushrooms, carrots, and flax and sunflower seeds.

The gazpacho - a blend of celery, tomatoes, olives, zucchini and peppers - is spiced with a touch of ginger. Unlike traditional chunky varieties, the soup is pureed and the flavor less assertive and more earthy.

The crunchy salads are served without dressing and feature finely cut vegetables and fruit not always found in a salad bowl, including beets, zucchini, broccoli and apples. Traditionalists can find salads made with romaine, tomatoes, carrots and avocado.

To wash it all down, there is just-made, bright-orange carrot juice, which can be mixed with other vegetable or fruit juices, and shots of wheat-grass juice, Kauffman says, to detoxify and energize the body.

Sugar and dairy products are off-limits, but a sweet tooth can be sated with a fruit whip or smoothie or a slice of frozen-fruit pie.

ABOUT THE RESTAURANT

Arnold's Way Vegetarian Raw Cafe
319 W. Main St. Store No. 4 Rear
Lansdale, PA 19446
(215) 361-0116 

DETAILS

Cuisine type
Vegetarian

Hours
Mon.-Thu., 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Attire
Casual

Specialties
Veggie burgers, pizza, wraps, gazpacho, soups, salads, fruit whips and