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e Fernandez Brothers outside of the Oasis Vegetarian Cafe Photo by Jennifer Lara
admit, the nearest fruit can only be found withering next to the gum rack at the corner liquor store. ey knew that owning their own restaurant would mean being able to o er something better, something the com- munity desperately needed and deserved. Al- though Oasis would have been a hit in any health-conscious community, they opted to ful ll their dream in an area that needed it the most.
Cooking runs in the Fernandez blood, and delicious vegetarian recipes have been passed down from generation to generation, nally making their way onto the cafés menu when it opened in 1996.
allows for seemingly endless build-your-own combinations of proteins, veggies, and sauc- es.
Since it opened its doors, the growth of the cafe has been a true family a air. e family has always been involved in one way or another; cleaning drain traps, putting to- gether social media marketing campaigns, attending tax meetings, covering a shift, tak- ing orders, making them, you name it. No one in the family is a stranger to hard work, and if you ask any of them, they truly love serving and feel a deep sense of ful llment in seeing their customers take a bite, chew, and close their eyes in satisfaction.
Cooking runs in the Fernandez blood, and
delicious vegetarian recipes have been passed
down from generation to generation, nally
making their way onto the cafés menu when
it opened in 1996. eir homemade veg-
gie meat, labeled “carnitas” on the menu, is
grandma’s secret recipe. Classic Guatemalan foods like tamales and pupusas have stubbornly, yet lovingly, kept their popular place on the menu since grandma insisted years ago. New recipes have come to stay like the Oasis veggie patty, herb-roasted potato wedges with red pepper sauce, and sweet fried plantains. Best of all, their menu
e Oasis Vegetarian Café story is a spe- cial one; the humble little cafe is the only one in the I.E. serving truly plant-based, scratch-made cuisine that is nearly entirely or- ganic. Vegans know it as the best-kept secret because everything on the menu is vegan unless you speci cally ask for egg, cheese, or honey. Meat-eaters forget the absence of meat because the recipes
26 Endless Summer 2017
www.edibleorangecounty.com