Welcome to Spork Foods and two sisters who want to change the world week-by-week with healthy gourmet vegan food and a back to basics food philosophy, all served with a generous sprinkle of warm family hospitality.
The Goldberg sisters started Spork Foods in January of this year. They are third generation Angelinos with a family history in entrepreneurship. Jenny is the chef and a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Culinary Arts in New York City and has a BA degree in Environmental Studies. She honed her skills in vegan restaurants in Los Angeles then decided to go it alone as a private chef. This soon evolved into the weekly cooking classes she has today. Jenny is on a mission to teach her community about the “beautiful healing power of food.” She sees her classes as a community building exercise. “We are filling in the pieces lost in society from a generation of fast and convenient food.”
Heather is in charge of the business and marketing side of Spork Foods. She works full-time at an environmental non-profit organization where she educates people’s awareness in environmental issues. Heather talks about making their home inviting and familiar to their clients and points out the photographs of the sister’s family that hang on the wall behind them. “We want to pick up the pieces from a generation lost on fast food,” she says. Part of that philosophy starts at the table where the class sit and eat with the sisters after the food has been prepared.
Knowing that just the term ‘Vegan’ is enough to turn people away from their business, the name “Spork” was chosen as a fun way of demystifying the public’s outdated point of view of vegan food. Jenny goes a step further by turning vegan into delicious gourmet and heart healthy food. Dishes such as Pear, Fig and Sage Tarts with Roasted Garlic Aioli and Pink Lemonade Cupcakes are certainly mouth watering enough to put a spanner in the works of most die-hard meat eaters. Plus it’s all wheat, refined sugar, and dairy free.
Jenny suggests it’s time to eat and we step in to the kitchen, which boasts picturesque views of Silver Lake from the window and a white tiled kitchen countertop to die for. Jenny had spent the day testing the dishes she will prepare for tomorrow’s dessert class. Heather and I sit near the counter and chat while Jenny brings out the food. I am spoiled with Cannoli stuffed with Orange Vegan Ricotta, Chocolate Mint Truffles, and Chocolate Kuala Donut and Cinnamon Glaze. These sisters really know a thing or two about hospitality.
There are 4 themed weekend classes that emphasize organic, local, sustainable, and seasonal ingredients. Jenny is also available for one-on-one consultations and will take you shopping around Silver Lake farmers market. Parents of vegans wishing to learn how to cook for their kids, other chefs, and repeat students have come along to the classes.
If you care enough about your health and want to eat well, I urge you to take a class or two. You’ll receive some sisterly love thrown in for good measure.
