Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Golden Ray and Jenny Engel.
Hi Heather and Jenny, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Working for someone else long-term wasn’t an option.
We were raised by an art teacher Mom who grew up in LA by two hard-working parents and by a Dad who grew up in Brooklyn, a TRUE self-starter. They taught us to always be in charge of our own destiny. Dad didn’t ever want us going up to someone and asking for a raise. He wanted us to do this life thing on our terms, no matter how difficult.
Anyone who has ever opened their own business knows there are challenges that keep you up at night. We decided long ago to live a happy and healthy life no matter what was going on at work. This has been our promise to ourselves and each other.
Hey, Sunshine Kitchen wasn’t born out of choice. It is our deep life purpose. We believe each being is here on this planet short term, and each one of us has gifts no one else has quite like that individual does. It is up to each one of us to find these gifts, cultivate them, and give them to the world. Hey, Sunshine Kitchen is exactly that. Jenny’s culinary talents and Heather’s ability to market our passion and love, have culminated to this moment in time.
True passion can be found when the mind gets very quiet during meditation. This stillness is where we located HSK.
We came up with the idea for Hey, Sunshine Kitchen as a way to promote healthier eating within our community. We wanted to create a space where everyone, no matter their dietary preference, could enjoy flavorsome, innovative, and hearty plant-based meals. Through Hey, Sunshine Kitchen, we hope to showcase how delicious and satisfying plant-based food can be. Our dream of bringing Hey, Sunshine Kitchen to life started 4.5 years ago at a trade show in Dallas. We played with so many iterations of the menu for years. We had a plant-based BBQ idea at first, but ultimately, we decided on super fresh and healthy warm bowls, salads, tacos, and sandwiches that are all eco-friendly and non-GMO. We came up with the name, Hey, Sunshine Kitchen on a work trip in Denver during an actual thunderstorm at a restaurant called Linger. If you ever eat there, you may see the painting that inspired our name.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Opening a restaurant has been by far one of the most challenging experiences of our lives from the beginning and will continue to challenge us.
In each phase of this project, the struggles have been major. Just from when we negotiated our leases. In one case, a landlord rented the space out from under us just after we had finished all negotiations which took a full year.
Getting through permitting was unbelievable.
Hiring and firing is a great challenge.
We could go on and on but truly, we try not to focus too much on these items. We just dig in on them, get it done, and keep going. We don’t dwell on it or take them personally.
We knew it would be difficult to live out this dream, but we decided early on that we would live a peaceful life no matter the circumstances. We try to take a Birds Eye view of our issues, keeping in mind that we are just souls living in a body having a human experience because of our desire to be here and live out our dreams. When we remember this each day, as big as the problems feel, it puts everything in perspective.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Hey, Sunshine Kitchen?
We are Heather Golden Ray and Jenny Engel, sisters, Momtrepreneurs, and lovers of the planet. We have been business partners since 2007 in the plant-based space. We opened our first restaurant, Hey, Sunshine Kitchen just three weeks ago! Our restaurant is plant-based, non-GMO, and our ingredients are high quality. We are a fast-casual concept in Culver City, seeking to inspire our community to nourish their inner shine through plant-based eating.
https://www.heysunshinekitchen.com
How did you come up with the idea for HSK?
We came up with the idea for Hey, Sunshine Kitchen as a way to promote healthier eating within our community. We wanted to create a space where everyone, no matter their dietary preference, could enjoy flavorsome, innovative, and hearty plant-based meals. Through Hey, Sunshine Kitchen, we hope to showcase how delicious and satisfying plant-based food can be.
Our dream of bringing Hey, Sunshine Kitchen to life started 4.5 years ago at a trade show in Dallas. We played with so many iterations of the menu for years. We had a plant-based BBQ idea at first, but ultimately, we decided on super fresh and healthy warm bowls, salads, tacos, and sandwiches that are all eco-friendly and non-GMO. We came up with the name, Hey, Sunshine Kitchen on a work trip in Denver during an actual thunderstorm at a restaurant called Linger. If you ever eat there, you may see the painting that inspired our name.
For folks who may not have read about you before, can you please tell our readers about yourself, how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft, etc?
We have had a love for cooking since childhood. Since we were five, we both adored being in the kitchen with our parents and cooking meals for our friends and family to enjoy. Plant-based cuisine is our passion, and it has always been our mission to bring simple yet delicious plant-based recipes into as many peoples’ lives as possible. Over the course of our careers, we’ve held vegan cooking classes, offered catering services, conducted chef training and corporate events, and held private cooking consultations, and innovated/sold plant-based food products to food giants like Follow Your Heart. We also authored two cookbooks, Vegan 101 and Spork-Fed, which are available on Amazon.
What type of products/services/creative works do you provide?
At Hey, Sunshine Kitchen, we have healthy plant-based dishes that range from warm bowls, salads, tacos, sandwiches, and fresh juices that pop with vibrant color and flavor. We wanted to create a space where everyone could enjoy flavorsome, innovative, and hearty plant-based meals. Through Hey, Sunshine Kitchen, we hope to showcase how delicious and satisfying plant-based food can be.
What problems do you solve for your clients and/or what do you think sets you apart from others?
Eating plant-based can sometimes be a challenge. Some may find it difficult to adjust to the taste and texture of plant-based alternatives or may have limited access to these options. At Hey, Sunshine Kitchen, we hope to provide plant-based, 100% non-GMO options that are delicious to everyone, regardless if they follow a plant-based diet or not. Our hope is to provide a nutritious dining experience that paves the way toward a greener, more sustainable future and encourages healthier eating.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What we like best about our city: We can get to the mountains, desert, and ocean relatively quickly to recharge!
Least – NOTHING!
Contact Info:
- Website: heysunshinekitchen.com
- Instagram: heysunshinekitchen
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heysunshinevegan
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hey-sunshine-kitchen-culver-city
Image Credits
James Juarez
