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The Greatest Veggie Burger in Cape Town or Maybe the Whole World
Sunshine Food Co.’s founder and microgreen farmer Elisha Madzivadondo has been vegan since before he heard the word — now he’s spreading it
The bright yellow wall at Sunshine Food Co. in Sea Point, Cape Town, a 12-square yard restaurant with crates spilling with bright produce and wooden stools to seat five at a push, is an unexpected sight on the busy main road. Peeking out of a functional block of doctor’s rooms, it draws plenty of attention from passersby — some are tourists wandering about the seaside neighborhood, others locals rushing to and from work. They often pause around the shin-high boxes of microgreens — these are greens harvested once the cotyledon leaves develop — outside the door. Freshly pressed juices with names like ‘Ginger Royale’ and ‘Wow,’ smoothies, a custom-made vegan burger patty, and the occasional homemade cake are served starting in the early morning.
When I lived in the area a decade ago, there was a slow bloom of gentrification and a proliferation of coffee shops modeled after the Scandi aesthetic, but none like this…