After more than a year of anticipation, Goatlandia founder Deborah Blum’s plant-based kitchen and restaurant in Sebastopol has finally opened to the public.
Located in the former Bar B Que Smokehouse Bistro (611 Laguna Parkway), Blum and her team have been cooking and catering out of the kitchen for months. They officially began dinner service in mid-July.
“Our goal is to create a welcoming space where people can enjoy delicious, healthy food while knowing that every bite supports a healthy community as well as animals in need,” said Blum in an opening announcement.
The wide-ranging Goatlandia Kitchen menu includes small bites, salads, plant-based cheeses and dip boards, entrees and sweets. Call us intrigued by dishes like fried arancini with spicy tomato sauce ($15), mushroom ceviche with leche de tigre ($13), esquite salad with charred corn, heirloom tomatoes and chili lime dressing ($18), a Mediterranean Board with cashew cream, beet hummus, muhammara and fresh naan ($22), crispy rice cakes with greens and miso butter ($24), a polenta bowl with sauteed ratatouille ($22) and carrot cake with cream cheese filling ($13). Many dishes are gluten-free and all are vegan; picky kids can have buttered pasta, hummus and fruit.
Prior to her nonprofit work, Blum was a professional chef who turned her cooking efforts to plant-based meals to promote vegan cuisine, animal welfare and healthy eating. In 2016, she began a catering kitchen for the nonprofit to supplement traditional fundraising.
“What started as a revenue source for us became advocacy,” Blum said after taking over the Sebastopol kitchen in 2022. “I love the notion of changing a meat-based barbecue restaurant into a compassionate kitchen.”
The seasonal menu is driven by locally sourced produce from FEED Sonoma and Little Saint Farm.
Indoor and outdoor dining on their dog-friendly patio is available from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 4 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Wine and beer are available.
All proceeds from the kitchen support Goatlandia’s farm animal rescue work, community outreach and education. More information at goatlandia.org/goatlandiakitchen.