Love is Served: Inspired Plant-Based Recipes from Southern California: A Cookbook

Price: $35.00 - $17.45
(as of Sep 11, 2026 15:24:22 UTC – Details)


Bright, clean, and hip recipes to enchant vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike, from plant-based haven Café Gratitude.
Before it was a fixture on the L.A. dining scene and a magnet for celebrity diners, Café Gratitude was founded in the Bay Area with the simple ethos that joy derives from loving and being grateful for food, health, and good company. The dishes are named to double as affirmations of self. “I Am Fearless,” “I Am Humble,” and “I Am Open-Hearted” nod to the restaurant’s core belief that food is just as much about spirit as it is about appetite. Since then, the café has evolved quite a bit. It’s changed locations, expanded, and been the backdrop for more paparazzi shots than one can count. But the founding principles have remained the same, and the food continues to celebrate the flavors of plants with organic, from-scratch, and healthful ingredients free of animal products, processed soy, and, in almost all cases, refined sweeteners.
Now, with Love is Served, Seizan Dreux Ellis, executive chef at Café Gratitude, brings Gratitude-quality meals to your table and the soul and mission of the restaurant to your home. Indulge in café favorites “I Am Awakening” (Raw Key Lime Pie) and “I Am Passionate” (Black Lava Cake) while cooking up hearty, nourishing dishes like Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Ragout (“I Am Warm-Hearted”) and Radicchio, Roasted Butternut Squash, and Sundried Tomato Pesto Grain Salad (“I Am Gracious”). With unfussy methods and easy-to-access ingredients, this cookbook makes the wholesome satisfaction of the restaurant as accessible as ever for the home cook as it charms and inspires readers to change the way they look at food.

From the Publisher

I Am Whole

Macriobiotic Bowl

I Am Giving

Ancient Grain Pizzas

I Am Divine

Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Avery
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 7, 2020
Edition ‏ : ‎ Illustrated
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0525540059
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0525540052
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.87 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.27 x 1.26 x 10.28 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #755,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #176 in California Cooking, Food & Wine #1,309 in Vegan Cooking (Books) #2,146 in Celebrity & TV Show Cookbooks
Customer Reviews: 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (353) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers love the cookbook’s gorgeous photography and find the recipes surprisingly delicious, with clearly written instructions. Moreover, they appreciate the vegan content, with one customer noting it serves as a vegan bible cookbook. However, the recipes receive mixed feedback regarding complexity, with some finding them wonderful while others note they might be more complex. Additionally, the ingredient list receives mixed reviews, with several customers mentioning too many unfamiliar/specialty ingredients.