Photograph by Kathy De La Torre

Larry Otani, manager of the Good Earth Fresh Cafe, in Los Gatos, welcomes patrons.

Good Earth offers healthy foods for diverse palates

Sandwich shop at Lake Tahoe was inspiration

By Suzanne Cristallo

A small sandwich shop serving fresh and "healthful" foods at Lake Tahoe caught the attention of Murray Horton during a visit in 1975. The Peninsula native, who then worked in the electronics field, recognized the concept of providing "food that is good for you" as being right for the times. He arranged with the store owners to use the name Good Earth and quickly opened his own shop in Palo Alto.

"It took off," says Alan Moll, who is now a partner with Charlotte and Murray Horton. The couple quickly expanded into a Palo Alto-based restaurant chain, adding stores in Cupertino, Santa Clara, Los Gatos and San Mateo. They also own two Fontana Italian restaurants and three delis.

The Los Gatos location, which was renamed Good Earth Fresh Cafe a year ago, has been a fixture for 22 years on N. Santa Cruz Avenue. It is a familiar eating spot for locals who found vegetarian dishes there long before they became trendy. But recognizing trends in tastes, the partners have added meat-and-potatoes specials to their fresh, organic food-that-is-good-for-you base. There's also more of a bistro look about the servers, who wear white shirts and long, black aprons.

Los Gatos General Manager Larry Otani says his parents are good examples of current tastes in dining. He notes, "Dad's a meat-and-potatoes guy, while my mom likes to experiment with new dishes." Otani says his father never would have thought of coming to Good Earth to order a steak until he heard about the new menu. Now they come frequently, and secure with the knowledge that meat and potatoes are available, "Dad chooses to order strawberry waffles," Otani chuckles.

Other breakfast standards are the spinach, mushroom and tomato scramble (made with tofu, if desired), the turkey sausage scramble, and the jalapeño and tortilla chip scramble.

For lunch, Good Earth serves dishes such as an eggplant and parmesan sandwich; the signature Planet Burger made of veggies, soy nuts, kidney beans, sesame and sunflower seeds; and the Sonoma Burger of brown rice and veggies served with avocado and sun-dried tomatoes on focaccia bread.

For dinner, popular dishes are Guatemalan chicken with bananas and beans or a giant stuffed baked potato with chicken, prawns or tofu added or made into a chow mein-like dish without the potato. All pastries and breads are baked with organic grains and freshly milled flour at Good Earth's central Palo Alto bakery.

"We like to cater to special tastes," says Otani, who will tailor dishes to accommodate diners' dietary needs.

The 44-year-old San Jose native has worked with the Good Earth chain since 1986, not long after receiving a degree in food management from West Valley College. He's worked at the Los Gatos location off and on for nearly eight years. A weekly golfer who admits to a 20 handicap, he enjoys spending his sometimes 12-hour days at the front of the house with his customers.

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Good Earth Fresh Cafe, 206 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos. Open Sun.-Thu., 7:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Fri. and Sat., 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Breakfast served daily 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. (until 3 p.m. on weekends). 408.395.6868.

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