LYFE Kitchen, a "Lifestyle Restaurant," Opens Jan 2013

As exterior signage announces, LYFE Kitchen is "Coming Soon" to Culver City. Late last week management gathered at the under construction 7,280-square-foot restaurant to publicly discuss the debut, which is set for January 2013. Described as a "lifestyle restaurant" that "combines natural ingredients with sustainable practices," LYFE Kitchen is a project by former global president and COO of McDonald's Corporation, Mike Roberts, and former Chief Communications and External Relations Officer at McDonald's USA, Mike Donahue. But LYFE isn't about greasy burgers and fries.

As previously mentioned, Art Smith and vegan chef Tal Ronnen (both have cooked for Oprah) consulted on the menu which touts most dishes containing under 600 calories, made with ingredients sourced locally and sustainably. Here's an example of the menu served at LYFE's first location in Palo Alto, note price of plate, number of calories, and amount of sodium readily visible.

Just like in Palo Alto, the Culver City LYFE Kitchen will incorporate a living wall made from 25 different herbs, and ubiquitous eco-friendly elements from LED lighting to zero VOC paint. New to SoCal is the addition of a hydroponic garden wall. So far management has partnered with Thorne Family Farm, Weiser Family Farms, and Kenter Canyon Farms with more to come.
·All LYFE Kitchen Coverage [~ELA~]