Lov'n It Live Restaurant Offers Vegan Delicacies

By Bill Baldowski
bbaldowski@neighbornewspapers.com

Jusy Harper, co-owner with her husband, Vincent of the
Lov'n It Live vegan restaurant in East Point, said one thing
you won't find in her kitchen is an oven.

The vegetarian dining experience is alive, well and prospering in East Point at Lov'n It Live Restaurant, 2796 East Point St. near East Point City Hall.

According to Judy Harper who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, Vincent, the response to her vegetarian menu has been outstanding, especially with such customer favorites as the non-beef Sage Burger, made with nuts and stuffed with almonds, as well as its Tostado, filled with mixed greens, bell peppers, onions, black olives and avocados.

This marks the fifth year for Lov'n It Live and the restaurant's customer base continues to expand, Harper said, primarily through word-of-mouth.

"We have everything here that many other restaurants have except there isn't an oven to be found," Harper said.

"I would say repeat customers account for more then 60 percent of our business," she added. "I think it helps that our customers know everything we prepare is from scratch."

Plans for the restaurant had a rather uncommon start.

Seven years ago, Harper's husband suffered a stroke but, instead of taking a long list of medications, he decided to treat his condition by changing his lifestyle, especially his diet.

Harper said she had also retired at that time and "was looking for something to do, so we decided to open up a raw foods restaurant."

"We were looking for available space inside the city of East Point and we found it, surprisingly, while waiting in a line at the bank," she remembered.

At that time, Harper's bank was located in the same structure that now serves as East Point's Customer Service Department, adjacent to city hall.

"While standing in line, I noticed a vacant building just across the street from the bank and thought it would be an ideal location and it sure has been,' Harper said,

With her husband taking a holistic approach to treating his condition, Harper felt East Point, and the surroundinig community, needed a restaurant that not only provided tasty food, but in so doing, provided a healthier diet alternative to the typical burger and fries, fast food lunch and diner menu.

With freshly-prepared entries priced from $8 to $21 plus a person garden which provides many of the needed raw ingredients for her vegan menu, Harper is already thinking of opening new Lov'n It Live locations.