Good Local
Matakana’s Hungry Elephant has quickly become a destination for its delicious vegetarian and vegan fare.
The Hungry Elephant, Matakana
L ike all main road cafés, Hungry Elephant Real Food Café and Organic Store is an easy one to pass by if you don’t know what it is you’re looking for.
So next time you drive to Matakana, slow down on the approach to this popular town and pull over because you will be surprised at what you will find.
This deli-style café is nirvana for anyone with food allergies as well as foodies, offering a wide variety of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, and out-of-this-world raw and dairy-free desserts, all made from the finest quality organic and locally sourced ingredients.
The counter is heaving with its popular vegan and vegetarian salads. Everything is so delicious that it’s sure to satisfy meat lovers as well.
Coffee addicts are catered for but we recommend trying something new from the hot drinks menu like a hazelnut hot chocolate, dandelion tea, matcha tea or a spicy chai turmeric latte.
The Hungry Elephant opened its doors in July 2016. It’s a dream project close to café owner Shouri Khosravi’s heart. Today Khosravi is a glowing picture of health but she used to be extremely unwell and obese until she went on a raw food diet. After two weeks of drinking only water and eating raw food, she was literally transformed.
“I was very ill. I had severe allergies, bad asthma, acne, liver dysfunction and I was obese. I couldn’t move or breathe well. I tried everything from conventional medicine to natural therapies but nothing worked for me until I’d changed my lifestyle,” Khosravi says. “After two weeks I was free of everything and lost lots of weight. I’m sure it was water retention because my body wasn’t doing great – my kidneys and liver were full of toxins.”
Having this experience inspired her to open Hungry Elephant. “I wanted to do something with real food that nourishes your body and uses the best oil because I know how bad rancid oil and even certain types of vegetable oil can be for the human body,” she says. “I also wanted to prove to people that even without meat, a piece of salmon and even dairy, you can still make beautiful dishes.”
She chose the name Hungry Elephant because elephants are famous for their longevity, are a symbol of wisdom, and because they are vegetarian. “The elephant is a very cool animal and lots of people keep asking me and other vegans and vegetarians, ‘but where do you get your protein from?’. I get my protein from the same source that elephants get their protein from and they are very robust and strong animals.”
The spacious seating area and garden is also tranquil and relaxing. Located at the rear and not visible from the main road, it overlooks native bush and a natural waterfall in the valley below. On sunny days the room is opened up to allow patrons to enjoy being in nature.
After your meal, smoothie or juice you can do your shopping too in the adjacent grocery store which is filled with local organic produce and products – even Shakti mats. It's no wonder that when people come here, they stay for hours. It’s rather hard to leave but when you do, the ‘give way’ sign at the exit also reminds patrons to ‘give love’. Now that really is a beautiful thing.
Hungry Elephant Real Food Café and Organic Store, 615 Matakana Rd, Matakana. (09) 422 9176 Opening hours: 9.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday; 8am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday.