The vicinity surrounding the intersection of Ronald Reagan Boulevard and State Road 434 in Longwood is quickly becoming one of Central Florida’s most diverse culinary pockets. In addition to Guntur Kitchen (subject of last week’s review), there’s Summer Breeze Roti Shop and its Trini fare, the soon-to-open Holy City Zoo BBQ, Cali hot dog joint Cupid’s, Taino’s Puerto Rican Flavors and, in Longwood’s historic district, the GoodWay Café — subject of this week’s review. The name may sound somewhat pedestrian, but this is not your typical coffee and sandwich spot. It’s a French plant-based cafe situated inside the Victorian-styled Magnolia Yoga & Wellness Center, a trauma-sensitive safe space promoting a holistic approach to wellbeing.
My friend Andrea had been touting the café for the better part of a year, urging me to take a yoga class prior to sampling the fare. Just walking into the foyer of the wellness center swaddled me with a great sense of calm, and by the time I finished my yoga nidra — most of which was spent in a state of deep rest — I arose reinvigorated, focused and hungry. Leading the good way to the Good Way Café, the pal suggested I try one of their cold-pressed juices ($9). The blend of watermelon, pineapple and orange with a hint of mint proved a crisp counterpoint to the soup du jour’s ($7) warming liquid vigor. On this day, it was a puree of potatoes, mushrooms, celery, garlic and onions topped with cubed croutons, and I all but mouthward-facing-pigged it into my yap.
The café’s Bordeaux-born chef, Amandine Vibert, moved to the U.S. with her husband and teenage kids three years ago after culinary stints in St. Tropez and the Basque Coast. There was even a stint in France (well, the pavilion in EPCOT) prior to the move to Longwood but, point is, her classical training shows…