It means more than a meal for Elihu Israel. When you walk through the doors of Vegan World Cafe on the West Side of Chicago and see a mural of him and his wife Latricia Estese on the left wall, a calming spirit already touches your soul.
A mentee of Black Panther royalty Fred Hampton Jr., Israel simply wants Black people to eat living foods. Recently, he spoke more in-depth with rolling out about his mission.
At what point did you want to promote veganism within the Black community?
Well, I’ve been in I’ve been a vegan for over 25 years. So, my journey started way back before I met my wife.
I was like 8 or 9 years old [when] y brother suggested I stop eating pork. I wasn’t hearing that, I was a shorty. I started working in a restaurant when I was 10. Within that process from 10 to 15, my body started going through rejections. My body started rejecting pork first. Then, at 14, 15, it started rejecting beef. At 19 to 21, chicken. So by the time I get to 23, I haven’t eaten any flesh since I was 22, 23.
I’m originally from Englewood, South Chicago. The veganism family on the South Side is bigger than it is on the West Side. That’s why one of the reasons the spirit had me come to the West Side, is to bring my knowledge [and] wisdom. My spirit’s here because there’s not really anything over here. So we’re the first ones in the Austin area on the West Side of Chicago with a vegan restaurant.
Why do Black people need to be more conscious of they are eating?
First of all, I believe we need to be aware of the Bible. The Bible pinpoints dietary structure. Genesis 1:29 tells you that you should eat from the vines, trees and the ground. Then, you go further into Genesis 9: 4-5, it breaks down that if you consume anything that has blood in it, you will take on the traces of that animal. What happens when you slaughter a cow, it’s going to go through its schizophrenia stage, and all that stuff goes into its flesh. Then when it goes to the slaughterhouse and is cut off, all of that stuff is still in its flesh. Then, when you go into the grocery store and purchase it, you consume that. Whatever the animal went through, that’s what we put in our bodies. Our bodies go through diss-ease because they have gone through some chemical imbalances.
Where can people follow you on social media?
Facebook, Vegan World Cafe, Instagram, Vegan World Cafe. Check us out. Veganworldcafe.com is our website. We are located at 5419 West North Avenue, in the Austin area on the West Side of Chicago.
