Historic, popular downtown restaurant saved. Meet the new owners, what they have planned
When the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown restaurants in Lexington in March, one longtime dining fixture announced that it probably would not be coming back, at least under the present owner.
“After much consideration we’ve decide that we will not be able to re-open Alfalfa once it is safe to do so. We appreciate everyone’s help and support over the past two years,” the owners posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page on March 23.
The restaurant that launched on South Limestone almost 50 years ago as a “hippie” eatery before moving to Main Street was on the verge of closing. Again.
It had been rescued once in 2016 by Bourbon ‘n’ Toulouse Cameron and Kevin Heathcoat, who sold it in 2018 to Amy and Jeb Messer, who also own Lynagh’s, and Joe McGinley, then manager of Cosmic Charlie’s.
But the owners held out one ray of hope: They would be willing to sell it.
“If anyone is interested in carrying on the legacy of Alfalfa and would like to discuss taking over the restaurant message us here or send an email to alfalfalexington@gmail.com. Good luck to everyone on getting through these difficult times.”
Well, Tiffany Bellfield El-Amin saw that as a opportunity too good to pass up.
“When I heard Alfalfa’s was available, I turned to my husband and said ‘we’ve got to buy it,’” she said. That’s just what Tiffany and Wali El-Amin have done.
They plan to reopen the restaurant by August.
“It will still be Alfalfa,” she said.
Wali El-Amin said that they want to hear from long-time Alfalfa fans about which items they need to keep. Could the buckwheat pancakes be waffles, for instance?
“Our mission is to provide healthy eating at an inexpensive price,” he said.
Much of the menu probably will remain the same, with an increased emphasis on buying locally sourced farm goods, including from Tiffany’s Ballew Estates in Richmond.
She plans on setting up a small store in the front corner of the dining room, which will have reduced seating capacity anyway, to showcase her herbal teas as well as other Kentucky Proud products. She’s also active in Kentucky’s Black Soil project promoting black farmers.
Tiffany El-Amin has worked for about three years for Community Farm Alliance, where she is now the food justice organizer, building networks between growers and those in need.
She believes Alfalfa, with its “outside the mainstream” background, can be a hub for Lexington connecting people with resources and opportunities.
“Love is our religion. We just want people to be in the space and feel the love,” she said. “And food is a big part of that.”
This is their first venture into restaurant ownership, but Wali El-Amin has operated a food truck, Gator’s Goodies, and Tiffany El-Amin has worked in restaurants too. So they know the business from that side as well as from the farm side.
They also plan to bring an Alfalfa food truck out to local festivals and events soon, too.
“I work in local food systems in Kentucky, and on the need for community engagement and hub locations,” she said. “And feeding people is a need.”
She plans to launch a CSA-style feeding program in June that will target new mothers in need (Tiffany also is a doula), and will work with local farmers to “build on that mission of keeping things healthy and local. That was my priority. We could feed people all day but how is that going to help Kentucky and our economy.”
But their connection to Alfalfa also is personal.
“It was one of our first dates,” she said. “We had the red beans and rice.”
So you’ll always be able to come to Alfalfa’s and get something vegan and vegetarian and find gluten-free options, she said.
But she hopes you’ll be able to find something more as well, such as connection.
“When I came in, most of the time it for something else other than the food, but it’s also the local food,” El-Amin said. “People come in, they’re eating, talking, learning about cooperative space and economics. This is just another piece of the puzzle.”
This story was originally published May 29, 2020 at 3:10 PM.
