Ezra's Enlightened Café offers customers a culinary haven of organic food items located at 6516 Ferguson Street. Owner Audrey Barron recently described the city's first gluten and dairy-free café that she recently opened.

"I've worked next door at the Playful Soul since 2010 as a massage therapist and for the past five years, I've been teaching classes on this type of food. This was a two-car garage and I thought 'maybe we could put something there.' I had this vision that I wanted to carry out and raised money through various sources to remodel this place and create the café. My dream was to create something that was shining like a bright light in a customer's day. If they have celiac allergies, I wanted to create a café that had gluten-free items. People jump for joy when they come in here. They eat the food and have a good feeling after leaving," she explained.

"We have a couple of staple menu items that people can count on like the Granola Bowl (chili chocolate, granola, bee pollen, goji berries, fresh organic almond milk and bananas), the Buddha Bowl (organic greens, local honey, spice kale, carrot beets, sprouts, fermented vegetables, falafels, avocado with creamy lemon tahini dressing) and Nacho Mama's Bean Bowl (slow cooked beans, quinoa over fresh greens topped with avocado, fermented vegetables, sprouts and pumpkin seeds). Our entrées include a soup of the day. (Recent examples were Creamy Jalapeno Corn, Creamy Tomato Basil and Creamy Zucchini Poblano Soup. These will change with the seasons.) They can count on fresh, vibrant healthy options being available all of the time. We also have a full list of juices, smoothies and an herbal elixir menu with drinks and shots that are made of high quality Chinese herbs. If people need to feel more relaxed or have more energy for the day, they can find it here. We serve organic, NON-GMO (genetically modified organism) items. Much of our produce comes from local farmers," Ms. Barron mentioned.

Other recent entrées include: Rawco Tacos (walnut taco meat on organic lettuce leaves topped with pineapple, strawberry salsa, avocado and local organic sprouts with organic flax crackers and nacho cheese), Not "Tuna" Wrap (not tuna pate, organic carrots, local organic greens and sprouts with lemon herb drizzle wrapped in a organic collard greens with organic flax crackers and a side of kale), Falafel Wrap (raw falafels, organic carrots, organic zucchini hummus, local organic greens, avocado with a side of flax crackers) and Farm to Table Salad (a bed of organic arugula topped with organic strawberries, organic local raw honey, curried sunflower seeds, herbed cashew cheese with organic balsamic olive oil dressing). While the Buddha Bowl and Granola Bowl are available daily, entrée changes occur each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. With the exception of wheat-free tamari and honey, Ezra's menu is almost completely soy-free and vegan, respectively.

Finding a location was only a few steps away from Ms. Barron's workplace. "It goes back to the Playful Soul. I love this area. It's a special area. We focus on holistic items that fit in with it. I live close to Broad Ripple and I have a little one (Ezra)." (Her son is the inspiration behind the café's name.) I knew that I wanted the word 'enlightened' in the name. The food enlightened your senses. It's easier to connect it to with what makes you feel good. The cleaner the food you eat, the more you open up to these things. When we were creating the café, my son (Ezra) was born and it felt right to name the café after him. We opened in August," she noted.

Ms. Barron's interest in healthy foods began early in life: "I grew up in Hartford City and gardened with my Mom and learned to appreciate herbs from my grandmother and basically utilized what Mother Nature provides instead of relying on pharmaceutical drugs. I am a graduate of the world-renowned Living Light Culinary Institute in Fort Brag, California in 2009. Since then, I have been sharing my knowledge of the healing benefits of whole foods through teaching classes, corporate lunch & learns, offering retreats, consulting and as a personal chef."

"We just rolled out our holiday menu, which can be found at: www.ezrasenlightenedcafe.com. We will be offering gift boxes of our treats and natural herbs. People can come in and grab it as a gift. On December 17, we will have an Immune Boost class on how to boost your immune system with foods," she noted. Reading materials on healthy eating can be purchased at Ezra's. Additional classes and events are listed at: www.ezrasenlightenedcafe.com/classes.

Ezra's Enlightened Café hours are Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are closed Monday. For carry out items, please call (317) 255-3972. Grab & Go Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Audrey Barron, Chef Allie McFee and their staff serve customers a renewed consciousness of healthy eating with organic, gluten-free and dairy-free items. Ezra's Enlightened Café can brighten your palette and your life as the holidays swiftly approach in Broad Ripple.