It’s safe to say a world champion boxer needs to eat healthy to stay in top form, right?
Cathedral City native, Tim Bradley, has frequented Palm Greens Café for its carefully sourced menu of health-conscious dishes. Bradley especially loves the wholesome smoothies, so much so that owners Gregory Schmitz and Jeffrey Huyett named one after him.
Now Schmitz and Huyett have brought smoothies like “Bradley’s Ultra Green” and the “Vegan Date Shake” to their new spot on North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs: Mod Café. It’s a quick five-minute drive up the road.
Mod Café is like the best of album from one of your favorite bands. Schmitz and Huyett have taken the best-sellers of Palm Greens Café to Mod Café, making it a little bit country, a little bit rock ’n’ roll, and a little bit zen, rolled together in one clean, organic, modern foodie haven.
“We started off in the beginning at Palm Greens with just a very limited breakfast and lunch menu that was vegetarian,” Schmitz says.
Owners Gregory Schmitz (left) and Jeffrey Huyett say Mod Cafe has evolved from their original Palm Springs restaurant, Palm Greens.
“A few years into it we decided to add organic grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish, organic free-range fowl. Then we started opening for dinner. The whole thing sort of evolved, and so [Mod Café] is really the culmination of all of that.”
The Mod Café menu features fresh and inventive organic, vegan, and gluten-free cuisine.
Mod Café will mark its official grand opening April 8, from 5 to 8 p.m. It’s the same day that next-door neighbor Just Fabulous fêtes its 10th anniversary. The community celebration features live music by the Gand Band, giveaways, and prizes for the best vintage Rat Pack attire. And the one and only Bella de Ball will emcee.
Morning people can rejoice because the new café has already worked out a great symbiotic relationship with its neighbor, Koffi. Because food is love, right? “We encourage the customers to buy their cappuccino and espresso at Koffi and come sit at our table and have breakfast,” Schmitz says.
The interior of Mod Cafe, where you can order this salad sampler for lunch.
Try the thick-sliced rustic toast or bagel with peanut butter and banana, both $5. Morning meals are served daily, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
But they’re not just about breakfast. The Mod Café menu also features the best lunch and dinner items from Palm Greens Café. Currently on the menu: grass-fed beef burger, tempeh Reuben melt, and vegan spinach lasagna.
Schmitz says Mod Café has been about nine years in the making and depending on its popularity (it already has a following), it may be the first of many. Schmitz and Huyett are eyeing possible locations for expansion in Big Bear, Palm Desert, and Yucca Valley.
Mod Café is open Sunday through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. with extended hours Thursday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Mod Cafe, 515 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. 760-699-7714; www.mymodcafe.com