Rutabegorz Restaurant - 944 Magazine

Bohemia is Alive and Well
Culinary and Cultural Worlds Collide in Fullerton

By Kimmy Powell
For�944
April, 2008

It's not surprising that many businesses have been incorporating more eco-friendly practices in the last few years, but Paul Berkman has taken a more earth-savvy approach to his restaurants than the usual offering of organic produce. As the owner of Rutabagorz ? with locations in Fullerton, Orange and Tustin ? his love for both the environment and delicious food has made the restaurants some of the most progressive in Orange County with a complete overhaul of how he operates each of them. According to Dane Henderson, Rutabegorz's general manager at the Fullerton location, its green project began last year with the switch to unbleached products and corn-based, transparent, take-out containers that have a 45-day biodegradable cycle. The restaurant is now leaning toward using environmentally friendly foam. Innovation and a chameleon-like quality to integrate itself with the times have made this Fullerton institution viable for the last 38 years, not to mention its other locations in Orange and Tustin. Not by accident, and not a ﬂuke, Rutabegorz's staying power comes from its ability to reinvent itself while staying true to its ideals. "The staying power of most things is that you have to come to it with the same energy and the same perspective," says Berkman. "You have to realize it is a job and you have to work hard at it. You can't take your eye off it and when you're independent, you can only delegate so much. That's where the staying power is. You're the person in control. Listening to people who come here, watching, seeing what they eat, and you know, not trying to force my ideals on anybody ? I'm just trying to take it slow." Housed in a charming, white brick building one block removed from the main drag of downtown Fullerton, Rutabegorz is a no-frills place that caters to a demographic seemingly more in tune with the politics of liberal Santa Cruz or San Francisco rather than conservative Orange County. Originally carved out to be a coffee house before Starbucks became a household name, "Ruta's" ? as the locals call it ? served coffee and desserts to long- haired college hippies, granting the luxury of an all-day visit in exchange for a $1 purchase. Berkman gradually added sandwiches, salads and soups to the mix. Today the menu spans 24 pages of newsprint, with many items that have remained staple favorites for the last 20 years. New items are frequently added, however, and daily and monthly specials rotate, keeping the menu fresh. Berkman describes the menu as "old-school vegetarian, which is a lot of real vegetables ? steamed veggies, vegetable salads. We try not to have things that taste vegan." Berkman admits that soy and tempeh haven't generated huge demand. Rather, wholesomely created dishes using fresh and natural ingredients selected locally work wonders. Here, fast food functions as myth, and absent are fried or heavily processed products. All menu items are baked and cooked on the premises daily. And the portions, true to Berkman's college day roots, are ﬁt for two. Worthy tries include: the Gringo burrito (a whole what tortilla stuffed with chicken, broccoli and rice); the popular steamed veggie pot covered with piping hot cheese sauce; The Squash that Got Stuffed (zucchini stuffed with cheese and veggies); and the myriad of salads that span a global spectrum, such as the Mediterranean (feta, artichoke hearts, salami, olives and more), and the apple spinach salad with caramelized walnuts, chicken breast, bleu cheese crumbles and homemade Dijon vinaigrette dressing ? a perfect blend of textures combined with a tart and tangy punch. Back in the '70s, people believed Berkman's enterprise was bizarre. Today he's considered a guru, although the owner does admit to towing a 50/50 line, catering to two halves of a partnership, the herbivore and carnivore. The denizens who believe there's room for both worlds rightfully call this place home. Much of Berkman's philosophy arises from the eclectic vibe of the '70s, but he realizes only certain things have translated to the here and now. "I always wanted a place for people to hang out, a mix for people to gather and talk," says Berkman. "There's a lot of stuff that came out of that period [the '70s] that you couldn't do today. A person can't sing and play a guitar and command a whole room like they did 20 years ago, political stuff that you talked about around the table, a lot of different ideas ? less taking away your attention." Many restaurants have come and gone in and around Fullerton, but few appear to have the staying power and backburner appeal like that of Rutabegorz. Long live vegetarianism, bohemia and all that goes into keeping "Ruta's" relevant for the times.