Seventh-day Adventist vegetarianism

The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) dining scene in Los Angeles is shaped by the denomination’s historic promotion of a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, as exemplified by Loma Linda University (LLU). LLU’s dining services explicitly follow a lacto-ovo vegetarian (vegetables, eggs, dairy, no meat) menu, rooted in over a century of SDA health advocacy ^[1]. The university operates four on-campus dining locations, including the Councilors Student Pavilion (CSP), which serves traditional SDA recipes alongside a salad bar and grab-and-go items ^[1]. LLU does not offer meal plans but provides a 10% discount to students and employees ^[1].

Explicitly SDA-aligned restaurants in the LA area include Berbere by T&T Lifestyle in Santa Monica, a vegan Ethiopian restaurant opened in September 2021 by SDA couple Tezeta Alemayehu and Tsega-Ab Fenta ^[2]. The restaurant closes early on Fridays and remains closed all day Saturday in observance of the Sabbath, a practice the owners say has positively impacted their business by allowing them to share their faith ^[2]. The menu features items like a breakfast burrito made with scrambled tofu, Berbere roasted potato, Teff Injera, and whole wheat tortilla ^[2].

Beyond these specific examples, the provided sources do not list other LA restaurants explicitly aligned with SDA dietary principles. The LLU dining page includes a list of nearby restaurants within a 5-mile radius, but these are general commercial establishments (e.g., Chipotle, Panda Express, Taco Bell) and are not described as SDA-aligned ^[1].

Regarding Loma Linda University’s role: LLU is the institutional anchor of the SDA dining ethos in the region. Its dining services explicitly promote a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet as foundational to health, and the university’s CSP location features traditional SDA recipes ^[1]. The university’s influence extends through its catering and conference center, which also adhere to the lacto-ovo vegetarian standard ^[1].

Mexican-origin ingredients noted in the sources: The LLU dining list includes Chipotle Mexican Grill and Taco Bell among nearby options ^[1], but no specific Mexican-origin ingredients (chile, tomato, corn, chocolate, vanilla, beans, avocado, pumpkin) are mentioned in the provided excerpts.