Tao Natural Foods

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A recent breakfast at Tao Natural Foods recalled a sage observation made by my high school art history teacher, one that has stuck with me all these decades later. We were discussing the seemingly simplistic aspects of Minimalist painter Ellsworth Kelly's work, and a classmate quipped, "I could have done that." Mr. Beehler rolled his eyes. "The point is, you didn't," he said.

That's the Deep Thought that flashed across my mind as my spoon began to tear into a fetching breakfast parfait at Tao (pronounced dow). Just looking at it made me feel healthier, and it was a paragon of taken-for-granted juxtapositions: the sour tang of rich whole-milk yogurt against the genial sweetness of apples, soft banana vs. crunchy granola, bright blueberries next to pale green kiwi fruit. What a lovely way to greet the morning, truly. "Why don't I make this at home?" is what I scribbled in my notebook. Sheer laziness, probably.

All-organic Tao isn't exactly a beacon of culinary innovation. But it's not trying to be, either. The restaurant, part of a larger natural health foods and wellness operation that dates back to 1971 (even further at a previous location), is more the equivalent of a vegetarian/vegan short-order diner, with home-style cooking elevated to a modest commercial scale. It fills a niche, and, in many cases, does what it does very well.

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