Twelve years ago, Aubergine Kitchen started with a simple realization:
The way we were eating at home didn’t exist outside of it.
My family and I had made a shift. We became more intentional about what we ate—not from a place of restriction, but from a desire to feel better. More energy. More clarity. More consistency in how we showed up each day.
We started paying attention to ingredients. To how food affected not just our health, but our ability to live fully.
And once we saw that, we couldn’t ignore it.
Principles Over Preferences
From the beginning, Aubergine was never meant to follow trends. It was built on principles—because principles hold, even when everything else changes.
These are not marketing ideas. They are decisions we make every day.
We never compromise. Not on quality, not on ingredients, not on how food is prepared. Because once you understand what food does to the body, compromise is no longer neutral—it has a cost.
We make from scratch, every day. Because how something is made matters just as much as what goes into it.
We center on whole foods—nutrient-dense, unprocessed, close to how they exist in nature. Because the body recognizes real food.
A Different Standard
We made a decision early on to remove what does not serve the body.
We sweeten with fruit—never added sugar.
We bake, never fry—no trans fats, no seed oils.
We choose good fats, sourced from the earth, not manufactured in a lab.
These choices require more effort. They are not the easiest path. But they are the right one.
And over time, the right decisions compound.
Beyond Calories
One of the most important shifts we made was this:
We stopped asking how many calories something had, and started asking what it would do for the body.
We focus on nutrients. On how food supports energy, recovery, and long-term health.
Because people don’t just want to eat. They want to feel better.
Consistency Through Every Season
Over the past twelve years, we’ve seen growth, change, and challenges. The industry has evolved. New ideas have come and gone.
But principles don’t change.
There have been opportunities to do things faster, cheaper, or more conveniently. To follow what is popular instead of what is true.
We’ve chosen consistency.
Because principles only matter if they hold—especially when it’s difficult.
Thank You
To everyone who has supported Aubergine Kitchen over the past twelve years—thank you.
You are part of this.
And we are just getting started.
— Elcio Zanatta
Founder & CEO, Aubergine Kitchen
I wanted to share some feedback as a longtime customer.
I’ve been dining at your restaurant since you opened your very first location, and for years it was my absolute favorite. My husband and children gave me gift cards to your restaurant for Christmas, Mother’s Day, my birthday, and other special occasions because everyone knew how much I loved it. My friends and I celebrated birthdays there with lunch, and I recommended your restaurant to countless people.
Unfortunately, over time I’ve watched the experience change, and not for the better. The move to bottling your own beverages, the increasing number of extra charges, and what feels like a very rigid approach to substitutions have been disappointing. On a recent visit, I substituted one type of nut for another in a salad—an ingredient in the same category—and was charged. Being charged for extra dressing or sauce when a salad is already dry only adds to the feeling that customers are being nickel-and-dimed.
I understand that food costs have increased and that restaurants have to make difficult business decisions. However, as prices have gone up, the generosity and hospitality that once made your restaurant stand out seem to have diminished.
As a result, I’ve stopped coming. There are many other restaurants serving fresh, high-quality food that provide a better overall value and a more customer-friendly experience, and that’s where I’ve chosen to spend my money.
It genuinely makes me sad to see a restaurant I once loved lose some of what made it so special. I hope you’ll consider how these policies affect the experience of longtime, loyal customers. I wish you the best and hope you’re able to recapture the warmth and value that made your restaurant such a favorite for so many years.
Thank you for writing this. It means more than you know, and it stings in the best way because it comes from someone who genuinely cared.
We hear you on the substitutions, the charges, and the shift in feel. And your feedback matters.
We’d love to earn you back. Please reach out at care@auberginekitchen.com.