Cafe Merlot can help you make a healthy change

Looking to live a healthier lifestyle? Cafe Merlot can help you make the change.

The restaurant, located within the Bernardo Winery at 13330 Paseo del Verano Norte, celebrated its 10th anniversary on Jan. 1.

“We appreciate the fact that we’ve been here (at the Bernardo Winery) for ten years,” said Toni Kraft, owner of Cafe Merlot. “We’re really humbled and happy.”

Kraft said that other than a few employees who have moved on, most of her staff are the same as when the cafe first opened. “We’re a cohesive family,” she said.

While Cafe Merlot may be a restaurant, it also offers cooking classes, which Kraft said have been making the move to being more holistic.

“We’re advocates for people who want to live healthy,” said Kraft.

Cafe Merlot is partners with Live Well San Diego, an initiative started by the City of San Diego to encourage its citizens to live healthier lives, and Kraft said that this partnership has led her and her staff to shake up their business and their lives.

“We looked introspectively at ourselves and said, are we healthy and living the brand?” said Kraft. “It led us to shake up our menus and put a healthier spin on things, a healthier menu and cooking classes to teach people how to eat healthier.”

Over 6,200 have gone through the cooking classes at Cafe Merlot, said Kraft. “It’s the same style of classes, we’re just taking the recipes and our mission more seriously.”

Cooking classes are generally held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays at Cafe Merlot, unless otherwise noted, and are $69 each.

To sign up for a cooking class, call Toni Kraft at 858-592-7785. A full list of classes can be found at cafemerlot.com.

Cafe Merlot’s new holistic approach to food can also be seen in its regular menu as well. While Cafe Merlot has always used local products, Kraft said they were using more fresh herbs and picking and choosing from the highest quality of local farmers and their products. “From the farmer’s gate to the customer’s plate,” said Kraft.

Cafe Merlot is closed Mondays, but is open from breakfast and lunch Tuesdays through Sundays.

Hours are breakfast from 10 to 11 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8:30 to 11 a.m. breakfast and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. lunch on Fridays and Saturdays. On Sundays, Cafe Merlot has breakfast from 8:30 to 11 a.m., brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and a nosh menu from 3 to 5 p.m.

For reservations, call 858-592-7785.