A Café with Wright Motives … and Your Well-Being at Heart!

In the heart of downtown Columbia sits a popular café run by three visionaries driven by distinct passions: the health and well-being of others, the healing powers of a plant-based diet, and the revitalization of Main Street. 

            Because of these shared priorities, Good Life Café co-owners Scott Middleton, Sharon Wright and Danny Hutto have invested great energy and effort in their collective pursuit of excellence. And, since many others also share these passions, they keep their fingers on the pulse of what customers want, need, and even demand.

            Wright, executive chef at the café, spent much of her early life eating the Standard American Diet. She switched to a macrobiotic diet 24 years ago when her grandfather was diagnosed with colon cancer. Later, she transitioned into an all-raw vegan lifestyle while her father also battled cancer. She noticed that he did well as long as he stuck to a plant-based diet, but when he began to deviate from this, his cancer returned and led to his death. His experience further cemented her commitment to educating others on the health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Her devotion to a vegan diet was also born from her love and compassion for animals, and an awakening that occurred after she viewed documentaries on the often brutal treatment of animals through factory farming. Wright wanted to have a café where others could enjoy foods without harming animals and where she could promote health through whole food cuisine.

            As with any restaurant, Wright, Middleton and Hutto pay attention to the business side of running the café, but their conversations often turn to the human aspect—how the café can help the large suffering segment of our city thrive in a healthier lifestyle through wise food choices, ongoing classes, demonstrations and more. They’ve seen exciting transformations take place in first-time customers that were once discouraged, overweight, on numerous medications and with serious health issues. After switching to a plant-based diet, many proactive customers return again and again, very grateful and transformed on many personal levels.

Health-savvy vegans especially appreciate Good Life Café’s pure standards in the kitchen. While some restaurants grill a “vegan” burger next to greasy hamburgers, Good Life has no cross-contamination with animal fats (that may be laced with hormones and antibiotics). Every item is vegan and made to order with nutrient-dense ingredients that cleanse and nourish at the cellular level.

            To meet a growing demand for a cooked side to the menu, the café installed new high-end double ovens, a grill and a steam table. The café’s new cooked items and daily specials reflect popular dishes from every continent, with fresh ingredients enhanced with a variety of organic spices and special spice blends. The word is quickly spreading. Main Street shoppers, downtown residents and the general workforce come to the café to enjoy its great raw menu items, new daily cooked vegetables, from-scratch soups and vegan burgers. The café’s latest “crave” is the recently installed kombucha bar.

            March is National Nutrition Month. With that in mind, make an investment in your health and well-being by visiting Good Life Café, conveniently located in beautiful downtown Columbia, just across from Mast General Store and Nickelodeon Theatre. It is within easy walking distance from USC, a major hospital, several hotels, corporate offices, retailers, salons, medical offices, urban dwellers and more. Soda City Market, a popular downtown event that draws thousands from all over, hosts its activities on Saturdays, only a stone’s throw away.

Location: 1614 Main St., Columbia. For more information, call 803-726-2310 or visit GoodLifeCafe.net.