IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 21, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today LYFE Kitchen brings its unique lifestyle restaurant to Irvine, CA. The restaurant serves delicious food that is good for you, convenient and affordable. In a twist on traditional ribbon cutting ceremonies, the LYFE Kitchen restaurant team invites its new neighbors and friends to join the official "Sproutcutting Celebration" on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. at the restaurant.

This restaurant is the thirteenth LYFE Kitchen in the U.S. Currently there are 65 employees serving food and beverages crafted by award-winning chefs to customers in Irvine. The restaurant is led by General Manager, Robert Cleveringa, who is a native of Southern California, who has been in the restaurant industry for more than twenty years. He is an expert in hospitality, customer service, and training. "Our team is excited to serve our customers great tasting food that you can feel good about eating every day," said Cleveringa. "I'm proud that we serve several signature meat and fish dishes, as well as full, special menus for those who choose to eat gluten free, vegetarian or vegan."

LYFE Kitchen is supported by a talented culinary team including Chef Art Smith and Executive Chef Jeremy Bringardner. These artists take great care to develop dishes using the highest quality, freshest, and local ingredients that meet LYFE Kitchen's standards for taste, nutrition and social responsibility.
"We are constantly challenging ourselves to create tasty recipes that make people feel good," said Art Smith, Executive Chef of LYFE Kitchen and Oprah Winfrey's former personal chef. "I proudly describe our food and beverages as delicious, familiar, fun and good for you. You really can Love Your Food Everyday when you dine with us at LYFE Kitchen."

The LYFE Kitchen menu features locally sourced ingredients wherever possible that are flavored with fresh herbs and spices. In southern California, LYFE Kitchen purchases a variety of exclusively fresh, local fruits and vegetables, including beets from Babe Farms, Brussels sprouts from Ocean Mist Farms, whole garlic from Garlic Co, frisee lettuce from Scarborough Farms and Babe Farms, lemons from Limoneira Farms, oranges from Sunkist in Ventura, and butternut squash from Weiser Family Farms to name a few. It also sources local beverages. For instance, LYFE Kitchen has three winery partners located in Santa Barbara County: Au Bon Climat Winery for its Pinot Noir, Beckman Winery for its LeBec Rhone Blend, and Sanford Winery for its Chardonnay. The menu caters to individual dining philosophies and desires.

Each menu item is nutritionally optimal at less than 600 calories and 1000 milligrams of sodium. The menu is also diverse, offering something for everyone in the family. Guests might select Baked Garlic Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries served with spicy chipotle aioli and topped with fresh parmesan, garlic and herbs and seasonal flatbread. If customers are interested in creating a meal filled with super foods, they might select the Buffalo Chicken Wrap for its avocado, black beans, Greek yogurt and kale.

LYFE Kitchen is also one of the most ethically and environmentally conscious restaurants in the country. It uses 100% grass-fed steaks, antibiotic and hormone free meat and poultry and as many organic ingredients as possible. The restaurant is LEED certified, using low-voltage lighting and 100% recycled material for table and countertops, among other sustainability criteria.

"We are excited to offer our Irvine neighbors good-for-you food in our warm, inviting, eco-friendly dining environment," said CEO Chance Carlisle. "It's true, one bite and everything changes, because our lifestyle brand allows you to eat good, feel good and be part of doing something good for communities."

Carlisle went on to thank the leadership of the prestigious Irvine Company Retail Properties for their incredible partnership throughout the project. Stacie Ellis, senior director of marketing for Irvine Company Retail Properties, stated, "LYFE Kitchen will be a great fit here in Orange County with its focus on great tasting, fresh and healthy food. LYFE's high quality dishes will be an excellent addition to Irvine Spectrum Center."

Joining us at our Irvine Sproutcutting Celebration will be members of the Moms In Charge non-profit organization, founded by Dotty Sunshine Hagmier. The MIC Mission is to bring awareness with empowerment to moms about what is in their food and products so they can give their families the best chance of a healthy life.

A supporter of LYFE Kitchen since the very beginning, Dotty Sunshine Hagmier says, "Moms In Charge is excited about LYFE because we now have a place to get amazing food with healthy ingredients, which is what MIC teaches - Change your ingredients, change your life!"

The Irvine restaurant is located at 407 Irvine Spectrum Drive in Irvine, CA. The restaurant phone number is 949-727-1208. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and also offers full catering and delivery. Restaurant hours are Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., Friday-Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m., and Sundays 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Visit www.lyfekitchen.com for more information, and follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lyfekitchen and Twitter and Instagram @LYFEKitchen.

LYFE Kitchen is also hiring at this location, including LYFE Ambassadors, who greet and inform guests and guide them through the menu, to Baristas and Dining Room Specialists who make up the heart of the restaurant, to a full Culinary Team that creates the recipes developed by its award-winning chefs. Call the restaurant for more information on available positions.

ABOUT LYFE KITCHEN

LYFE Kitchen is committed to the idea that great-tasting food can also be affordable and convenient. With choices to please anyone, from flexitarian to vegetarian, omnivore to vegan, our celebrated chefs including Art Smith and Jeremy Bringardner have developed a menu that is as delicious as it is inspiring. Using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible with the highest standards of quality and adhering to the highest level of socially responsibility practices, LYFE Kitchen is creating a new category of lifestyle restaurants.
 

A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=28527