Elaine's Cafe opened at 1717 20th St. in June 2008. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

By Jennifer Baldwin

Pattie Thompson, left, and her mother Tracy Thompson listen as friends offer words of encouragement after closing their cafe for the last time Wednesday. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

Friends surround Pattie and Tracy Thompson, center, in prayer at the closing of Elaine's Cafe on Wednesday. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

For the second time this month, downtowners have had to say goodbye to a popular lunch spot.

Elaine’s Café closed its doors for business on Wednesday, leaving a hole in downtown Bakersfield’s choices for fresh and healthy eating. The vegan establishment’s closure comes one week after the Spotlight Café closed due to declining business.

For Elaine’s owner Tracy Thompson, the heartbreaking decision to close was due to a mix of the economy, difficulties with expansion, and her husband’s health needs.

“I don’t want to say it was totally the economy because business has been good,” she said. “But it needed to be twice as good.”

With bills looming, a kitchen in need of upgrades and her husband Tim’s health in decline (due to Parkinson’s disease), Tracy decided it was time to put her foot on the brake and refocus the family’s energy. Their 19-year-old daughter, Pattie, who helps run the café and bakery, is also looking forward to committing to college in the fall.

The closure certainly isn’t because of a lack of interest in vegan eating in Bakersfield.

“We’ve had a lot of support and a lot of people come in who’ve never thought of eating vegan,” Tracy said. “They can’t believe it’s vegan. It tastes so good, they’re full and they don’t miss the meat.”

On Wednesday, a steady stream of customers wished the Thompsons well and offered prayers for them as word spread of the café’s closure.

“It’s wrong, it’s wrong, it’s wrong and I’m unhappy, I’m unhappy, I’m unhappy,” said Stacey Hungerford, who has been meeting friends for lunch at the café every Wednesday. “I love everything about this place. The food was great, the prices were right and the location was good. And Tracy is so sweet, the sweetest you’ll ever meet.”

Saying goodbye to customers-turned-friends is the hardest part, said Pattie Thompson.

“We have so many customers who have just become like family to us,” she said. “That’s what I’m most sad about. We won’t have the excuse to see these people all of the time.”

The Thompsons hit a niche when they opened the vegan café in June 2008. The family had been vegetarian since before Pattie was born. Then, in 2004, they cut out all animal products from their diet. After Tracy had been teaching friends at church how to cook vegan style, they suggested she should open a vegan cafe.

“Right. Vegan in Bakersfield. That’ll go over well,” she said.

But then Tracy developed an almond- and cashew-based vegan ice cream and wanted to find a way to market it. So the family opened Elaine’s Café at 1717 20^th St., named after Pattie’s middle name.

“We knew we had a small niche of people in Bakersfield who were vegan. We just needed to win over the vegetarian and non-vegetarian people,” Pattie said. “And we did. We were able to tap into downtown, with all its foot traffic and offices.”

George Arthur Ogden, also a regular Wednesday luncher who was introduced to Elaine’s by Hungerford, said he is sad to see the restaurant close. His favorite item to order was the Art & Tom sandwich, which he had thought was named after two customers. Then he realized one day it was named after its two main ingredients: artichokes and tomatoes.

When Hungerford first suggested he eat at Elaine’s, he wasn’t enthused.

“I originally said, ‘Why would I want to go to a place with vegan food? I want to go to a place that has animal in it, like steaks. But the taste here is incredible,” he said. “It’s hard to believe there is absolutely no animal product in their foods.”

All of the menu items were developed by Tracy, a self-taught chef. The most popular item was the turkey on grilled focaccia, which was made with a soy-based meat substitute and Vegenaise, a vegan mayonnaise. Other menu items included tacos with an oat and walnut based meat substitute and the “tuna-ish” sandwich, made with garbanzo bean spread.

In February this year, the café expanded to include a bakery featuring recipes developed by Pattie. She started baking with her mother when she was 6 and has been baking on her own since she was 8. Her most popular items were the chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cupcakes.

“Where I can look at any recipe and veganize it, she’s that way with baking,” Tracy said.

As for the future, the duo hopes to finish a cookbook they’ve been working on together. Pattie says she’s unsure if baking will remain a hobby or become a career for her, but she’s looking forward to getting a job and returning to college. Tracy would like to become an in-home chef for people who are interested in vegan eating, and also teach vegan cooking classes.

And all is not lost for vegan, vegetarian and other types of conscious eaters in Bakersfield. The adjacent Nature’s Food Market & Juice Bar remains open at 1918 G St. Opened by Wendy Naus just four months ago, the market specializes in raw foods, gluten-free foods, organic foods, and more.

Wendy and her husband Chuck hope the café’s closure doesn’t hurt the new business, although the foot traffic from Elaine’s certainly helped.

“It’s so sad (to see the café close) because we see the vision and we know that the need is still here and growing,” said Chuck Naus. “But in this economy, a restaurant is a luxury.”

To fill the lunchtime void, Wendy will continue making a few of the cold sandwiches from the Elaine’s menu, as well as add a few new items. The pre-made sandwiches will be available for take-out.

So far, the market has been doing really well, Naus said.

“People come in here every day and say it’s about time we have something like this in Bakersfield,” she said.