Nestled in the heart of Canarsie, Spread Love & Eat offers a welcoming environment, delicious and flavorful vegan food, and a couple of non-vegan options. The restaurant provides the community with good food and a healthier alternative to the prevalent fast-food shops in the area.
Owner Dony Theodore, who also runs its sister shop, Spread Love & Juice, was inspired by his grandmother, who originally encouraged the idea after Theodore retired from his 25-year military service.
“I always wanted to have a healthy place where people could come to eat in the area. And another reason is that [my grandmother] passed away, and I would be able to continue her dream,” said Theodore.
The restaurant opened after the juice bar in 2020, and the location for both comes from his own personal connection to the area. Theodore grew up in Canarsie, after moving as an immigrant from Haiti in 1991. Theodore sees running the restaurant as a way to take care of and give back to the community by allowing people to come and enjoy good healthy, prepared food.
The menu has a variety of options from salads, sandwiches, poke bowls, and soup joumou, a traditional Haitian dish. Theodore’s favorite is the Oyster Mushroom, which is freshly grown and sourced to the restaurant every three days from a local company.
Yasmin Minos photos
According to Theodore, a lot goes into its preparation and it’s well worth it for the combination of delicious flavors and amazing crunch with every bite.
Theodore’s care for the community as well as his personal history shines through in many of the decor and style choices for the restaurant. He cites the diverse places he traveled to while serving in the military as influences on the resturants’ aesthetic.
“I was in the military for 25 years, so I was all over the world. So everywhere I go, a memory of a certain place, and I say, ‘I like this or that.’ That’s why I took my time decorating,” he shared.
For instance, one of the most eye-catching parts of the decor is the mural depicting polaroids of various historical places around Brooklyn, such as Coney Island and the old Canarsie movie theater. There are also allusions to Theodore’s Haitian background with the incorporation of a replica of “Le Marron Inconnu,” also known as Nèg Mawon. This statue is seen as a symbol of Black liberation and the struggle for freedom in Haiti.
“Every time I go to Haiti I drive by the statue. It’s like a memory of a slave trying to free himself. He has a conch, that he’s [using] to call all the other slaves to free themselves,” Theodore said. “Having the statue there [helps] to remind us to understand and represent our culture.”
Food remains an important part of culture, especially for Black people, and creating a space for Black people to experience delicious, affordable food that doesn’t put their health at risk is such a powerful thing. “I’m proud of what I do. The hard work, it pays off,” Theodore said.
The restaurant will host its five-year anniversary event on Aug. 31.
For more information, visit www.spreadloveeat.com and follow their Instagram page @spreadloveeat.