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Okay friends, you have been with me long enough to know my love for “good food.” This is not just savory, sweet, spicy or even umami. This is food the way nature intended us to eat. Wholesome (organic) free of GMO and pesticides, ready to eat and ready to make a healthier you. With the rise of farmers’ markets and Super Markets with organic sections, the challenge has never been how to eat that way at home or even predominantly in your life, but rather the ability to get that type of food with trust and on the go. The wait is over.

The Organic Coup is the very first American USDA Certified Organic fast food restaurant. The very first—and they have done it right!

I met the restaurant’s founder, Erica Welton, when I wondered into the first location in Pleasanton behind Pick 6 Sports Bar. In conversation she quickly told of her epiphany while making her child’s baby food, that she and the rest of us were eating all wrong. Of course my love affair with her concept and food began right there, as my wife had the same epiphany that resulted in our forever- changed eating habits.

As with most business formed out of the passion to move masses to a better way of living, food was only the catalyst for Erica to spawn a movement of consumers she lovingly refers to as “Coup National Ambassadors.” Hence the name “Coup” (not coop), and yes, the chicken reference was intended. She believes her customers ”are changing the status quo by transforming the conventional and unsustainable food system through vision and action and the simple act of buying a certified organic sandwich makes you an agent of change.” It goes deeper than that. She believes in her staff and pays them a “livable wage” so they are free to speak about being part of the movement with natural passion.

Here is what struck me first about my times here: They kept it simple to start. Getting Certified Organic is no easy task, and once done, could (and often has) led to proprietors bombarding the public with 100 choices. This is counter-productive. When a patron wants to experience something new, the last thing they need, or want, is 100 choices of how to do it. Show us one way. Erica has done this. Same chicken, same slaw prepared as a sandwich, wrap or bowl. Perfect!

The soda fountain is stocked with all natural sodas and the various sauces, so your meal prep is lip smacking. The side dishes are as un-complex as the menu: Tenders (for the kids) or popcorn—again, perfect!

So what does it mean to be USDA Certified Organic? That means the food served has none of the following: GMO’s, antibiotics, added hormones, pesticides or chemicals. It means that the fuel for your body is clean and will result in maximum results.

Her expansion plans are huge; and mark my word: We will see The Organic Coup all across the nation soon—but for now, you must visit her in Pleasanton. Go now and be an agent of change. Your body will thank you and your taste buds will cheer for you!

4825 Hopyard Rd, Pleasanton, California 94588

Well, it is Oscar season again. I have been around so long, I still think Jimmy Stewart was robbed in 1939 when he did not win the Oscar for “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” So, instead of questions about the Oscar winners, how about the losers?
1. Some of our greatest actors never even got a nomination in stellar careers. One such should have been nominated for “Double Indemnity” and “Key Largo.” Who was he?

2. Another non-nominee was voted Queen of Hollywood the same time Clark Gable was named King. She played the wife of a sleuth in an outstanding detective series and was outstanding in “Best Years of our Lives.” Who was she?

3. Henry Fonda was one our most reliable actors, who finally won an Oscar in 1983, shortly before his death. He was nominated only one other time. What was the movie and year that he won?

4. Harrison Ford has had one of the most successful movie careers over the past 40 years, but has only been nominated once for an Oscar. For what movie?

5. Tom Hanks has won twice and been frequently nominated. He should have won again in 1999 for “Saving Private Ryan.” Who did he lose to and what was the movie?

6. Martin Scorcese should have won Best Director Oscars in 1980 for “Raging Bull” and in 1990 for “Goodfellas.” Both times he lost to actors turned directors. Who were the two directors and what were the movies?

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