Alfalfa

Our History: In 1973 a group of young students pooled $2,000 to start a restaurant in an old luncheonette called Pax, not far from the University of Kentucky. Among them were Lucia Gattone, Sue Hosey, Anita Courtney, Leslie Bowers, Barry Bleach, Artie Howard and BJ Finnell. They were a creative, hard working group. Their delicious, healthy food and warm, comfortable atmosphere quickly made Alfalfa a community hub.

Professors ate lunch there every afternoon. Others ate dinner there every night. People proposed marriage, famous people came for dinner, local musicians played their first shows and poets read for the first time at Alfalfa.

In 1974, Marina Ubaldi bought Alfalfa, along with chimney sweep, Jeff Gitlin. Marina was a gifted cook-- way ahead of her time. Alfalfa was the first restaurant in Lexington to serve brunch and it featured Cajun and Creole style food way before most of us ever heard of blackened redfish.
Stories about the early years abound. On opening day, still short of chairs, Alfalfa promised a free meal to anyone who brought a chair. Bringing in a set of salt and pepper shakers earned a dessert. For a short time, one of the Top 10 Most Wanted, according to an FBI wanted list, worked as a cook, unbeknownst to everyone.

In 1987 Marina moved to Florida and sold the restaurant to dishwasher Jake Gibbs, baker Tom Martin, waitress Cathy Martin and carpenter Peter Fleming. Gibbs also roped college friend, Jim Happ, into investing. “People were coming up to us on the street and offering us money to keep the place going. They didn’t want to see it change,” said Gibbs.

Even with new owners, the Alfalfa vibe prevailed. Food was procured from local farmers, a new international menu was featured every Wednesday, a movie was filmed in the dining room and employees published a magazine called "Alfalf-Art" that included poems, short stories, photographs, cartoons, recipes and a piano sonata.

When Alfalfa held their 20th, 25th and 30th anniversary parties, people streamed in from across town, across the state and across the country to reconnect, reminisce and see what the next generation had done with the place.

In 2004, Jim Happ became the sole owner of Alfalfa. In 2005, he moved Alfalfa from its home for 31 years across from the University to Main Street. The new venue has a bigger kitchen, spacious waiting area, lovely natural light, and brick walls perfect for art shows, making the new venue a perfect spot to transplant Alfalfa.

Who would have guessed this humble little restaurant would prove so durable? For 42 years Alfalfa has prevailed and expanded far beyond its granola roots to become a loved and respected urban eatery.