Power lunch: the greening of Alaska: Fresh Sourdough Express and Organic Oasis offer different type of fare; good for you and environmentally friendly.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Author: Lavrakas, Dimitra
• Date: 01 February 2008

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You could call them visionaries, but they'd scoff at that. It was something they did because they believed it was the right thing to do.

Still, what these restaurant owners brought to their communities heralded the current organic approach to eating and brought an environmental consciousness to dining.

Twenty-six years ago, Donna Maltz opened her organic restaurant in Homer--Fresh Sourdough Express. It lives up to it motto: "Food for the people and the planet."

"The locals considered us a hippie restaurant," she said. "Us" includes Kevin Maltz, who walked into the restaurant in 1984, became the head baker and married Donna.

The from-scratch bakery (they grind their own grain) and restaurant serves vegetarian fare, but also more mainstream organic meals. That means...