Angela Means to open vegan Jackfruit Cafe in Tahoka, Texas, here's why

What could a movie star, vegan food and a new restaurant in a small West Texas town have in common? Most people would say nothing, and they would be wrong.

Angela Means, most known for her role of Felicia in the 1995 movie "Friday," recently made Tahoka, a rural town with a population of less than 3,000, her new home, and the home for her vegan restaurant - Jackfruit Cafe at 1515 S. First St.

Three days before the grand opening of the restaurant, Means answered the question on everyone's minds: Why Tahoka?

"I knew I wanted to retire to a small town," Means said. "Once my son got his degree, and he was doing all these great things, I said 'I can go now. You got this.' He suggested I look at Texas."

As part of her retirement plan, she wanted to get a residence with a guest house, so she could get into the AirBnB business.

"We started looking at guest houses, and sure enough, Texas pops up," Means said. "And I looked up Tahoka, and it means water. I'm a water sign. I saw the house, and I just fell in love with it."

Tahoka reminded her of the 200-acre farm she grew up on in a small Michigan town near Ann Arbor. The farm grew corn, soybeans, watermelons and green beans.

"I'm from a town smaller than Tahoka," Means said. "I was on a farm my whole childhood. I was up with the sun, and my job was to wake the rooster."

Means also started cooking on the farm, and continued cooking throughout her many careers as a model, actress, comedian, mother, and eventually, a chef. Her culinary career kicked off when she decided she needed to lose weight after her son graduated from high school.

"I was an empty nester, and I wasn't prepared for it," Means said. "I was 227 pounds, and was starting to have some health issues. I went back to the basics and started juicing. I lost 75 pounds."

Means went on to start Jackfruit Cafe in the heart of the Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles. Within the first year, she opened a food truck and was named a Best of LA eatery.

On Dec. 8, Means will bring that "Best of" award and her experience to Tahoka. The Jackfruit Cafe will be open for lunch 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Means hopes to later extend the hours to serve breakfast.

It will start out by selling four menu items: a slider, a hotdog, chili and a rigatoni pasta dish. Smoothies will also be available.

"The menu is scaled to serve the employees, to make sure it is very doable and easy," Means said. "It's also important to mimic what (the community) has already been eating."

The slider and chili use Beyond Meat and the vegan hotdogs come from Loma Linda, California. In the Beyond Meat dishes, the restaurant will utilize liquid smoke. Jackfruit, which is notoriously time-consuming to use, will not be offered, to make it easier on Means' staff.

"Later on, we'll get into mushrooms," Means said. "The oyster mushroom, I can make you believe you're eating a steak. It's phenomenal. For right now, this is where we're going to help people get their first taste."

Specials will be introduced, and one Means is excited to make will be a butternut squash pasta.

"It's going to blow your mind," Means said. "The food smells really good, it will have a good vibe. People should expect to feel comfortable and welcome, and expect really good food."

Means welcomes everyone to try Jackfruit Cafe.

"This is comfort food that's going to make your body feel good," Means said. "The food is fire. People will come and try it out of curiosity and come back because it is so satisfying."

Along with offering food, Jackfruit Cafe will become a supervised hangout for children ages 13-18 from 6-10 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There will be food, a dance floor, and activities.

"There's nothing in Tahoka for kids," Means said. "I want to serve the kids in town, and the community."

People can keep up with the restaurant at jackfruitcafe.com, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also follow Means on Instagram, @ChefAngelaMeans, where she posts about her rescue animals often.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Angela Means explains why vegan Jackfruit Cafe coming to West Texas