Andhi Bonanza
Silvergreens will reopen in Isla Vista later this fall after being closed since the start of summer, restaurant owners confirmed to The Bottom Line.
The restaurant, which was founded over 20 years ago by owners Jay and Deena Ferro, closed in June so that the Ferros could focus on opening another Kyle’s Kitchen location in Goleta.
Alongside Silvergreens, the Ferros started the Santa Barbara-based burger chain, which opened a branch near Hollister Village in late October — the chain’s third location in the county.
The couple also wanted to give Silvergreens a “break away from the Isla Vista scene,” they told The Bottom Line.
At the start of the school year, students returned and noticed Silvergreens was no longer open. It’s typical for restaurants to partly or fully close during the summer, but there was no sign of life in the restaurant, which is located at the corner of Pardall Road and Embarcadero Del Mar.
Originally serving only salads and then sandwiches later, Silvergreens was built to provide a healthier food alternative in Isla Vista, which is stocked to the brim with burger joints and pizza places.
Since then, the restaurant has diversified, and until its June closing included soups, sandwiches, and burgers — which were transferred straight from the Kyle’s Kitchen menu.
Silvergreens opened in I.V. in 1995 and was the “first restaurant in the world” to provide “personalized nutrition information on receipts.” Silvergreens is also Santa Barbara’s “first Certified Green restaurant,” according to the about page on Silvergreens’ website.
The Ferros later started Kyle’s Kitchen as a burger restaurant, with the first branch opening in January of 2015 on Calle Real in Goleta. The business was named after Kyle, the Ferros’ son, who was born with special needs.
The couple established the business to serve family-style American meals and spread awareness about mental disabilities in the community. They donate a portion of the profit made from Kyle’s Kitchen to various charities, which the family highlights on the Kyle’s Kitchen website.
So far, Kyle’s Kitchen has given to 25 charities, Jay Ferro said, and has raised over $100,000 in total for the different organizations.
A new restaurant is in progress, the couple said. After Silvergreens officially reopens, the Ferros will open “Süp & Jüs” right next to the Kyle’s Kitchen location on Hollister Avenue.
Süp & Jüs will mainly provide soups, but will also serve juices made from organic ingredients. The restaurant will have American flavor but in a modern European setting, Jay Ferro said.
Süp & Jüs will also be exclusively a take-out location, as opposed to Kyle’s Kitchen and Silvergreens, where dine-in is possible. The restaurant is scheduled for an early 2018 completion, Jay Ferro said.