For years, Courtney Hynum and Amy Wright dreamed of combining both of their passions, yoga and food, into a thriving community business. After moving to Bend from Portland in the summer of 2013, they deciding to give it a try in Northwest Crossing with Sunny Yoga Kitchen. Having just celebrated their one year anniversary February 14, it seems as though their dreams have become a reality.
“I can’t believe it’s been a year,” says Hynum. “On one hand, time has flown by. But, we have had this idea in our heads for so long, it feels longer.”
Sunny Yoga Kitchen is a multi-functional space that serves healthy food, offers yoga classes and hosts community events. Their 1,000 square foot Northwest Crossing Drive location has high ceilings, but maintains a intimate, neighborhood feel. While there are other examples of this type of business, like Portland’s Yoga Pearl, Sunny Yoga Kitchen offers more of a variety than most.
Hynum and Wright have been married for four years and live with their dog in southeast Bend. They met in Madison, Wisconsin, while working at Restaurant Muramoto. She earned her 200 Hour Teacher Training certification from Zuda Yoga in Sacramento, California, after being introduced to the practice in college. Hynum now runs the yoga studio and takes on the front of house duties for the cafe.
Wright has over 25 years experience in the food service industry. Her grandmother owned both a Chinese restaurant and a Mexican restaurant when Wright was a child. Wright learned to cook in an Italian restaurant later in life and has since worked at San Francisco’s award-winning Zuni, and Chef Vitaly Paley’s Imperial Restaurant in Portland. Therefore, she wears the chef’s hat in the kitchen, along with line cook hat and any other necessary jobs.
The 200 square foot cafe portion of Sunny Yoga Kitchen is open for lunch Tuesday through Sunday. On Fridays and Saturdays, they stay open for dinner as well. The cafe seats 15 patrons in the winter, but expands to outside seating when the weather’s nice. The food is made on site and is roughly 90 percent organic. They source their bread from Sparrow Bakery and their gluten-free option from Good Karma Bakery.
The kitchen brings in the most revenue so far, and they have expanded to offer catering as well.
“People approached us to cater, and it became a fun way to get our food out there,” explains Hynum.
The 800 square foot yoga studio has a 24 student occupancy and holds 13 yoga classes each week. They offer various types, including Vinyasa, Yin and Yin/Yang classes. They also added a meditation class last December. In keeping with their community-minded spirit, Sunny Yoga Kitchen offers a donation-based community class Wednesday nights. The money raised goes to the local non-profit, Saving Grace. In the future, Hynum hopes to offer yoga teacher trainings as well.
Another area that has begun to pick up is renting out the space. A local group rents the studio on Tuesdays to provide movement exercises, music and laughter to kids age three to seven. And, over New Years Eve, a Northwest Crossing association held a five-course dinner there.
For their part, the community has embraced the new business and helped it gradually grow. Sunny Yoga Kitchen has seen an increase in attendance in all areas. Even with the excitement of successful growth, Hynum stresses the community feel that her and Wright were going for.
“You should come to Sunny Yoga Kitchen to get a big smile and spend some time in the community nourishing your body and mind through food and yoga…or just a high five from me,” says Hynum.
Sunny Yoga Kitchen
2748 NW Crossing Drive Suite 120, Bend, Oregon 97701
Owners: Courtney Hynum & Amy Wright
Employees: 9
Established: 2014
Services: full cafe, with catering, and a yoga studio, also available for community events.
Hot News: celebrated their one year anniversary February 14.
Outlook for Growth: all areas of the business are growing, with expansion into catering and studio rental.
