New Karma restaurant brings raw flavors to city palates

By Adrienne Berard

The sound of a blender blares over the soft jazz and calm atmosphere of Northampton’s new downtown restaurant, Karma.

The juice of the day, “Off the Beeten Path,” slides into a 16-ounce glass and rests on a clean countertop, while a middle-aged man fumbles through his wallet trying to find the $6 that today’s special costs. As he takes the first sip, his eyes light up ... it’s as though he’s just come up for air.

Husband and wife Brian and Coree Aussant opened Karma at 48 Main St. in mid-August. The mission statement is simple: “To motivate and educate people to discover that a natural organic lifestyle can help ailments and provide a better way of life.”
But the logistics of creating that dream is what has consumed the lives of the Aussants for the past year.
“Our goal is to educate. We want to provide everything you need in order to eat raw,” said Coree Aussant, motioning to the small supply store that sits just slightly above the dining room. Each architectural space in Karma was staggered in altitude, giving the feeling that one is being elevated, the owners said.

The basement contains three kitchens that are used for preparing food for the restaurant and Brian Aussant’s cooking classes, which, he explains, are not really cooking classes because the food cannot be heated over 118 degrees for it to be considered raw. Above the basement, the cafe has a bar and barstools that line the storefront window. Along the right wall are several booths, each covered in a soft yellow fabric that matches the yellow glow of the lamps that taper down from the high ceiling above.

The display case commands the room; inside is an array of gourmet desserts that are a far cry from what one would expect from uncooked vegetables and nuts.

The Aussants presented this reporter with a plate of beet raviolis, nori rolls, coleslaw and almond cheese, for example.

“You eat with your eyes first,” said Coree Aussant.
“See, all the colors are still there,” Brian Aussant added.

Above the cafe is a balcony for extra dining, and the corner where they grow a crop of wheatgrass, the green sprigs surprising unsuspecting patrons. Above the dining room is the store, which houses everything from teas to raw tinctures.
The top and final floor is what will become a wellness center.

It has one large space for yoga classes and informative lectures and two more side rooms for massage and reiki.

Asked about choosing Northampton as the site for Karma, Coree Assuant said, “This town is the only place where it would take. People are willing to try new things. They are very educated.”

This story first appeared in the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

Photographs by Carol Lollis:
1. Brian Aussant, owner of Karma, with wheatgrass that they grow inside the restaurant.
2. Pesto with angel hair zucchini “noodles” are on the menu at Karma, a new living and vegan food restaurant in Northampton.