ONE BODY
Anastasia Pendley, owner of Cafe Kindness in Bowling Green, KY takes a customers order on April 20, 2022. The cafe opened its doors in March 2022 and offers healthy options from oatmeal to toasted sourdough that can be topped with avocado, tomato, strawberries, bananas and honey, to a selection of fruit smoothies.
Anastasia Pendley, the owner of the Café Kindness in Bowling Green, does not let her past struggles with food define who she was meant to be and what she was meant to do. Beginning in the third grade, “I would slouch in my chair so my legs were propped up on the seat in front of me, that way my thighs didn’t bulge like they would have if I sat straight with my legs on the seat,” Pendley wrote in her blog, Lettuce Attend.
“I can remember comments being made towards me about my weight or the way that I looked. It really takes a toll on how you view yourself,” Pendley said.
Pendley discovered the power behind personal-growth and self-development. She had a desire to be a shining light for not only herself, but for others as well.
A list of prayer requests is written on a white board just inside the kitchen of Cafe Kindness. The cafe opened it doors in March 2022.
Anastasia and her Husband Aaron Pendley, pray with their hands intertwined at Christ Fellowship Church on May 1, 2022. Anastasia and Aaron got married in February 2022. “It was the easiest decision ever when it came to marrying him. God did so good when He chose him for me,” Anastasia said
Anastasia Pendley prays during service at Christ Fellowship Church on May 1, 2022. “I Green up as an Eastern Orthodox Christian and while I no longer attend an Orthodox Church, I am still very much a believer growing closer to God everyday,” Pendley said.
"I truly believe we were designed to steward our bodies kindly since it’s the one body God has given us."
-Anastaisa Pendley
During her struggle with her eating disorder, Pendley’s father sat her down, “He asked me what I liked about myself and I couldn’t give him an answer,” Pendley said. “He told me we all had fruits of the spirit inside of us and the one that shined the most in me was kindness.” This conversation is where the name Café Kindness comes from.
In September 2021, Pendley purchased Zest Juice. Before Cafe Kindness opened, Pendley did not have anywhere to make or sell the juice. The Bowling Green Hot Rods opened their kitchen doors for Pendley to juice and then she would sell the juice at the Knotty Pretzel when their location was downtown.
A piece of everything Avo Toast sits, waiting to be taken to a guest at Cafe Kindness on April 21, 2022. The sourdough is loaded with smashed avocado, cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta, arugula, everything bagel seasoning, boiled egg, and olive oil.
“Can I get you more water?” Anastasia Pendley asks a customer at Cafe Kindness on April 21, 2022. “I love serving others, even if it is something as simple as getting them a glass of water,” Pendley said. “My goal is for everyone to feel like home when they walk in.”
As an outgrowth of Zest, Pendley opened the doors of Café Kindness on March 25, 2022. The café is filled with couches and chairs that give the space an at home feel rather than a café. The furniture is not the only thing that sets Café Kindness apart from others. The menu consists of oatmeal and toasted sourdough that can be topped with ingredients such as, avocado, tomato, strawberries, bananas, cinnamon and honey. Pendley has a goal for the smoothies on her menu. She hopes to have a smoothie named after the 9 fruits of the spirit listed in the New Testament book of Galatians.
“I truly believe we were designed to steward our bodies kindly since it’s the one body God has given us,” Pendley said. “We only serve foods that are simple and clean and leave you feeling good.”
Apples, cucumbers, carrots, beets, ginger, and limes are piled in a bucket in the kitchen of Cafe Kindness on April 29, 2022. The ingredients create the juice, “Happy Beet,” which aids in digestion and lowers blood pressure. “We have to make this juice last because it makes everything purple,” Anastasia Pendley said.
Mattie Robbins feeds produce into a juicer at Cafe Kindness on April 29, 2022. “Guarantee this juice will be gone in the next two hours after it’s bottled,” Robbins said. “It’s our most popular one and always goes the quickest.” The juice, “Hula Hooch,” consists of apples, pineapple, and mint and improves cognitive function and is anti-inflammatory.
The downtown location gives healthy food options to college students, the surrounding businesses, and those who are in walking distance of the café. “God just kept opening doors for me here,” Pendley said.
Pendley knew she always wanted to do something with food in her life. “I love helping and serving others, so most days it doesn’t even feel like a job,” Pendley said. In the beginning stage of the café, Pendley began researching other cafes around the country that had the things she liked. “There was nothing like it here,” Pendley said.
Bottles of “GoGo Green” sit on the counter of Cafe Kindness on April 24, 2022. The green juice contains apple, kale, romaine, cucumber, and pineapple and is rich in potassium, hydrates skin, and boosts the immune system.
Customers sit and talk, study, and eat on April 23, 2022. Cafe Kindness opened its doors in March 2022 and has become the place for people to get quick healthy meals. “It has a home feeling to it. I love coming here to work and eat,” a Cafe Kindness customer said.