Pure Natural Market adds vegan, Jamaican menu under new owners

When Tracy Owens and her husband bought Pure Natural Market on the south end of Hilton Head Island, she decided on a partial overhaul.

She brought back a bit of the vegan merchandise that had been one of the original draws of the old shop and added a full menu of hearty vegan and pescatarian fare with natural ingredients and Jamaican spice.

Finally, over a month-long remodel, the blue walls of the market saw fresh coats of paint in bright reds and greens and the addition of jaunty, tropical fish and deep brown wood paneling.

But Owens didn’t want to part with the dairy-free smoothies and fresh-pressed juices that had made her a regular at Pure before she purchased it from former owner Shanti Bringas three months ago. They remain on the menu, alongside Jamaican jerk bowls and creamy, vegan mac-n-cheese.

The result is a mix of old and new — a Pure that’s familiar to those who frequented the smoothie and juice bar over the past three years and a restaurant that offers flavors found few other places in Beaufort County.

Now open since January under the ownership of Owens and Jamaican-born Brinsley Ellis, her husband and the restaurant’s chef, Pure has staked a solid claim in the island’s healthy eating market, particularly the yoga crowd, Owens said.

“We just take the extra step,” Owens said this week. “Several people have coined us ‘food for the soul’ because we do take a lot of time, and a lot of love goes into our food.”

Owens means it when she says their food takes time.

When Ellis cooks up the rice and peas that accompany most meals, he starts by cracking open a coconut, grating the flesh and blending his own coconut milk to boil rice in. No can-opener required.

The avoidance of any canned, preserved or otherwise artificial ingredients is in line with the Rastafarian movement toward “ital” food, a description customers will find alongside vegan on Pure’s menu. An ital diet is composed of natural foods from the Earth and is meant to promote vitality.

In other words, pure eating.

But there are also options in the Hilton Head market for customers in a hurry, whether they’re on their way to work or heading home from Island Yoga next door.

Pure also offers some fish options, like whole red snapper, Caribbean jerk salmon and the Jamaican dish ackee and saltfish.

Prices at Pure Natural Market range from $6-14. The restaurant is located at 1012 William Hilton Parkway No. 5, Hilton Head Island, between U.S. 278 and Dunnagans Alley.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Pure Natural Market adds vegan, Jamaican menu under new owners."