At Port Jeff's Tiger Lily Café, art and music plus healthy food

We met with Lisa Cucinello, Briana's mom, who is the owner of Tiger Lily Café in Port Jefferson. She told us that she opened the cafe in 1998 with her mom, Joanne Cucinello.

Lisa felt that at the time, Long Island didn’t have any healthy eateries. Lisa wanted to create an artistic, colorful environment where people could enjoy all different types of healthy food including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free food while listening to music from all around the world and experiencing local art and local musicians.

 What is her favorite item on the menu?  She told us it was Tiger Lily’s sunshine burger, made from brown rice, roasted vegetables and sunflower seeds (vegan and gluten-free). It has been on the menu since the day Tiger Lily opened. Some other favorites are Joanne’s Newport Blues salad and Christine’s BBQ Tofu, made from edamame and brown rice.

We wanted to know what her favorite thing about her restaurant is. Lisa said, “It’s in my hometown, Port Jefferson. I opened it with my family and it gives me artistic freedom to create alternative food options, expose the community to music and art, and create a place for locals to enjoy and be proud of.”

She added that she wants customers to feel that Tiger Lily is a space created for people to feel the soul of Tiger Lily — "to be intrigued, to have an experience while enjoying our food and to feel the amazing energy that we feel every day when we unlock the door to start our day."

We love the place and we think you will, too.

Info: 156 E. Main St., Port Jefferson, 631-476-7080, tigerlilycafe.com

Jennifer Spaccaforno’s sixth-grade English class, North Country Road Middle School, Miller Place