New murals grace the old auto parts store on the north end of Helper’s Main Street. The building has a fresh coat of mint green paint. The blue and white paintings on all four walls of the building are creating excitement and questions about an upcoming business. The sign announces Malarie and “Tera” Luke Matsuda’s plans to open Helper Home Grown Natural Foods and Deli.
The store will offer organic, non-GMO, whole foods, green products and a farm to table deli. Some of the produce sold in the store and used in the deli will be locally grown. Though the store will not open until spring of 2018, the murals give insight into the goals of the business.
“We will have a three part mission: to provide healing whole foods, honor the local history of diversity which will be inspiration for our cuisine and to establish a sustainable food system,” said Malarie Matsuda.
The south side of the building is a manifestation of the Matsudas’ passion for honoring Helper’s heritage. The mural was painted by Miles Toland of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The most eye catching part is a large painting of a Japanese man smoking a pipe. The gentleman is Tomogiro Amano, Luke Matsuda’s great-great grandfather, who immigrated to Helper in the early 1900s with the railroad. Amano worked and lived above in the Japanese fish market (where Hand Candy Tattoo is currently located) on Main Street. Ice-packed crates of fresh fish from San Francisco were brought to the fish shop in Helper. The smoke from Amano’s crosses the building and morphs into a helper engine.
An enchanting painting of a girl in a kimono graces the center of the wall next to Amano. This painting features Luke Matsuda’s grandmother Helen Amano Matsuda. She was born in the apartment above the Japanese fish market.
On the front of the building is a mural of a mandala, which is considered sacred geometry, with a sprouting seed in the center. The statement, let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be food expresses the company’s motto.
Inspired by need
Matsudas were inspired to open a store in 2014 when they moved back to the area to open an acupuncture clinic. “We realized pretty quickly that we were going to have to open a health food store in the area because we needed it, and so many of my husband’s patients needed to change their diet to improve their health,” said Malarie Matsuda. They have been working on the project since.
Close to nature
The old auto parts building in Helper appealed to the Matsudas because it is close to the river. They plan to have a patio on the back where patrons can sit outside to eat. They are working on extensive renovations including plumbing and electrical. Even though the outside is gorgeous, it will take months to finish the building’s interior and landscaping.
The vision for the deli is to create a farm to table experience. Mastsuda hopes to tap into local farmers and grow some of the produce on a two and a half acre lot they have purchased in Helper.
The deli will be presented cafeteria style, where patrons can select from a number of healthy dishes for dine-in or take-out. In addition, Matsuda plans on offering healthy cooking classes and community events
Back to the old ways
“Today there is a disconnect with our food. In the last 50 years the food system has dramatically changed. People don’t know where their food was grown or how it was made. We want to change all of that,” said Malarie Matsuda. The menu at the deli will be primarily based around the Paleo Diet, though it will offer other options.
To follow the progress of the store, look at the Helper Home Grown page on Facebook or Instagram @helperhomegrown. The Facebook page features time-lapse videos of the artist painting the murals.