Michael Jackson Kept Going Back To A 'Cult Run' Restaurant For The Enchiladas

It's not every day that you discover a restaurant dish so good you become a dedicated patron. For Michael Jackson, that day happened in the early '80s with the enchiladas at a popular vegetarian eatery in Los Angeles. Not only did he discover some tasty food there, but he would also find his future private chef. The place was called the Golden Temple and it was run by a cult.

In a 2024 blog post on California Eating, chef, baker, and cookbook author, Mani Niall, recounted the story of how Jackson first visited the Golden Temple — a life-altering moment of serendipity for Niall. Although he wasn't present for that inaugural meal, Niall would soon be delivering takeout orders to Quincy Jones' Westlake studios where Jackson was recording "Thriller."

At the time, Niall was Golden Temple's kitchen and catering manager. "I dropped off his requested red chile enchilada (an upscale twist on a takeout classic), our popular ginger-miso salad and blueberry bars . . . and was handed a cool $40 by the secretary," recalled Niall who would soon become Jackson's first private chef (1982-1985) and even accompany him on the 1984 Victory Tour. Although enchiladas are one of eight foods Michael Jackson loved eating, it sounds like the sauce actually sealed the deal. "I quickly realized his favorite was a smoky red chile sauce from New Mexico, slathered over enchiladas, nachos, and potato skins," said Niall, who packed the chile powder in bulk for the tour.

First opening its doors circa 1969, the Golden Temple restaurant was an offshoot of the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization, aka 3HO, which teaches Kundalini Yoga and meditation among other things. The non-profit was founded by Yogi Bhajan, whom you might know from his ties to Yogi Tea or from any of the number of unsavory allegations he racked up over the years since his death in 2004 to warrant a three-part cult documentary on Netflix.

Back when Jackson was going there, though, it was popular vegetarian eatery with the Hollywood set, boasting visits from the like of Demi Moore and Lily Tomlin, according to Niall. Perhaps it was the celebrity-hotspot status combined with the fact that Jackson had recently become vegetarian  that drew him to the restaurant.

The L.A. Golden Temple location (long since closed) was one of many in the US, run by followers of 3HO. As Niall told it, "the restaurant staff wore knee length white robes, moved at a meditative snail's pace and had odd, hard to pronounce names." A 1986 health food review in the Los Angeles Times described the atmosphere as "serene" with "good 'vibes'." But ultimately it was the enchiladas not the decor, that left "The King of Pop" walking on the moon. Though, it seems he didn't remain vegetarian for long — apparently Jackson couldn't get enough of this popular fried chicken chain.