January 13, 2009
Basking Ridge eatery goes organic with fast food
By LOIS HEYMAN
Staff Writer
Fresh, a new casual restaurant in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards, takes the environment very seriously — but you wouldn't necessarily know by walking in the door or biting into one of its sandwiches or salads.
What you notice is a bright, modern room with sunny paint, light-wood flooring, sturdy counters and rustic farmhouse touches in the decor. What you taste is an assortment of made-to-order deli favorites such as chicken salad, grilled cheese, hot dogs, pulled pork and BLTs.
But as a talk with the young couple who own and run Fresh makes clear, the restaurant is as much about a philosophy of sustainable, healthy living as it is a place to eat.
"We offer artisanal, made-from-scratch foods supported by local organic farmers, bakers and coffee roasters," says Erik Wolfe, who with his wife, Avianna Ponzi, opened Fresh in mid-November in a former Dairy Queen and set about completely remodeling the space according to green standards.
RECYCLED MATERIAL
The flooring is strand-woven bamboo, a sustainably harvested wood almost as durable as mahogany. The walls are brightened by formaldehyde-free paint, the countertops are recycled quartz, the ceiling tiles were salvaged and even the farmhouse-style shutters were reclaimed from the historic Mohonk Mountain House in the Catskills, purchased from Build It Green, a New York company that does teardowns.
A Brooklyn native who worked in New York restaurants for more than 15 years, Ponzi says she and Wolfe recently moved to Basking Ridge, which "needed a grab-and-go place with great food, especially in The Hills," and they are joined by a family team that includes Wolfe's parents and siblings, who support them behind the counter, on the serving floor, in the kitchen and in the office.
"If we just put up a sign that said "health food,' people might not come in, but we wanted to go back to simple, classic American food and give it our own spin — turn it on its ear a bit," Wolfe says. "We have moms coming in with their kids, and because it's as tasty as any traditional deli or fast food — but it's all natural, with no preservatives or antibiotics — it can appeal to both young and old."
HEALTHY AND TASTY
All meats and poultry — such as the hot dogs, turkey in the Reuben and the Cobb salad, and chicken in the sandwiches and Vietnamese chicken salad — are organic, as is the applewood-smoked bacon, arugula and roasted plum tomatoes that form the BLT.
The potato fries and onion strings are crisper and sweeter than any diner's, with all Fresh's fruits and vegetables coming from certified organic providers such as Terhune Orchards in Princeton and Cherry Grove Farms in Lawrenceville.
Beverages include local organic milk and house-brewed iced teas, and since "we're trying to be environmentally responsible while still meeting customers' demands," Wolfe says, Fresh became the first business to receive a refurbished Coke machine from Coca-Cola, along with the company's letter of commendation for recycling.
Although Fresh sells bottled water, it comes from Keeper Springs, developed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a project with all proceeds funding the Waterkeeper Alliance, which restored and protects the Hudson River and other waterways.
Ponzi says "our lunch business is strong; local companies are starting to notice we're here, and we also offer catering." Wolfe adds that as members of the community the couple plans to take an active role "giving back" by sponsoring a Little League team during the summer and working with the township on composting plans.
But Fresh doesn't have all that much food waste to compost, they've found.
"The kitchen works in small batches," Wolfe says, "not only for freshness, but because we'd rather run out of something than have food sitting there and ultimately going to waste."
FRESH
Lois Heyman: 908-512-2731; lheyman@MyCentralJersey.com. Visit The Food Chain blog at http://blogs.mycentraljersey.com/foodchain.
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