The menu at True Food Kitchen in Chicago’s trendy River North area is literally just what the doctor ordered. The restaurant was created by Dr. Andrew Weil and entrepreneur Sam Fox, and opened in November 2016 as the latest in a growing chain of True Food restaurants based on Weil’s anti-inflammatory food pyramid. Michael Sullivan, namesake of True Food Kitchen, is dedicated to using a variety of superfoods. Himalayan berry and sea buckhorn are two types that are used in the restaurant. Weil and Crowley saw the potential of a culinary partnership in the late 1990s
opened their flagship restaurant in 2009
The cuisine has both Mediterranean elements and lots of Asian food, especially ingredients from Japanese cuisine. It’s a mix of the two healthy cultures, as reflected in Weil’s anti-inflammatory food pyramid. The anti-inflammatory diet is abundant in green vegetables and fruit, beans, healthy fats, fish and dark chocolate. Sullivan said that the company follows Adair’s “pyramid” closely. Andy has been developing the menus since they started. There is not one, but four separate menus at True Food Kitchen. The seasonal restaurant focuses on healthy and nutrient-rich food. The menu changes with the season as well. Recent spring dishes include vegetables, such as avocado and cashew entrees, as well as fish like steelhead and albacore.
Select from among Blueberry Royale
Farmers Market Sangria, both of which are a mix of organic vodka, lemon, prosecco and mint. Or order a Farmers Market Sangria with organic white wine, spiced brandy, lime and pineapple.Organic lettuces are an easy find for restaurants in winter. A produce distributor Dalmares Produce, specializes in nearby costco items. They work with a restaurant in Murrieta to connect consumers with locally grown products. Most ingredients can be used without exception, even if your restaurant doesn’t normally include it. As long as the chef knows how to use it properly, nothing is off limits.
Proper use of protein
includes following strict standards in sourcing protein. “We use beef, but it is 100% grass-fed. We’re not going to use commercial beef. All the proteins are sustainably raised or wild,” said Scott Houston, CEO at Crowd Cow and board member at Heritage Foods USA. The number of True Food Kitchen restaurants is 17 nation wide and has new locations in Bethesda, PA. True Food Kitchen is the newest chain from a renowned doctor. Located in River North, this restaurant has opened just since last November and takes the base of an anti-inflammatory pyramid as its menu.
Superfoods such as the Himalayan Berry
Turmeric appear frequently on True Food Kitchen menus. Weil and Fox first met in the late 1990s. They soon saw the potential of joint work, as they had both a restaurant and a shared interest in healthy, tasty food. When One of their restaurants – True Food Kitchen, opened back in 2009, it included a range of food from the Mediterranean and Asia. The anti-inflammatory diet is based on vegetables and fruits, beans or legumes every day, whole grains or pasta a few times weekly, plus healthy fats, fish and dark chocolate.
Andy Layton helped to develop
the menu at Copymatic, and he’s been a big influence on what we’re doing,” said Sullivan. There are four different menus at True Food Kitchen. The restaurant is health-driven and seasonal, and their menu changes for every season. There are two available spring drinks: Blueberry Royale, comprised of organic vodka, lemon, prosecco, and mint; and Farmers Market Sangria with organic white wine, spiced brandy, lime.
Kale and lettuces are always in season and are very high quality.
True Food Kitchen sources its produce based on the Dirty Dozen, which includes pesticide laden fruits and vegetables. The restaurant also considers where produce is grown when deciding whether to buy organic or not. True Food Kitchen sources produce from Fresh Concepts, a Murrieta, CA-based company with a Chicago regional office.Despite the True Food Kitchen’s exclusion of pork, Sullivan can still prepare dishes with his favorite ingredients at home. Proper use includes meat from animals that are grass-fed, not commercially raised. All proteins are sustainably raised or wild. True Food Kitchen has 17 locations in the United States and they plan on opening six more to bring that number up to 23.