Building Fresh London Bridges: Reaching Beyond NYC

Not only do we appeal to the locals of our fair little hamlet known as Manhattan but we have become a favorite with our tourist friends as well! You might remember the story we did on our friend from France, Marguerite Czarnecki, who became a great pal of ours and still stays in touch via email. Now, we have a group of amazing fans from “across the pond” that traveled here to see The Backstreet Boys and made Fresh & Co. their own!

We met them “officially” during our Tuesday and Thursday Free Lunch Trivia where they started raving about their experience with us and in particular our pancakes and desserts!

Let me introduce you to our English “cousins”! We have Sarah, who writes for the magazine Inside Soap and the whole trip started with her treating herself to a visit to NYC and seeing the band for her Birthday “pressie” (British for “present”).When she isn't busy bringing us up to date on all the British soaps she is chasing down The Backstreet Boys in hopes of marrying one of them some day. Hahaha...just kidding Sarah!

Next meet Lisa, our friend who works in retail over in London and resides in Borehamwood, which is the Hollywood of the UK. They have done such small independent films as Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones (just to name a few). She would love to live in NYC just because of Fresh & Co. and…OK, kidding about that but has have dreams of coming here one day.

Kavita, a self professed “chaos princess”, works as a copywriter for a website. In other words, she is proofing this just as I post it! She says she and Sarah were first taken by our delicious homemade desserts like the Red Velvet cupcake and the Oreo Pie. I can’t say I blame her. No, not at all.

Last but not least, Anna, or Anna Banana as she goes by, is a night supervisor for a major hotel in London and is mad for cakes and baked goods. Originally from Liverpool she is not related to any Beatles and don’t ask her to do imitations of them either.

Nice to know that not only are we making an impact here in NYC but in London as well. As a matter of fact, a couple of these amazing  Londoners will be guest blogging here so keep your eyes out for that!

Until next we eat and meet…

Being Salad Bar Savvy- Guest Blog by Alexandra Oppenheimer

Welcome to our 1st Guest Blog here at Fresh & Co.! We are proud to feature Alexandra Oppenheimer, RD who has been a guest of ours since we opened our first location at 681 Lexington Ave. Alexandra is a Registered Dietitian in Westchester and New York City, a Graduate Student at New York University and a Graduate of the NewYork-Presbyterian Dietetic Internship.

We asked Alexandra to give us and you some healthy eating hints and tips regarding salad as we quickly approach salad season:

 Hello everyone this is Alexandra with a few tips on being "salad savvy"

Be Salad Bar Savvy

Salads are often thought of as the epitome of a healthy meal.  Trying to lose weight?—“I’ll just have a salad.”  Don’t want to eat too much? – “Oh, just a salad for me!”  While we know how nutritionally fabulous salads can be, it is essential to make sure we’re not reversing their healthfulness.  While freedom of choice can be a fun part of designing your dream salad, we need to learn to not abuse this power and avoid salad sabotage. 

Balance your ingredients:
Individually, most salad ingredients can be great additions, but it’s possible to go too far.  Sodium and fat are two nutrients that can add up surprisingly quick in salads.  Items like beans, cheese and olives may contain higher amounts of sodium, although they still have redeeming nutrients.  The same goes for fat-containing foods.  Although they may contain heart healthy fats, a large amount still add up to excess calories.  The solution?  Balance your ingredients and stick to one serving of salad dressing.  Pay attention to which toppers have extra sodium or are higher in fat.  They are still healthy items that can be included but try not to pile them up.  Keep the higher sodium and fat foods to only one or two per salad. 

Don’t be fat-phobic with your salad:

While we want to be mindful about the amount of fat in our salads, it is not the time to go fat-free!  Vitamins A and K are abundant in vegetables and are best absorbed in your body when they are eaten along with good fats.  By adding heart healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, sunflower seeds or nuts in your salad, your body can better use those great nutrients.  Why eat a salad unless you can get all of its goodness?

Maximize nutrition with color:
Fruits and vegetables have powerful disease-preventing nutrients called phytochemicals.  These various phytochemicals are displayed by their unique color (red, orange, green, yellow, blue/purple, brown, white), and yes even white mushrooms count as a color.  Utilize a salad bar, like Fresh & Co.’s, for their extensive salad toppers (likely way more then you’d even have at home at one time).  It is the perfect opportunity to create a bright and multi-colored salad in order to get those diverse nutrients. 

Channel your New Yorker pride!
It’s a fact, New Yorkers are extremely proud of where they come from… now shouldn’t we feel the same about our food?  One of the biggest movements in food is the utilization of local and seasonal ingredients, and rightly so.  Don’t we want to support our neighboring farmers… you bet!  Local farmers help us put some of the most nutritious food in our bodies.  Produce stays on the plants longer and gets into our stomachs sooner, giving nutrients the least amount of time to degrade and lose their power!  In addition to buying local for your home, when dining out, find businesses (like Fresh & Co.) that get their ingredients from local farmers as much as possible.  

Salads can make a great meal, but sometimes we just need to take a step back and evaluate our choices.  By being mindful about your salad toppers and where the ingredients come from, you can truly maximize the healthfulness of your salad!  

Read more from Alexandra on her website Ambitious & Nutritious and follow her on Twitter at @AlexOppRD

Farm Fresh Friday Cancelled 3/18

Hello friends! Rather than put out inferior or mundane product for this Farm Fresh Friday, we have decided to pull it this week. We believe in freshness and quality. What we were seeing in the market this week were not confident in purchasing.
We thank you for your support and understanding in this matter and can't wait to see you next Friday with our own Chef Adam's latest creation!
Until then, be fresh and be well.

Help Make a Fresh Start in Japan

Fresh and Co. is asking all it's patrons to make a difference in helping the people of Japan.

Be the change. Make the difference. Remember: We all a billion children rolled into one.

Here are some ways you can make a difference through social media:

The American Red Cross has launched a texting campaign to raise money for assistance efforts in the Pacific region. Last year, they were able to raise over $20 million for Haiti relief through simple text donations. If you would like to donate to the American Red Cross for Japan Earthquake Relief, just text REDCROSS to 90999. Each text will provide $10 towards the Red Cross’s humanitarian efforts.

The Red Cross has also launched a Campaign on Causes to raise at least $25,000 for relief efforts. By logging in to Facebook, you can donate anywhere from $10 to $500 to help Tsunami victims and their families.

The folks over at Explore.org are donating $1 for every “Like” of the “Dog Bless You” Facebook page, up to $100,000. Explore.org founder Charlie Weingarten delivered the challenge at South by Southwest this weekend. “Search and rescue dogs are a critical resource for emergency situations,” he told the audience.

Harness the power of your Twitter account to do some good for the people of Japan. Twitter published a blog post detailing ways you can help with the relief efforts. Not only have they updated Japan’s mobile website with the latest information on the disaster, but they have also published a list of hashtags to tweet and/or follow related to the crisis.

Here are some key hashtags to remember:
• #Jishin: focuses around general earthquake information
• #Anpi: a hashtag for the confirmation of the safety of individuals or places
• #Hinan: Evacuation information
• #311care: a hashtag regarding medical information for the victims
• #PrayforJapan: A general hashtag for support and best wishes for victims of the crisis


Julian Lennon - Saltwater - MyVideo

Farm Fresh Friday March 11th

Ever wonder what a Watermelon Radish tasted like? Ever wonder what it was? Ever even hear of it? Find out Friday March 11th as we feature it on our salad bar all day or at least while supplies last! See you in the stores and on line at www.freshandconyc.com

Teach Your Children Well: Fresh Business Mentoring

Two weeks ago my Marketing and Social Media Mini-Me, Christina, came to me before my first cup of coffee on a Monday morning and informed me she was leaving the company. Her reasons were solid. She is involved in the art world and we were a restaurant group. Her passion job came up and she needed to strike while the irons were hot. I was both thrilled and greatly saddened at the same time.

Let me take a second to just tell you about this 19 year old Supergirl. She is NOT from this time. It’s as if she stepped through a temporal distortion. Her music tastes were early Elton John, Beatles, Leon Russell and Neil Young. She is a vegan with a great knowledge for food of all sorts and a vocabulary and writing style that would make most writers stop and wonder what they were doing wrong. She could also talk at a mile a minute with the enthusiasm of a school girl that would be the only hint to her true age.

While working with me I trusted her with all the Social Media, blogging, Tweeting and brand building for our entire concept for Fresh & Co. What she did with it was short of sensational for someone her age as she created her own voice for the brand. I called her Kent, as in Clark Kent for her newsletter reporting and heroic results.

On her final day as we stood at the elevator to say our “see you later” (I never say good-bye) she buried her head into my chest cried and said, “you have been like a father to me”. At that moment I felt terribly old and proud all at the same time. I had always looked at her as a daughter figure as is we got along on so many levels and I mentored her the best way I knew how.

Two minutes after the elevator door had closed and she had spread her wings to leave this nest I texted her three simple words. “You Are Awesome!” What I got back was this:

“You’re one of the most beautiful and inspiring people I have ever met. I’ve learned so much from you and you are one of the people I can truly call a friend. From boyfriend issues and more you’ve been with me at one of the pivotal points in my life. I’m growing up and becoming an adult and because of you I will continue to become an even better person. You showed me the way- and you’ve provided the next chapter of my life with a phenomenal soundtrack”

WOW! I felt like the teacher who watched his students graduate or the parent who witnessed their child leave for school for the very first time. I felt like a father. I felt like a teacher and mentor.

Here’s the point: If you have the chance to mentor someone, do it. Take them under your wing and show them everything you know and fill them with as much as information that their heads can accumulate. We are all teachers. It’s what we do with the knowledge on a personal and educational level that makes the true difference. We can dazzle clients and big business all we like. We can walk the walk and go on all the golf meetings and Martini lunches we like and make a difference. But the real payback for your knowledge is what you pass on to the next generation.

Christina was with me and Fresh & Co. for 9 months. The same time it takes to bring any child into this world and prepare them for what awaits and prepare them to take flight.

Here are some resources you can connect with to find your own Clark Kent

http://www.youtern.com/

 http://yellowdogrecruiting.com/

Or reach out to your local universities to find that young person to guide!

Fresh From the Farm this Friday for Farm Fresh Friday

This Friday we are featuring fresh organic Pea Shoots!

Come on in and help us support our local farmers and tell all your friends about Farm Fresh Friday!

Careing and Sharing with Share Our Strength

Help us to help make a difference. Go to www.Strength.org today!