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Thanks to a handful of Vancouver foodies, healthy eating is easier than ever before
Juggling two careers, kids and a desire to eat healthy was a challenge that left co-founders Steve and Meghan Clarke looking for a solution. Their decision was dramatic: in 2012, they both left their corporate jobs and founded Tractor Everyday Healthy Foods. Partnering up with a team of chefs, they’ve created a diverse menu of soups, salads, stews and sandwiches using seasonal ingredients and fresh flavours.
The cafeteria-style set-up makes it easy to dash in, fill up and carry on with you day knowing you’ve got a wholesome lunch or dinner to look forward to. Tractor Foods tries to appeal to all appetites and preferences, and offers vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, as well as fish and meat options.
1903 West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano and downtown in the Marine Building, 335 Burrard Street
Christina Culver started Culver City Salads in 2012 as a salad delivery business that she ran from her home kitchen, servicing mostly her friends and colleagues. Since then, she’s enlisted the help of her sister Sarah Culver and transformed her modest operation into a successful plant-based, gluten-free food truck – the only one of its kind in Vancouver.
Their kitchen on wheels (aptly named Granny Smith for its bright green colour) has been canvassing Vancouver’s streets and food truck festivals on a mission to make green, clean eating accessible for everyone. The food truck model necessitates speed and efficient service, so it’s easy to swing by and pick up a ready made salad for lunch or dinner – all made from scratch with local ingredients. Culver City also offers pre-made salads at select retail locations and catering services.
11:15 a.m.–2:15 p.m. at Hastings & Thurlow or follow on The Street Food App
It was the arrival of his first child that spurred Nourish Vancouver’s founder Dan Cheung into learning all that he could about healthy eating. What he discovered inspired him to start his own business and share his knowledge with the community. Nourish Vancouver launched in September 2014 as an online ordering and lunchtime delivery service and has since expanded to include a storefront location in the Chopra Yoga Centre.
Governed by a food philosophy that values local, seasonal, 100 per cent organic ingredients, Nourish Vancouver offers up seasonal salads, soups, snacks and breakfast items for health-seeking, busy-lifestyle-leading Vancouverites. And although the menu is not meat-free, it is largely plant-based. Eat in store, take away or order for delivery for a fast, fresh and healthy breakfast, lunch or dinner.
451 Granville Street or at various markets
From inspiration to operation, The Juicery Co. is a family affair. Mother-daughter team Christina Prevost and Alex Troll began researching the benefits of juicing when a family member was diagnosed with cancer in early 2013. After seeing first-hand how juicing improved his and their quality of life, they decided to share their knowledge with the community and in January 2014 opened The Juicery Co.
The Juicery Co. menu features over 20 different juices and nut mylks, as well as daily smoothie bowls. Smoothies are made with the antioxidant rich acai berry, which when blended takes on an ice-cream like consistency that makes this healthy breakfast feel like a guilty pleasure. All are topped with crunchy granola from local Two Daughters Bakeshop and fresh fruit, and are served in convenient grab-and-go cups so you can enjoy your breakfast while on the move. Alternatively, you can customize your own smoothie by blending your favourite juice with homemade almond mylk and either banana or avocado for a more substantial breakfast beverage. Smoothies and acai bowls are available at all three Juicery Co. locations.
254 East 1st Street, North Vancouver; 3130 Highland Blvd, North Vancouver and 3570 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver
Co-founder Joni Lind started making soups a regular part of her diet in 2013, but it wasn’t until her co-workers began requesting them that she realized she had a growing soup business on her hands. Enter Amy Kizaki, a like-minded healthy-lifestyle-living Vancouverite who shared Joni’s business vision. Together they launched Kits Kitchen, a small batch-soup business that uses all local ingredients. They realized that there was a demand for fresh, wholesome and flavourful soups without all the effort it takes to make them.
Kits Kitchen offers a colourful array of soups and broths that can be ordered individually or as one-month subscriptions which they deliver straight to your home of office. They also offer a 48-hour soup reset, where you eat/drink soup for two days straight, which is supposed to balance digestive enzymes and help treat troubled stomachs.
401 Industrial Avenue or various locations
Smak is all about speed and convenience, but what sets them apart is their commitment to taste and nutrition – fast food doesn’t have to mean unhealthy. With this in mind, Smak began creating salads, wraps, breakfast items and hot rice bowls that easily fit into busy schedules.
All menu items are gluten free, locally sourced and many use herbs and greens grown out of their own gardens. Order at the counter or choose an item out of their grab-and-go fridge for a fresh meal fast. Located in Coal Harbour on the edge of Vancouver’s financial district, Smak has been serving up balanced breakfast, lunch and dinners since 2013.
1139 W. Pender Street
New to the game as of this month, Green & Grain Salad Co. is bringing pre-made salads and breakfast items straight to your home or office. Between working late and keeping active, founder Riley Trimble had little time to eat right and was too often turning to fast food options to keep him going throughout the day. In response to this dilemma, he started Green & Grain Salad Co., an online health food delivery service that aims to make eating healthy easy and effortless.
Working with two local chefs and a nutritionist, they’ve designed six salads and three grain-based breakfast items that come packed in handy, reusable Mason jars. Each meal packs a protein punch and uses fresh ingredients to keep your energy up and your appetite satisfied. The idea is to order a six-pack of green and grain items that will keep you fuelled with healthy foods all week long.
1380 Napier Street