Here comes yet another healthy-eating chain: True Food Kitchen opens its first Chicago location in November at 1 West Erie Street.
An early adopter of the casual organic dining trend, True Food was founded in 2008 by restaurateur Sam Fox and holistic health proponent Dr. Andrew Weil. “It used to be, even just three or four years ago, that it was hard to get the volume [of organic goods] we needed,” says Michael Sullivan, executive chef of the Chicago outpost and a True Food veteran. “But we created the demand and now we can get what we need.”
The diverse (but not intimidatingly large) menu includes a slew of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, rotating seasonally through dishes like spaghetti squash casserole and Sullivan’s current favorite, a Panang curry with baby bok choy, carrots, and potatoes. There’s also a gluten-free lasagna with a Bolognese sauce of house-made chicken sausage plus plenty of beef—all grass fed and humanely handled.
And there is still dessert to be had: True Food will offer both vegan and non-vegan ice cream, made from scratch. (Sullivan assures us, though, that even the sugar is organic and fair-trade. But of course.)