SERVING UP A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
ESCONDIDO WOMEN OPEN FRESH N GO, WHICH OFFERS GRAIN BOWLS AND ORGANIC JUICES AS WELL AS FREE MIND-AND-BODY CLASSES, MUSIC AND A BOOK CLUB
As a girl growing up in Escondido, Esvaidy Flores loved working with her mother, chopping up vegetables and prepping other ingredients for her mom’s catering business. Years later, she’s working by her mother’s side once again, as well as her best friend, in a new casual healthyfoods restaurant they opened Jan. 14 in Escondido.
Flores, her mom, Alma Packer, and her longtime close friend Olga Saldivar are partners in Fresh N Go, which serves healthy pick-your-protein grain and rice bowls, organic pressed juices and houseprepared chia puddings with fruit. Besides the preservative-free foods, which are cooked only in pure avocado oil, all the Fresh N Go sauces are vegan, dairyfree and gluten-free.
Although the business offers everything to go, as the name implies, the partners unexpectedly lucked into leasing a much larger restaurant space last fall and they’re now offering live events to encourage people to come and stay. There are free mind-and-body health classes on Monday mornings, live music on Fridays from noon to 2 p.m., and a book club that will kick off soon with monthly in-store meetings.
“Our goal is to make people feel welcome,” Flores said. “We want people to enjoy good food that doesn’t make you feel groggy or tired in a relaxed atmosphere with a nice ambience.”
Flores spent six years working in the orthodontics industry, but she missed preparing food and feeding people like she did in her mid-teens. So she started talking about opening a restaurant with her mom and with Saldivar, who owns Phattie’s Vegan Mexican Restaurant in Escondido.
Flores said they spent nearly 10 months looking for a location in their shared hometown of Escondido last year with no luck. Then, Suzy Q’s Diner, at the corner of Second Avenue and Juniper Street downtown, closed last summer when its owner retired. Flores said the 2,000-square-foot space is in a great location and has room for the business to grow and become more of a sit-down, community gathering spot.
When it came to choosing the concept, the partners brainstormed on what they wanted to serve. They all enjoy eating healthy, and Flores especially loves grain bowls, so they agreed to launch Fresh N Go, which was inspired by choose-your-protein restaurants like Chipotle and One n Half Poke.
Diners can build their own bowls or choose from one of five signature bowls. Proteins include chicken, tofu, sauteed mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs, steak, lamb, shrimp and salmon. The bases are quinoa, white rice, brown rice, spring mix and black beans. Nearly 20 fresh vegetables are available as toppings, plus choice of cheese and sauces.
Flores said the top-selling bowls are the signature Fresh N Go, which includes white rice, quinoa, spring mix, tomatoes, mashed avocado and two sauces, and the Mexican bowl, with white rice black beans, corn, avocado, Mexican cheese, jalapeño, carne asada beef, veggies and mango habanero sauce. Depending on the protein and other ingredients, most of the bowls range in price from $10.95 to $16.95.
The restaurant also sells flavored teas, chilled puddings and two organic juice blends.
The restaurant held its soft opening on Dec. 13, and Flores said business has been growing steadily with positive feedback from visitors. Most of the restaurant’s business is during the lunch hours, but Flores said they hope that by offering a comfortable dining room and events, it will become an all-day hangout.
When Escondido’s Cruisin’ Grand car club events kick off downtown on Friday afternoons in May, Flores said Fresh N Go will begin offering live music on Friday evenings. She’s also hoping more people will take advantage of the free, hourlong body health classes at 8 a.m. Mondays. The content changes from week to week but will include guided meditation, sound healing, crystal bowls, yoga and breath work. Yoga mats are available or visitors can bring their own.