When you walk into Fresh Kitchen in Winter Garden, you’re welcomed like family.
Within a few moments of entering the newest Central Florida location, we were greeted by manager Russ Leblanc, whose kindness was the perfect preface to our meal.
“For someone to come into our house and try our food, that’s awesome,” Leblanc said.
This build-your-own bowl concept started in Tampa, and has since expanded to 11 locations, including downtown Orlando, Waterford Lakes, and Lake Mary. You can find the new location at 3337 Daniels Road, Suite 120, Winter Garden, FL 34787.
THE EXPERIENCE
The clean, pink-hued interior lends itself to a dreamy dining experience. Choose between a Four Bowl (two bases, one veggie, one protein, one sauce) or Six Bowl (two bases, two veggies, two proteins, one sauce) to begin creating your masterpiece.
Options change seasonally, but you’re always guaranteed gluten-free choices. Plus, most selections are also non-dairy friendly, free from processed sugar, and vegan friendly, which are all clearly marked on the menu. In addition to an array of colorful bases and sides, there’s also a wide selection of protein, including chicken, salmon, steak, and tofu.
We’ve frequented enough fast-casual spots to know it’s tough to keep a personal connection with each customer when loading a bowl to pass down an assembly line. Yet, all Fresh Kitchen employees greeted us with a smile at each “station,” expertly answering questions about spices and combinations. They even mentioned whether an option was an upgrade before adding it to the bowl.
THE FOOD
While there are other build-your-own bowl concepts around Orlando like Bolay and Veg’n Out (both household favorites), Fresh Kitchen offers a completely different menu of options for a unique experience.
All selections are healthy, but they’re packed with flavor. The sweet potatoes? Maple. The rice? Seasoned with coconut and ginger. Meat? Hormone and antibiotic-free.
We opted for two bowls:
The prices make Fresh Kitchen approachable, ranging from $7.99 for a Kid’s Bowl to $9.29 for a Four Bowl, and $11.99 for a Six Bowl. At the register, there’s also refreshing teas, juice frescas (prepared in-house daily), and gluten-free, paleo-friendly desserts like chocolate chip cookies.
If you want to enjoy a meal with the family from home, Fresh Kitchen also offers shareable meals that feed four for $45 or, assuming the whole family visits, eight for $85.
FOOD AND PHILANTHROPY
While sustainability has long been a part of the Fresh Kitchen mission, the opening of this new location also marks a partnership with Fleet Farming, a nonprofit urban agriculture program, with a goal to build an edible garden for Sunridge Middle School. Students and teachers will have the option to use the garden for the STEM curriculum.
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