Lunch Ladies: Cafe Fresh
Green Life Wrap with Tomato Basil Soup Lunch Special at Cafe Fresh. Courtesy of Lyndsi Seltz
Salmon Pesto Sandwich on Gluten Free Focaccia at Cafe Fresh. Courtesy of Gabby Harris
House Salad with Avocado at Cafe Fresh. Courtesy of Sylvia Abbott
Clockwise from top left: House Salad with Avocado, Turkey Avo sandwich, Green Life Wrap with Tomato Basil Soup Lunch Special and Salmon Pesto Sandwich on Gluten Free Focaccia.
Are you going through March Madness withdrawals? The second the games end, I begin to miss the rush of the basketball whirlwind. I am no longer scoring my friendly bracket tourney 24-7, no longer checking scores on my phone, tablet and any TV I pass by. (Yes, I am proudly one of “those.”)
For a few weeks, I am just on a rush of game after game, prediction after prediction, basketball conversations galore, and fun trash talking — er, playful banter — and then it comes to a screeching halt. Ah, what’s a girl to do? Well, she’s gotta bounce back, by embracing spring, that’s for sure.
Every year I go through the same routine. I tell the passing of the seasons by sporting events. When I start to get that constant urge to go to baseball night games, I know I am in the very start of summer. I just want to be outside, taking in the crisp air and long nights. The start of football season means fall is just around the corner, and when football playoffs roll around we are in the heart of winter. The Super Bowl means we are hopefully in the last stretch of winter. And then March Madness welcomes in the thaw; when it ends, I know spring has arrived.
So with my sights on warmer weather I drown my separation sorrows in springtime perks: Warmer weather, longer nights and outings to the park, playing croquet, the color green in the landscape, eating outside, and more sunshine, to name a handful.
So in honor of spring, it seemed only fitting that the Lunch Ladies head to one of our new favorite spots to welcome in the start of spring, Café Fresh. With delicious, healthy, garden-fresh ingredients it just seemed right. Plus, it’s inside the health food store, Good Earth Natural Foods, another shout out to the attributes of spring.
Gabby: Salmon Pesto Sandwich on Gluten Free Focaccia — $8.99 — Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookie — $1.79
This sandwich comes with tender, moist Alaskan Salmon and provolone cheese. It has a generous amount of roasted yellow tomatoes whose tanginess is accented by a lemony, basil pesto spread that soaks into the warm roll ever so slightly. And the cheese becomes a little melted from the warmth of the soft roll as well. The delightful flavor combination is masterful perfection, and does gluten-free sandwiches honors. I opted for the fresh fruit side, opposed to chips, since I was eyeing the gluten-free cookie. The fruit cup was full of crisp, fresh pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe and honeydew. Yum! Now for dessert. One of the softest peanut butter cookies I have ever enjoyed! Delicious peanut buttery goodness. Can’t wait to go back and order it all again!
Sylvia: House Salad with Avocado — $7.88
House Salad, now doesn’t that sound a little boring? Well this salad was anything but! Presented beautifully, this salad was full of fresh greens (spinach, arugula and more), tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, sunflower sprouts, julienne carrots, red bell peppers, red onion, Italian marinated mushrooms, soy nuts and a generous serving of avocado on top. My tummy was so satisfied by all these flavors, I can’t wait to go back.
Jennette: Turkey Avo sandwich — $7.25
I was very excited to try the turkey sandwich here. I had heard they make the sandwich with real turkey. I’m happy to report that they do indeed use real turkey breast. The sandwich comes on thick-sliced whole wheat bread loaded with pulled turkey breast, avocado, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, super sauce and veg-sal. Not sure what super sauce and veg-sal are, but they were delicious. The sandwich comes with your choice of chips and salsa or fruit. I went with chips and fresh salsa. My lunch was delicious! Side note: no Diet Coke. Sad for me.
Lyndsi: Green Life Wrap with Tomato Basil Soup Lunch Special — $7.50
Simple and delicious is the only way I can think to describe my meal at Café Fresh. This is my first time eating here and was really excited as I perused the menu options. I couldn’t make up my mind until I saw the lunch special for the day; Green Life Wrap with a cup of soup. Perfect! I chose the spinach tortilla to hold all the veggie goodness and the tomato basil soup as the sidekick. The tortilla was filled with avocado, tomato, greens, cucumber, sprouts, red onion plus provolone cheese and a perfect amount of vegenaise. The wrap was delicious and filling but the real show-stopper was the soup. It was probably the best tomato basil soup I have ever had. It was smooth and creamy with a great hint of basil but not too overpowering, and Sylvia’s roll was a great compliment to it. So next time I am in the mood for a simple and fresh lunch I will be stopping by Café Fresh, and I think you should too.
Such refined ingredient combinations, put together by fast-paced, friendly staff, left us audibly ooohhing and aaahhing in a “What About Bob?” fashion. We were quite consumed with consuming our food. It was downright fabulous! A perfect way to usher in the flavors of spring and to welcome in the new season, even if it did mean March Madness was sadly over.
–Café Fresh: 498 S. State St., Orem. Open 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Saturday. Closed Sundays.