Feel-Good Food Fills the Menu at True Food Kitchen

Eat better, feel better. These are words to live by from Easton Town Center’s newest restaurant, True Food Kitchen. It’s the first Ohio outlet for a restaurant group that started 12 years ago in Phoenix and has grown to 35 locations in 16 states. Famously, True Food Kitchen was founded by renowned physician Dr. Andrew Weil, whose belief that food should make you feel better, not worse, is the foundation that True Food Kitchen was built on. The menu was created by passionate chefs, visionary restaurateur Sam Fox and Dr. Weil—a recipe for success.

Weil is widely known for developing the anti-inflammatory food pyramid, which he says “encourages simple changes in eating habits to avoid and counteract chronic inflammation—a way of selecting and preparing foods based on science that can help people achieve and maintain optimum health over their lifetime.” This food philosophy extends to flavor and freshness, allowing guests to enjoy palate-pleasing, nutrient-dense ingredients all year round. Taking it a step further, True Food Kitchen also offers carefully sourced proteins and little-known superfoods—take sea buckthorn and yuzu root, for example—to ensure they are keeping ingredients creative, sustainable and in-season.

Left: The spacious dining area allows for keeping tables at a safe distance. Right: Grass-fed Burger

True Food Kitchen is the only restaurant of its kind fundamentally based on science, a feature that sets it apart, according to Christine Ferris, director of marketing. With a menu that ranges from salads, bowls and pizza to ambitious entrees such as salmon or lasagna, all of True Food Kitchen’s dishes are intended to increase the longevity of people and the planet.

This philosophy extends to True Food Kitchen’s scratch bar where hand-crafted cocktails and all-natural refreshers made with fresh juice—apple lemonade, for example, and their “kale aid” with ginger, cucumber and lemon—are prepared daily.

True Food Kitchen is committed to providing a customized experience for every customer. They encourage guests to come as they are, and the restaurant will make sure any food preferences are met. This even includes options like gluten-free buns, pizzas, and pitas. While many of the base dishes are vegetarian, just about anything on the menu can be made that way, and they have even found a way to make the most surprising of dishes vegan. The restaurant notes that every dish can be customized, so the menu has something for everyone.

The top-selling dish is the Ancient Grains Bowl, which is packed with flavor including miso-sesame-glazed sweet potato, turmeric, charred onions, snap peas, grilled portobello mushrooms, avocado and hemp seeds. Ferris says her pro tip is to add any of the proteins for an extra dose of nutrients—her favorite is the grilled salmon.

The restaurant opened with a fall menu that includes butternut squash pizza with onion, garlic and vegan almond ricotta, as well as such items as edamame dumplings and jackfruit lettuce wraps. But it also includes classics such as the grass-fed burger, shrimp tacos and a grilled chicken avocado wrap, all served with a choice of kale salad or sweet potato hash.

Left: Squash Pie; Right: The seasonal menu includes a Butternut Squash Pizza with almond ricotta.

True Food Kitchen is a distinctive addition to Easton Town Center.

Ferris noted that when Easton Town Center announced its $500 million expansion in 2018, True Food Kitchen knew they wanted to be a part of it. They felt their seasonally inspired, flavor-forward menu would be an excellent addition to the premier shopping, dining and entertainment destination. With more than 30 million visitors each year and a lot of true foodies in the area, Easton was a perfect spot for their newest location, she said.

While elated about joining the Columbus community, the group faced unexpected challenges in trying to open amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Ferris said. The grand opening date was delayed from spring to September so they could reconfigure the sizeable dining area and open-air patio to ensure social distancing. Ferris also said that most of the training took place virtually. Safety procedures remain heightened, with stringent sanitation protocols, daily wellness checks, a mobile menu and more. Customers can order favorite dishes for carryout alongside several alcohol to-go options, and True Food Kitchen added “family pack” carryout offerings for groups of two, four and six.

Despite the challenges, Ferris said, True Food Kitchen is excited to share a passion for feel-good food and whole-hearted hospitality with the Columbus community.

• True Food Kitchen is open daily for lunch and dinner at 4052 Worth Ave. in Easton Town Center. See the menu, make a reservation or order online at truefoodkitchen.com/locations/columbus/