Thrive Foods is a new food-to-go business that's based at the much-loved Laurel Street Bakery, tucked away between the West Magazine shopping district and the Tchoupitoulas corridor.
After an interrupted start (read about Thrive's crazy first launch back in April, here), Thrive recently re-launched over at Laurel Street, featuring a menu that changes 2 times each week.
Thrive Chef Rob Faust's entrees- actually, composed meals, salads and wraps- are each weighed out to precise measurements of cooked protein (5 oz or 8 oz). The protein is balanced with ideal portions of carbs, healthy fats and whole ingredients, all under the eye, hand and palate of Chef Rob.
"When people think about Thrive, I want them to be thinking 'delicious' first and foremost," says Chef Rob, who along with former Savvy Gourmet co-founder Peter Menge, own and operate the newly-opened company.
"After 'delicious', I'm hoping people also think, 'hey, this is really easy,'" said Faust, adding "it goes without saying" that the food will be "good for you, too."
For now, Thrive is doing all of its cooking at Laurel Street, and pickup is available there as well, Monday through Thursday, 3-7pm. The company's distribution plan is unique, according to Menge.
"We knew the food that we both wanted to do - that was a pretty straightforward thing [that was] easy to understand."
But when it came to getting their food into their customers' hands, Mr. Menge explained that they wanted to do something different.
"Rather than a 'to-your-door' distribution model or a bricks and mortar storefront, Thrive intends to have a 'network of distribution points,'" or pickup locations.
When customers order from Thrive, in addition to selecting the food they want and the day they want to pick it up, Thrive customers will also be able to "choose where [they'd] like to pick up [their] food" from the existing network of Thrive pickup locations.
A few improvements that are coming soon include providing full nutritional information with every meal served. Thrive intends to partner with Granola Nola's Rebecca Colvin, RD.
Both Colvin and Chef Rob are avid runners, and both love to eat delicious, well-balanced meals.
"...[I want to work with Rebecca to] create meal plans for our customers that they can load directly into their fitness apps," says Chef Rob, adding that his fitness app-of-choice is 'MyFitnessPal."
When asked which fitness app he used, Menge reportedly said, "no comment."
Click here to take advantage of Thrive's special offer for New Orleans Macaroni Kid.
Click here to sign up for the Thrive email blast.
For more information, visit www.thrivefoodsnola.com or call 504-345-9328.
