A brilliant, happy medium has been struck in Richmond regarding an important issue that affects us all: lunch. Specifically, it's regarding the conundrum of wanting to eat healthier food than what’s available within range of your workspace, but not having time to prepare a healthy lunch for yourself at home. Fed Kitchens, a fresh-food delivery project managed by Hunter Hopcroft (also head honcho at Harvest Grocery & Supply), makes much-craved healthy meals available for weekly pickup at local gyms.
Here’s how it works: Go to fedkitchens.com, peruse the list of Paleo-inspired — but not strict Paleo — deliciousness they’re cooking up, order what you want by the weekly cut-off date, and grab it on the pickup date at the gym of your choice. What’s on the menu? It’s easier to start with what’s not there. Grains, processed sugars, dairy and legumes don’t have a place in the Fed Kitchens pantry.
“We rice cauliflower, serve meatballs over spaghetti squash, make bacon-wrapped chicken breasts and parsnip purée," says Hopcroft. "We try to recreate the classic American square meal without the starch. And I’ll say that I’ve gotten the meals for two years now, and even though they fall into the Paleo guideline, they definitely don’t feel like a sacrifice. They stand up on their own.”
Hopcroft has also worked to include as much local food as possible in each meal and they’re always cooked to order and delivered fresh, not frozen. The Fed model also prevents the kind of food waste seen in bulk-order restaurant kitchens while supporting local farms and agribusinesses. It offers easy access to healthy food, and it’s getting a much wider audience than just diehard athletes and those on the Whole30 diet.
You do have to walk by some diehard athletes to get it, though — a fact that Hopcroft says might change in the future. As of now, CrossFit gyms make up the vast majority of pickup locations on the list. But watching all that sweat happen could be extra incentive to get and stay healthy, right? At the very least, it’s lunchtime eye candy, and it's Paleo approved.
