Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Pyramid

True Food Kitchen Factsheet

History: Andrew Weil, M.D., met Phoenix restaurateur Sam Fox in the late 1990s at one of Fox's restaurants in Tucson (Fox Restaurant Concepts operates 25 restaurants in Arizona and the Midwest). After spending time with Dr. Weil, and in particular after cooking with him at his ranch, Fox came to understand how delicious healthy food can be, and realized that Dr. Weil's concept for a restaurant - one that serves great food that just happens to be good for you - could work. On Oct. 27, 2008, the first True Food Kitchen opened in Phoenix, Ariz. It was an immediate success, and inspired Fox and Dr. Weil to open new locations in the southwest, with the long-term goal of a national rollout.

Concept: All True Food Kitchen locations feature dishes that closely adhere to the principles of Dr. Weil's anti-inflammatory diet. They are intended to be a new kind of restaurant: one in which delicious flavors, healthy nutrients, environmental awareness and an inviting atmosphere come together to create an unforgettable dining experience.

Dishes are influenced by Mediterranean, Asian and Californian cuisine, and include soups, appetizers, salads, pasta, rice and noodle dishes, wood grilled dishes, sandwiches and burgers, brick oven pizzas and desserts.

Sample dishes: Wild Smoked Salmon with Shaved Radishes; Lemon Cream & Wasabi Peas; Sashimi Tuna Salad with Avocado, Cucumber, Tomato, Edamame & Ginger; Curry Chicken with Rice Noodles; Tuscan Kale Salad; Cauliflower & Cashews; Herbed Hummus; Green Tea Soba Noodles with Peas; Bok Choy & Lemongrass; Fresh Tomato Pizza with Pasilla Chile & Manchego; Grilled Wild Ahi Sliders with Wasabi, Radishes and Cucumber on Pumpernickel; and Natural Half Chicken with Farro, Walnuts, Dried Fig, Brussels Sprouts & Squash.

Each location features catering, take out, breakfast, a selection of coffee drinks, natural juice blends, hot and cold tea, sparkling wine cocktails, organic and low-calorie beer and sake. All wines are selected based on wineries' commitment to organic, biodynamic and/or sustainable farming practices.

Engrained in True Food Kitchen's ethos is a commitment to a conscious, community-based dining experience - a commitment that ensures that, no matter how many locations are established, True Food will never become what one thinks of as a "chain."

Food sources:

• All True Food Kitchen locations use local, organic sources whenever possible. For example, the Phoenix location receives most of its produce from McClendon Farms, a 25-acre, USDA-certified organic produce farm in Peoria, Arizona.

Green features: The restaurants are decidedly "green" with environmentally friendly accoutrement including:

• High efficiency kitchen equipment
• Low voltage LED lighting
• Waterless urinals (saving 40,000 gallons/year)
• Ultra low water faucets
• Low VOC paint
• White oak butcher block tables and counter tops
• Reclaimed wood floors
• Recycled quarry tiles
• Natura water purification unit. (True Food Kitchen creates both still and carbonated bottled water in-house. Bottles are cleaned, sterilized and reused, eliminating plastic bottle waste).

True Food Kitchen locations:

• Phoenix, Ariz. (opened Oct. 2008)
  Biltmore Fashion Park
  2502 E Camelback Rd.
  Phoenix, AZ 85016
  602.774.3488
  See a slideshow from the Phoenix location.

• Scottsdale, Ariz. (opened Nov. 2010)
  Scottsdale Quarter
  15191 N Scottsdale Rd.
  Scottsdale, AZ 85254
  480.265.4500
  See a slideshow from the Scottsdale location.

• Newport Beach, Calif. (opened Aug. 2010)
  Fashion Island
  451 Newport Center Dr.
  Newport Beach, CA 92660
  949.644.2400
  See a slideshow from the Newport Beach location.
  

• Santa Monica, Calif. (opened May 2011)
  395 Santa Monica Place, Suite 172
  Santa Monica, CA 90401
  P: 310.593.8300
  F: 310.593.8301

More information and menus at True Food Kitchen's website.