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What’s On My Plate?

I founded Healthy Living because I believed in food; good, ingredient-based, delicious food to be exact! 

The evolution of our house-made food has been a long and organic one. I asked our new Research & Development Chef, Karen Dunham, to discuss our amazing new fall menu below. But first, here’s a little background on how our Café got started.

In my very first store, someone suggested we offer a salad bar, and in my scrappy fashion I made it happen. We bought a free-standing salad bar unit and I would prep the organic veggies for it myself each day! 

When we moved from our original location to our second home, I got really brave and built a small cafeteria in the back corner of the store. We had a tiny prep and cooking area where our Café Manager would make steamed kale, tofu, and brown rice every day. That Café was where we invented our “killer brownies” and some other long-standing HL favorites. 

We had a steady lunch crowd and we started attracting Café staff who were really inspired to create new dishes and offerings. So when we opened our flagship location at 222 Dorset St in South Burlington, we went all-in on a Café and bakeshop. 

And I’m so glad we did because it has evolved over time into a real driving force at Healthy Living. I’m so proud of the food we create here—everything from scratch, made by amazing cooks who care about feeding our community. I think our bakeshop is one of the best around and I’m continuously amazed at what they can do! 

Now back to Karen! She was recently named our new Research and Development Chef, but has actually worked for Healthy Living for nearly 12 years, as part of our opening team at our Saratoga store. 

She is a trained chef from the Culinary Institute of America and an absolutely incredible creator of awesomely-delicious food! She has held numerous roles for us and I’m so happy to see her step into this new one and help us lead the way into the future of prepared food at HL. Her new fall menu is a total winner and I’m so excited to introduce you to these dishes and to Karen, herself. 

KAREN SECTION

As the R&D Chef at Healthy Living, I’m thrilled to unveil our fall menu. I’ve been cooking since I was 16 and have spent nearly twelve years working at Healthy Living. 

When planning the menu, I start by researching current trends and popular flavors. I ask questions like, “What classic comfort foods are favorites in the fall? What new flavors can we introduce that will resonate with our guests?” I also consider dietary preferences and requirements, ensuring we offer vegan, gluten-free, and vegetarian options alongside traditional choices.

The recipe-testing phase is where creativity truly comes to life. I draw inspiration from magazines, cookbooks, cooking shows, and online recipes. While it can take several iterations to get some dishes just right, each adjustment is a chance to innovate and improve. 

We also adhere to strict ingredient standards to ensure that every recipe meets our high-quality expectations. Seeing a recipe evolve into a final product that meets our standards is incredibly satisfying, and it’s rewarding to see these dishes make their way onto the menu.

Among the new offerings, the Autumn Power Bowl has quickly become one of my favorites this fall. It features a mix of seasonal ingredients, including roasted sweet potatoes, dried cranberries, roasted pumpkin seeds, lentils, and goat cheese, all served on a bed of mixed greens with our famous garlic-grilled chicken. We’re serving it with a cranberry poppyseed dressing that complements the bowl perfectly.  

Another exciting addition is our Tamarind Honey-Glazed Salmon. Tamarind’s tangy, slightly sweet flavor is trending this fall and pairs wonderfully with salmon. 

I hope you enjoy our new fall menu as much as I enjoyed creating it.

BACK TO KATY:

I’m so excited to work with Karen on the future of our food. Whether you dine in-store with us or bring our prepared options home; I can’t wait for you to try these amazing, inspired dishes!

Here’s to a flavorful fall!

KATY