Busy, on-the-go consumers find quality food in record time at Modern Market Eatery
By Jamie Lynn Miller
Photos Courtesy Modern Market Eatery
Anyone looking for quick meals knows options for nutritious eats are limited. From mass production, heat lamps and deep fryers, grab-and-go food rarely feeds our bodies the right kind of energy.
Enter Modern Market Eatery. Founded in 2009, Modern Market Eatery strives to make real food the standard in fast food. Co-founders Anthony Pigliacampo and Rob McColgan always looked for healthy and affordable choices while working or traveling. Unable to find the right options, they decided to create their own. With its first store in Boulder, Modern Market Eatery now serves consumers in locations up and down the Front Range.
Contemporary decor with colorful chairs and high wooden tables provide a tasteful backdrop for delicious recipes made from scratch. “Our teams are chopping and roasting vegetables, stretching pizza dough by hand, and making our new bacon breadcrumbs in-house every day,” says chef Nate Weir, vice president of culinary. “We don’t have fryers or microwaves in our restaurants.”The kitchen can also customize recipes around dietary restrictions or preferences, and vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are always available.
Regardless of the menu, timeliness remains paramount. Prepping ahead of time is key, says Weir, as is cross-utilizing certain ingredients. Ready and waiting on the line, a staple like roasted chile sweet potatoes can be quickly added to various salads and chef’s bowls. The tech-enabled kitchens and easy digital ordering also facilitate a quick turnaround.
The son of missionary parents, Weir grew up mostly in Haiti, where he fell in love with Caribbean cuisine. Modern Market Eatery’s Blackened Chicken Mango Bowl reflects the flavors he loved as a child, as do menu items like marinated kale, rice garlicky black beans with sweet potato and pineapple habanero sauce. “It’s Caribbean comfort food done Modern Market Eatery style,” Weir says.
Trained in farm-to-table cooking in culinary school, Weir values menus that complement each season. “A portion of our menu is changed out in the fall and the spring to showcase produce at the peak of flavor,” he says, while menus are periodically adjusted to integrate new tastes. This summer’s menu features sweet corn, heirloom cherry tomatoes, zucchini and chilled herb shrimp, a brand-new protein option.
Fan favorites include the Thai coconut salad, accented by toasted coconut, pickled onion, peanuts and homemade peanut mango dressing. “This one has a habit of converting first-time guests into raving fans,” Weir says. “You’ll want it in your life all the time.” The Pepe pizza features hand-stretched dough topped with San Marzano tomato sauce and a signature blend of mozzarella and parmesan cheese, while peppery arugula, sliced provolone and basil aioli accent the basil chicken sandwich, which Weir says, “tastes like a summer picnic in the garden.”
Each restaurant offers consistency in process, product and service. “Guests can expect an experience that makes their lives easier,” Weir says. From ordering on the app or in-restaurant to friendly, efficient service and a diverse menu, visiting Modern Market Eatery should be a pleasure. He adds, “We want every guest to leave feeling wowed.”
Modern Market Eatery
Various locations throughout the metro
modernmarket.com
