OUR STORY
Fresh Thymes Eatery opened in August 2013 and quickly blew up the Boulder food scene, earning a People’s Choice 2014 Best New Restaurant by Boulder’s Daily Camera. (Inside joke: we didn’t win “Best Gluten-Free Menu” that year, but we took it as a compliment. Our friends consider us a great restaurant, not a great gluten-free restaurant -- even though we totally are!)
We knew we were onto something. Our customers came to us looking for ingredient-conscious, nutrient-dense foods they couldn’t find anywhere else. So, we made a bigger table, expanding into the Fresh Thymes Marketplace in 2016. Now, we’re serving almost 500 meals a day, using 75 pounds of local beef bones to make our signature broth.
one righteously rad business
It’s our business to do right by our customers (feed ‘em right), our planet (treat it right), and the food we make (eat it right). We’re all about community here and support Boulder County nonprofits that work to end food insecurity (see below). Oh, did we mention we’re a Community-Support Restaurant (CSR)? Learn more about that here.
MEET OUR OWNER AND CHEF
CHRISTINE RUCH IS THE BRAINS AND THE BOWLS (AND SPOONS AND FORKS TOO) BEHIND FRESH THYMES.
Christine Ruch knows good food. She is a seasoned restauranteur, a celebrated chef, and deeply passionate about feeding the body and soul. Christine started her career in food more than 25 years ago (and she hopes that number does more to boost her cred than it does reveal her age). She is one of Boulder’s premier health-conscious and holistic nutrition chefs and an expert and advisor in the culinary world. She is a dedicated mentor and teacher who builds community through food.
Christine knows first-hand how good food can change your life. Living with Celiac Disease and Multiple Sclerosis, she has effectively managed both of her conditions with clean eating and a cheerful outlook (seriously, this lady knows how to laugh). She proudly credits her improved health and wellbeing to the power of nutrition.
OUR SOURCING practices
We’re very into this topic. Click or tap the arrows below to learn more about our sourcing practices.
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We source directly from local purveyors. When local ingredients aren’t available, we turn only to organic national distributors. When you eat with us, you know what the food you put your body is sourced from the highest quality farms. All animal protein we serve is responsibly raised on organic feed and never treated with pesticides. It’s a win-win for your belly and conscience.
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No problem! By 2021, our goal is to source 100% of our animal protein from farms certified by either Animal Welfare Approved, Global Animal Partnership Step 4 or above, and/or Certified Humane. Currently, we source all of our pork, ground beef, and steak from farmers who meet or exceed ethical sourcing standards, and source most of our chicken from farms with an animal welfare certification recognized by REAL Certified and ASPCA Shop With Your Heart Program. By 2024, we will only source chicken from farms that are certified by Global Animal Partnership and require that chickens be processed in a system that utilizes a pre-shackle multi-step controlled-atmosphere processing system that’s widely hailed as more humane.
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There’s a reason we made the Good Food 100 List with a perfect 6-link rating (the links symbolize those in the food chain) every year since its inception. The application process included a thorough review of our food purchasing data, independently verified by NSF Responsible Sourcing.
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No spooky-sounding ingredients here. You’ll never find unnatural additives, preservatives, or artificial ingredient nastiness in our food. Genetically-modified canola and soybean oils are also out. We make a conscious choice to use only organic coconut oil, locally-milled sunflower oil, and ethically sourced and single-origin extra virgin olive oil from California.
