Andronico’s Introduces FitMarket Menu; Celebrates Local for Earth Day

Andronico’s Community Market has introduced its FitMarket menu, part of its mission to “bring healthy back” to its communities and customers. The San Francisco-based company worked with Lisa Smith-King, a leading product development chef, to launch a new menu of healthy focused chef-prepared foods; the new signature recipes, focusing on paleo, gluten-free and clean label offerings, will be made in-house throughout the month of April.

Andronico’s and Smith-King’s goal was to offer flavorful dishes that fit within the FitMarket messaging. “I worked to craft recipes with interesting flavor profiles that would be bright and fresh and translate into an amazing culinary adventure within the store,” Smith-King said. “We focuses on the Paleo diet which is also gluten-free, vegetarian and on Mediterranean flavors.”

The products are available ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat. Menu items include gourmet paleo Moroccan lamb stew with cauliflower mash, gluten-free grilled cilantro adobo chicken or tofu and grilled chicken with romesco sauce. All of the prepared meals meet FitMarket guidelines of minimal processing and/or human contact, low sodium and sugar as well as no unhealthy fats.

Andronico’s also is celebrating Earth Day by hosting its annual “Celebrating Local Lands” event on Saturday, April 16. The event, held at the Salano Avenue location, features hyper-local products in several departments with local producers on hand to talk with customers.

FitMarket nutritionists will be on hand as well to help customers choose healthy selections.

Some of the local products to be featured at the event include vegan and gluten-free Ladera granola made in small batches without GMOs. Oojoo Juice also will sample its fresh juices that feature colorful and delicious combinations of organic produce.

“These are the types of products we are excited to find and offer our customers,” said Jessica Willet, director of center store, including the FitMarket department. She is responsible for sourcing local products and has brought many such products into the store directly.