PEOPLES ORGANIC CAFÉ

A culture of community, local farmers, sustainable ingredients and organic focus

By Marie Laska

Chia seeds, nitrate-free bacon and quinoa tabouli have all found a wonderful new home at one of Fargo’s newest restaurants, the Peoples Organic Café. With a desirable 2653 45th Street South corridor location, Peoples Organic opened its doors in March 2014 and has since then taken the culinary culture of Fargo by storm—adding new, intricate layers focused on local farmers, fresh cuisine and sustainable and organic flavors, all while fulfilling their mission of “never sacrificing flavor.”

With restaurant hours from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, the comprehensive menu includes breakfast items such as bagels and breakfast burritos to nighttime specials like the popular Tilapia Street Tacos and Thai Basil Pulled Chicken, but with fresh and inspired twists spun by a creative team including an executive chef based out of the Twin Cities and company founder and macrobiotic chef, Lynn Gordon.

In 2005, Gordon was a chef and business owner with a proven track record for creating food that embraced the connection between food, family and community with local, sustainable farming. This focus was brought to new clarity after Gordon returned from a trip to Asia where she had the chance to witness small communities out in the fields tending to the crops, and the attentive care and preparation that was shown in the steps between the soil and the table.

Bringing these lessons to her business, Gordon then paired her experiences with her love of small European cafés, where a customer will typically know their server, will feel connected to their community while in that establishment and will trust that all of their nutrition and dietary needs will be met. The customer may also be aware that the food being prepared has been harvested by their neighbor and that the quality of the ingredients will be second to none. This connection has been encapsulated in the Peoples Organic mission statement: “we celebrate the simplicity of nutritious and organic food, pure water and healthy beverages. We practice sustainability and support our local and organic farmers. We believe that fresh, pure ingredients create the most memorable and nurturing meals.”

After being paired with sister company French Meadow, Peoples Organic Café has since grown to eight franchise locations, with North Dakota native Charles Anderson at the helm. Visitors to the Fargo location of Peoples Organic will notice the open-yet-intimate layout, the warmth of the painted floor and padded seating, or even possibly the incredibly beautiful blue, cutglass light fixtures (made by Minneapolis artist Bonnie Rubinstein). The walls showcase simple, black-and-white photography telling the story of the farmers and families harvesting the tea sold by Peoples Organic, and the fair-trade practices embraced by the organization.

A glance at the menu yields affordable-yethealthy meals for children and adults alike. Those who partake in libations may struggle in choosing from a wide variety of local artisanal beer options. National Operations Manager Jennifer Ashcroft describes a new addition of jasmine tea-infused beer amongst their selections, supplied by a local craft brewery. Other beverages include organic wines and ales, as well as triple-certified water on tap, installed by area vendor Richard’s Custom Water.

Bringing together the themes of sustainability and community has put Peoples Organic Café at the forefront of not only shopping locally but also enjoying the best of what North Dakota and Minnesota farmers bring to the table. As well, Peoples Organic Café is always looking to partner with more local vendors and to building long-lasting relationships with community providers. [AWM]