Quinoa salad at Fresh Pot Café. (Photo by Mark Gilliland)More Info
FRESH POT CAFÉAddress: 5425 Highway 153Hours: Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.Phone: 423-805-3773
There is a lot of color packed into Fresh Pot Café’s cozy space; from the wall menu written in red, blue and yellow chalk to the display showcasing handmade necklaces, scarves, drink coasters and more — authentic Ecuadorian trinkets brought back to the States by cafe co-owner Blanco Mullo every time she visits her homeland.
Fresh Pot’s souvenir section is not the only corner of the café that benefits from Blanco’s trips. The kitchen does, too.
“Cooking is definitely in her blood,” Blanco’s daughter Gabby Garrido told me.
Blanco returned from one such visit last month, when she spent time in the family restaurant Comida Tipica in which she was raised. This time, she brought back authentic Ecuadorian quinoa and the idea for a new peanut sauce.
The quinoa can now be found in Fresh Pot’s new quinoa salad, which packs a lot of protein in its quinoa, spinach, feta cheese, tomato, onion and pecans. The peanut sauce tops Fresh Pot’s hearty new roast chicken and potato dish, served on a bed of fresh lettuce with avocado and tomato.
“It’s very delicious,” said Gabby. “It’s one of my favorite — all of our favorites, really.”
The plates, not surprisingly, are as colorful as Fresh Pot’s interior, and as colorful and personal as the Ecuadorian flag that hangs in the restaurant’s kitchen.