Fresh new lunch spot opens in Richland. Plus a boutique wine shop
A forced closure may be a blessing in disguise for the owners of Fresh Leaf Co.
The cafe that offers organic, health-conscious options shut down in December when the building they were in was sold to make way for a Bruchi’s CheeseSteaks & Subs.
Juan and Gina Carillo opened for the first time in over three months on Wednesday at a new location at 1080 George Washington Way. They had operated in a former Subway shop at 2617 W. Kennewick Ave. since 2015.
“In Kennewick, it was kind of tough because I would compete with all the big chains of fast food,” Gina Carillo said. “My best time was summer because of all the travelers. Winter was hard — we had to shorten hours and have jobs elsewhere.”
The cafe now is in the same plaza that is home to Tri-Cities Cider House and Porter’s Real Barbecue.
The space is bigger and allows them to expand their menu and hours and hire help.
Fresh Leaf was born out of Juan Carillo’s diabetes diagnosis and the couples dream to own their own restaurant. Their healthy fast food features wraps, salads, grain bowls and fresh juices.
Unlike at their Kennewick location, they also will able to have some meat options like grilled salmon as an add-on to salads. They previously couldn’t have it on the menu because they didn’t have the grill or overhead fan.
Customers can create their own omelets during brunch on the weekends, as well as choose from sweet or savory crepes. Carillo will be expanding the grab-and-go options as well.
“I’m so excited to get in business again and see my family, who are my clients,” Carillo said.
Fresh Leaf won’t have a traditional drive-thru, but online orders will be a breeze with a new drive-thru pickup window. Hours are from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Non-Vintage Wines
The owners of a new wine boutique coming soon in Richland aims to be the go-to retail outlet for your next pour.
Non-Vintage Wines coins itself a wine concierge service and wants to have a hand in ensuring every customer has the bottle the fits them perfectly.
“In addition to purchasing, we also want to provide education,” said Non-Vintage Wines co-owner Andrew Gerow. “We want the ability to talk to customers to ensure they are making the right bottle purchase.”
Gerow along with Matthew Doutney and Gabriel Crowell are in the construction phase of the shop at 1325 Aaron Drive, near Monkey Dooz. They have a small selection of wines available for sale on nv-wines.com with delivery while the storefront is being built out.
The trio — all recent grads of the Washington State University Tri-Cities wine science program — will be stocking the store with wines from all over the world.
The boutique will have 650 different wines. Gerow said that the shop’s wine racks are being built to a have a quick bottle rotating so that customers can constantly find something new. Prices will likely range from $8 to over $100.
“We will have cheaper bottles, but that doesn’t mean diminished qualities,” Gerow said.
Eventually, they will be offer tastings and will be selling wines by the glass for consumers to enjoy while making their selection.
“We want to provide that luxury experience, but you don’t need to pay the luxury prices,” Gerow said.
The owners are giving a glimpse into their world with weekly virtual tastings via NV Wines on Instagram, along with guest winemakers. Recent guests featured include Keith Johnson, winemaker for Devium Wines in Walla Walla and Megan Huges, assistant winemaker for Barnard Griffin in Richland.
For a schedule of virtual tastings go to NV Wines on Instagram or Non-Vintage Wine’s Facebook page.