Local. Sustainable. Organic. Fresh. A menu that doubles as a love letter to flavor. Vegan (and meaty) and gluten-free options abound. Succulence sans sanctimony, served by Peoples Organic.
“It’s amazing to think that we’ve been in Eden Prairie for eleven years now,” said Juell Roberts, co-owner. “It was a bit of a slow start. I don’t think locals expected a restaurant like ours to open across the street from Home Depot. But now that we’re fully ‘discovered,’ we know dozens of regulars by their names and orders, and welcome many more familiar faces every day. It’s a joy to have become such a nice town’s local hangout.
“I was raised by a health-conscious mother, whose eating habits wouldn’t surprise me until the real world revealed just how different they truly were. My husband Ray was raised by a food processing plant runner; his father, whose work regularly brought him to local farms. Ray’s upbringing may have been more meat-and-potatoes than mine, but we both found the same love for healthful, authentic food before finding each other.
“Ray and I established the first Peoples Organic in Edina alongside Lynn Gordon, founder of French Meadow Bakery & Café, in 2010. We continue to think of Lynn as a founding member after her departure in 2012. We opened our second location in the IDS Center that same year, and in 2014, Eden Prairie made three!
“We were have been fortunate to operate in the Twin Cities, where people are a little more receptive to healthy fare in general. We haven’t won diners over on principle alone, of course. We serve delicious dishes that just so happen to also be made with organic and locally sourced ingredients. Revol Greens of Owatonna. Peterson Craft Meats of Osceola. Sift, a gluten-free bakery in Minneapolis. Tappers Maple Syrup, a family-owned sugarbush in Northern Wisconsin. They’re just a few of the sustainably managed producers we thank for the quality of our food.
“Ingredients alone can’t open three locations. Only a great menu can do that. Ray and I are unbelievably lucky to have developed one for a man of impeccable taste: Prince, who we were personal chefs to from 2012 until 2016.
“Prince always encouraged us to be inventive, and gave us a special wink whenever he loved our latest creation. Several of Peoples Organic’s current menu items were devised just for him, including our curry, sesame-glazed salmon, and vegan rice crispy bar (his 2am favorite). Just an incredible person to work for, and always a party – especially whenever 3rdeyegirl came over for a recording session.”
The chicken pot pie, nestled in magnificently flaky crust, and rival to whichever cold-day comfort food your own grandmother baked. The wild ahi tuna, in the style of traditional Japanese tataki and sesame dressed to fishulent splendor. The Peterson craft sirloin steak, sliced and finished with a bright salsa verde of parsley, garlic, and olive oil. Every breakfast, burger, salad, sandwich, soup and dessert at Peoples Organic is fit for royalty, Prince or otherwise. They brew a mean pot of organic fair trade coffee to boot – shade grown, and roasted in Le Center, Minnesota.
If you haven’t yet been to Peoples Organic at 990 Prairie Center Drive in Eden Prairie, make your inaugural visit during a special event. There are half-priced bottles of wine every Tuesday evening (or “two-for-one wine,” as I know it). There is live music every Thursday evening. And although every moment at Peoples Organic is an upbeat one, the hours there are happiest Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 5:30pm.
“We’re a spot where people can meet and be together,” said Juell. “A vibrant third space in an increasingly impersonal world, where you can laugh, unwind, be with your neighbors, and enjoy food as it was meant to be eaten. What’s better than that?”
PeoplesOrganic.com