In this first part of the series, we’re giving you in the inside look into one of our new favorite lunch places, All Shook Up!, on the corner of Raymond and Davis Avenues.

After talking about trying lunch at All Shook Up! forever, Charlie and I headed down on Friday to try it out. Upon walking in, this place looks nothing like a healthy alternative lunchette; it more closely resembles a really unhealthy 50′s diner.  The countertops, seating, and appliances are all retro; Elvis and other 50s rocker paraphenalia cover the walls.  “Jailhouse Rock,” one of the King’s greatest hits, was blaring from the speakers. Last time I was in a place like this, the menu had burgers, fries, and milkshakes…I wondered, “Do they actually serve health food here?”

Turns out, the offerings were healthy indeed.  I knew I was going to like it as soon as I saw the day’s specials: a locally raised, grass fed burger with homemade tomato sauce and local mozzarella, and a variety of organic and local soups (the offerings change every day), including black bean and fennel, free-range turkey chili, old fashion chicken noodle, and french onion.  The everyday menu is full of really health choices, including salads, sandwiches (named after retro rock songs), burgers, smoothies, and health shakes.

Starving, Charlie and I each ordered a soup and a sandwich.  He got the vegan black bean and fennel soup with a “Silhouette” panini, which had marinated and roasted carrot, eggplant & yellow squash with agave caramelized onions and a black olive tapenade;  I got the curried chick pea and spinach soup with an “Earth Angel” panini, which had roasted portabella mushrooms, zucchini, roasted red peppers, fennel & arugula topped with a spicy sun dried tomato spread.

The "Earth Angel" panini and bean salad at All Shook Up!

We absolutely loved the soups.  Restaurants soups often have too much broth, but ours were full of veggies and flavor.  The paninis were great, too.  My veggies were perfectly well cooked and seasoned, and the whole-grain ciabatta roll they came on was perfectly crunchy and fresh.  As a complement, the sandwiches were served with a three bean salad; it was nice to have a side dish with them that wasn’t high calorie, like coleslaw or potato chips.

While we loved our meal, Charlie and I were dying to know where the inspiration for a health food diner came from.  Co-owner Michelle Morrill explained the idea for the healthy menu came first.  Michelle struggled with balancing diets all her life, and in her adulthood, found a healthy solution in eating organic, local food, free of antibiotics preservatives.  “There’s a lot of crap in our food,” she reminds us, which is why everything on the menu at All Shook Up! is as organic, locally produced, antibiotic-free, free range, and preservative-free as possible.  In her own experiences, Michelle has seen the power of a healthy diet change the course of someone’s life.  A few years ago, her mother was very sick; by getting her to eat an organic and antibiotic-free diet, Michelle says she got her mother off of seven of her nine medications and helped her get rid of all of her diseases.

Another inspiration for the restaurant was Michelle’s interest in glyconutrients, certain monosaccharides or carbohydrates that she says are key to maintaining health.  These products “help the cells communicate” with each other, leading to better whole body health.  Her products come from Mannatech, a company that has pioneered research on and production of glyconutrients.  Michelle says she wanted to open a store so she could educated people about these kinds of vitamin compounds.

As for the theme, she and partner Frank Fasano decided 50s rock and roll was the only music they could tolerate listening to all day long: voila, 50s diner.

Whether or not you believe the hype about glyconutrients, the menu at All Shook Up! is still amazing in terms of its local and organic offerings.  Michelle says that everything is as local and organic as possible, given New York’s seasons and her access to products.  The restaurant serves Applegate Farm’s organic, antibiotic-free meets, local grass fed beef, Sprouted Creek Farms grass-fed cheeses, and produce as its in season.

All Shook Up! is a little far away from campus, but there are plenty of easy ways to get at the food.  The restaurant will be appearing at the College Center’s Tasty Tuesdays on various dates throughout the semester, and offers discounts and delivery for Vassar students who pay with their VCard on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

With an outrageously healthy menu, reasonable prices, and fantastic flavors, VC Fit gives this eatery two big thumbs “Up!”

For more information, check out the All Shook Up! website.

Freezing Local Produce
Among the presenters was Jim Hyland of Winter Sun Farms, who described how to preserve fresh produce by freezing.  People freeze food all the time to preserve it, but improper freezing can diminish the nutrients and quality of the food.  To freeze fresh vegetables, Jim says to cook them in boiling water for a few minutes to stop their ripening, then remove and immediately “shock” the vegetables by submerging them in ice water to stop cooking, a technique known as “blanching.” Drain/dry the veggies the best you can (the drier the better), then put them in plastic containers/plastic bags, trying to keep air and moisture out. Immediately freeze. For blanching times for individual fruits and vegetables, visit this website. Winter Sun Farms also provides its members with locally grown, frozen produce during the winter months. If you’re interested in a membership, check out their website; you can even pick up your frozen produce in the College Center so there’s no need to go to the supermarket!

Lacto-fermentation
Poughkeepsie Farm Project intern Aliyah Brandt discussed lacto-fermentation, a way of using salt to preserve foods.  Lacto-fermentation is a process in which salt and whey interact with the natural vegetable properties to create lactic acid, a natural preservative.  Amounts of salt and whey vary by process, but visit the websites below for proper ratios.  Aliyah stresses using only non-iodine salt, because iodized salt prevents the proper breakdown to create lactic acid, and thus, won’t preserve the vegetable.  Special health benefits: besides allowing you to eat your local produce longer through the year, the product and brine liquid that is created in this process helps with digestion; eating the foods you produce this way aid in the digestive processes and speed up your metabolism!

Here’s a great online PDF file explaining the health benefits and process of lacto-fermentation, and an easy how-to guide on the methodology.

Wild Hive Farm
Another guest at the workshop was Don Lewis of Wild Hive Farm.  Don runs a successful café, bakery, and market that produces and sells products made entirely of local ingredients all year round, even when the harvests are over.  Don’s business exemplifies the ways in which people in the Northeast can continue to eat locally throughout the year without sacrificing quality or taste. If you’re looking for a gourmet, local treat, this is a great place to visit! In the future, VC Fit will check out Don’s operation, and tell you more about his mission and design!

In the meantime, check out Wild Hive Farm’s website.