Dining Out Sustainably: Thai Fresh

Sometimes I miss the most obvious things. I first met Jam Sanitchat, chef and owner of Thai Fresh, at the Downtown Austin Farmers Market where she had a booth. I loved what I bought and how committed she was to sustainable food.

Then, I started following Thai Fresh (@thaifresh) on Twitter and I would see the tantalizing dishes Jam was making every day. I would be drooling on my keyboard and yet I never wandered down to the restaurant.

Today, I finally rectified this mistake with my friend Lyssa. We headed to Thai Fresh for lunch

and I discovered a sustainable foodie wonderland.

You are immediately greeted by the most delightful aromas of curry, chili peppers and kaffir lime leaves. Oh, it smells so good.

I was early so I wandered through the store. Thai Fresh is a restaurant, but it also offers carry out and they sell all the products they use. You can buy everything from green peppercorn to shrimp paste to the fresh farm produce Jam uses in the dishes.

The cold case is packed with the dishes of the day - there were at least a dozen to pick from when we were there. They offer plates with one, two or three items from the case to be served with rice.

It was very hard to narrow down our choices to three, but somehow we managed and, of course, shared. Everything was delicious and when a dish really strikes your fancy, you can then buy some to take home.

Thai Fresh also offers cooking classes so that you can learn how to make your own scrumptious Thai food at home.

We had such a good time at lunch that it was difficult to tear ourselves away. We were so relaxed, full and happy. I can't wait to visit again.