Nourish Restaurant: Our mission-

After opening the end of July and a few bumpy weeks working through everything from staff training, computer crashes and consistency we are on our feet and looking forward to welcoming everyone to nourish!

We are a family owned and operated business offering an eclectic menu that ranges from nourishing vegan-friendly dishes to lip smacking carnivore-satisfying plates. As the former owners of Big Fresh café and Tennessee’s BBQ we have brought some of our most popular dishes from those two concepts under one roof so that everyone can scan the menu and find something to tempt them. With our dual mission of RESPONSIBLY SOURCED – RESPECTFULLY PRICED we are working with area farms and other small businesses to work as much local and organic food into the menu as possible, while maintaining prices that allow a broad range of people to eat with us. It’s a challenging concept to pull off, to offer enough different dishes on a menu so that both the person who is looking for some tofu or tempeh AND the person who really doesn’t think dinner is dinner unless there’s meat on the plate can both be satisfied. To also factor in the importance of pricing so that you offer well-sourced food to a wide range of people and also allow them greater frequency is an additional challenge. But we’re committed to both. We’ve watched for years as the mix of vegans, vegetarians and meat-lovers combined in one family, or group of diners grew, and knew that with our two concepts we could bridge that gap so eating out would no longer be about someone making a huge compromise.

In addition to working with other small businesses we are also providing space in our restaurant to promote the tremendous number of wonderful artists in the region. Their talent is on display on our wall space and will soon be unveiled in a window display space visible from the street. With the recent closing of the Depot Square Gallery we are hopeful that providing visibility for the many skilled artists in and around Lexington will generate both interest and income for this talented group of people. We are excited about the upcoming Bowls for Hunger program which will begin November 1st and run through December 31st.
Whether you’ve been in before or haven’t yet stopped by, we look forward to welcoming you to nourish.
Kevin and Karen Masterson

Responsibly Sourced

During the New England growing season we will work hard to provide you with a great selection of food from our local farm partners. We want to know not just how our food is grown, but who is growing it.
Check out some of our farmer partners >>

Respectfully Priced

While we work hard to provide our customers with a variety of local, organically grown produce, cheeses and meats, we also understand the need to maintain reasonable prices so we can welcome a diverse community to our table. As such, we balance our organic options with some conventional options to maximize the amount of local, reasonably priced cuisine we can offer to our clients.

Welcome!

We are a family-owned business and have been in the hospitality industry for the past 30 years. Our sister restaurants, Big Fresh Café and Tennessee's BBQ, have happily served up real food at a reasonable price to the people of Framingham for over 20 years. And now we're delighted to be offering the best of both restaurants to the Lexington community.

We believe the word ‘nourish’ is about more than sustenance. It is also about feeling welcomed. In the spirit of both nourishment and hospitality we offer a diverse menu that reflects a wide variety of tastes. We are bringing both Big Fresh and Tennessee’s BBQ under one roof to bridge the divide that often results in families or amongst friends when it comes time to decide where to eat. The inevitable question of ‘what does everyone want’? often results in a compromise for someone. The vegetarian ends up scanning a meat laden menu hoping to find something other than a salad while the kids are hoping for pizza and someone else has their heart set on ribs.

Our menu was created to offer a diverse selection of well-chosen protein options. We believe that a healthier, balanced plate has a reasonable protein portion along with generous amounts of vegetables and grains. We have tried to make our menu as flexible as possible to accommodate our customer’s individual dietary requests.

But we also recognize that as much as we all are trying to eat well and maintain a healthy lifestyle there are also times when we’re going to choose some ribs or a yummy dessert over a plate of brown rice and veggies. So we have done our best to offer you a selection of some of our favorite dishes.

SAY WHAT?! (some terms you may or may not be familiar with)

Tofu – tofu is made from soy milk that takes on the flavor of any sauce it is served with. It is high in protein with little fat and contains all eight essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized in the body and are vital for the renewal of cells and tissues. It also contains phytoestrogens (a chemical that mimics the role of estrogen in our bodies) which can be both helpful or not depending upon the individual. As with most things, moderation is wise!
Tempeh – is made by fermenting cooked soybeans with a cultured starter and has a nutty, somewhat mushroom-like taste. A more acquired taste than tofu, tempeh is high in protein, relatively high in fiber because it is a whole soybean food, and therefore contains all the B vitamins and amino acids. It has a higher nutrient content than tofu and the added benefit of being an enzyme rich food because it has been fermented.
Tahini – a paste made from ground sesame seeds commonly used in middle eastern cooking. It is the main ingredient in our tahini sauce and also makes an appearance in our hummus.
Falafel – is made from cooked, spiced chickpeas. It is considered Middle Eastern fast food and usually served in a pita or flat bread with salad, tahini sauce, pickles and hot sauce.
Taboule – another middle eastern dish that is made with bulgar wheat, mint, lemon juice and parsley.
Harif – a hot sauce often added to middle eastern dishes but can be used to spice up any dish.

We have a dual mission which is best expressed by the line RESPONSIBLY SOURCED – RESPECTFULLY PRICED which you will see printed on the menu. That means that we will do our best to purchase as much organic food as possible, and support our local growers during the New England growing season. It also means we will strive to keep our prices reasonable so that we may invite a diverse group to our table. But it does not mean we are 100% organic, we juggle organic, local, regional, national and conventional food purchases to maintain prices that allow more people to walk through our doors. Our food philosophy incorporates not just responsible sourcing but also the understanding that consuming more plant foods is an important aspect of nourishing our bodies. This is reflected in our plate presentations which generally will have smaller protein portions and larger vegetable and grain components than some people may be accustomed to. But we also respect that we all eat for a variety of reasons and each one of us has a different idea of what constitutes the perfect meal. We know you'll love our food. Stop in today and find out for yourself.

Some of our farm/local business partners –

Tangerini’s Spring Street Farm, Millis
Blue Heron Organic Farm, Lincoln
Vermont Quality Meats Rutland , VT
21st Century Foods, Jamaica Plain
High Lawn Farm Lee,Ma.
The New England Cranberry Company

Nourish Restaurant

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Our mission-

Responsibly Sourced

Respectfully Priced

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SAY WHAT?! (some terms you may or may not be familiar with)