Jules DeBord, owner of Lunchbox Pickles, will launch a new restaurant this weekend at Independence Mall. Port City Farmer’s Market Kitchen To-Go will be led by chef Sam Cahoon, formerly of Ceviche’s.
 
DeBord said the focus of the restaurant is healthy, fast food, prepared with high-quality, local ingredients. Highlights include a Cuban sandwich and seared tuna and quinoa crusted shrimp tacos. There will be five salads and two soups: a sweet potato coconut bisque and a rotating soup featuring chicken from Humble Roots Farm.
 
About half of the menu will be vegetarian, DeBord said, and daily specials will reflect seasonal offerings.
 
DeBord said the concept was one that she and Cahoon had been working on for a while. When Slice of Life left the mall food court, DeBord, who also operates a Lunchbox Pickles kiosk in the mall, saw an opportunity to fill a niche.
 
More than 2,000 people work at the mall, "many of whom have only a 15-minute break to grab something to eat,” DeBord said. “And right now there are not a lot of healthful options in the food court.”
 
With speed in mind, the menu is separated into three categories: pre-packaged, cold, grab-n-go items that are made every few hours to ensure freshness; quick-service items that take three minutes or less to prepare; and cooked-to-order items that take five to seven minutes to prepare.
 
DeBord said the mall offered her an opportunity to the get restaurant up and running without the costs associated with a free-standing building and outfitting a dining area.
 
“This location really allows us to tap into a great demographic and overall is a less expensive option to get things up and going,” DeBord said.
 
Port City Farmer’s Market Kitchen To-Go is expected to open Saturday at Independence Mall.
 
Have a tip for Restaurant Roundup? Email us at: [email protected].