Sandwich shop serves up organic eats that don't break the bank
Organic Sandwich Company is a bit of a unicorn. It’s a reasonably priced (and unreasonably delicious) fast-casual establishment–and it’s organic and seasonally sourced from Boulder County farms.
Marcy Miller constructs one of her signature sammies at east Pearl’s fast-casual Organic Sandwich Company. (photo by George Lange)
The go-to lunch spot at 16th and Pearl streets offers breakfast and lunch sandwiches, salads, soups and desserts made with organic, seasonally local ingredients. Even though owner Marcy Miller knows the farmers who grew the beets and arugula in her Beetnik sammie and the farmer who raised the beef in the Grass-Fed Roast Beef sandwich, a meal will only set you back about $10-$11.
Her regular customers come back again and again for tried-and-true favorites like Turkey Brie, Turkey & Bacon Jam, and Spicy Veggie with housemade hot giardiniera, or the always exciting weekly special sandwich, which features inventive takes on seasonal bounty (look for yummy squash creations this fall). Diners of all diets can find something to suit their specifications. Paleo eaters can forgo bread in favor of greens on any sandwich, vegans and vegetarians will delight in unique creations that go beyond the stale hummus-and-veggies options they’ve grown used to elsewhere, and the gluten-free crowd will be glad to know Miller has found the perfect solution in Etalia’s demi baguette.
A soup of day is always made fresh in-house, using as much of the local produce as possible: Onion peels, basil stems and carrot skins become stock for hearty winter soups, bountiful tomato crops become refreshing gazpachos, and bones give themselves to savory, nourishing broths.
Pure Enough for Little Bodies
The Turkey & Bacon Jam is the most the most popular item on Organic Sandwich Company’s creative menu, but vegans and vegetarians will be thrilled to find ample options, too. Plus, a gluten-free demi baguette is available for gluten free-ers and Paleo eaters can sub greens for bread. (photo by Tim D'Antonio)
A mom of two, Miller says her passion for local, organic food grew when she first had kids. “They’ve got little bodies and they can’t process all the bad food that’s out there, and there’s a lot of it,” Miller says. She left behind her career in private wealth management to pursue her passion: making farm-to-table food that is fast, delicious and accessible in an everyday kind of way.
Miller started in April 2013 with a weekly stand at the Boulder Farmers Market, collecting most of her ingredients from her fellow vendors, before expanding to her downtown brick-and-mortar location in February 2015. To this day, most of her suppliers are farmers’-market contacts, from the produce to the hormone- and antibiotic-free meats to the ice cream in her irresistible ice cream sandwiches. Miller fills in the out-of-season gaps with Grower’s Organic, a wholesaler that distributes organic produce from around the country year-round. She also stocks treats like cookies and beverages from local entrepreneurs, and all of Organic Sandwich Company’s bread, from the perfectly crusty baguette to the sublimely salty pretzel loaf, comes from Front Range artisan bakers.
photo by Marcy Miller
Diners can wet their whistles with house-embellished lemonade from Big B’s, a Hotchkiss, Colo., company. Miller and her team add tasty additions to the classic lemonade recipe that will keep both purists and adventurous foodies coming back for more. The watermelon lemonade is a perfect warm-weather treat, as is the strawberry jalapeño lemonade (don’t knock it till you try it) or the refreshing cucumber and basil
version. Their to-go drinks cooler is also stocked with local creations, from Rowdy Mermaid and Upstart kombuchas and Telula Cold Pressed Juices to Oskar Blues root beer and cream soda. “When you buy a sandwich here you’re not just supporting Organic Sandwich Company,” Miller says. “You’re supporting local entrepreneurs and the local farmers.” And, true to her passion, Miller’s menu features year-round kid-pleasing small bites like a house-made almond butter and jelly, turkey and cheese, and avocado and cheese.
Boulder’s organic and local food revolution is moving beyond posh fine dining and into the realm of everyday eateries, thanks to this east Pearl gem.
