Sweet taste of health

With two new branches in Beijing, Element Fresh is now serving up a 'fun and tasty' menu that's all about health in 21 restaurants around the mainland, Ye Jun reports.

Eating healthy is a concept many restaurants hope to adopt. But very few restaurants concentrate on serving healthy fare as a successful business model. Element Fresh, however, has been an exception. Founded by Scott Minoie from the US city of Boston, the eatery has grown in 12 years to 21 branches in China: six in Beijing, 12 in Shanghai, and one each in Guangzhou, Nanjing and Suzhou. Its fifth and sixth branches in Beijing has recently opened in Park View Green and Kerry Center.

"Being healthy should not be complicated," says Frank Rasche, managing partner of the company, referring to the fact that categories of foods on the menu are simple. "The question is what to eat first."

After a big glass of juice, or a bowl of salad, one would naturally order less.

Rasche, who is from Germany, says the restaurant prepares vegetables, pastas and lean meat without using MSG－and cooking with a minimum of oil.

The menu features 18 juices, 12 salads, and smoothies, all very fresh-looking. Food preparation is globally inspired, but there is a special Asian set providing familiar dishes for local customers. The diner menu has an extra section proffering more formal items, such as beef fillet, lamb, roast chicken, grilled shrimp and salmon.

Salads are topped with meats such as BBQ pork, Thai-style beef and seared tuna, and feature a variety of fresh vegetables.

Founder Minoie opened his first restaurant in Shanghai in July 2002. Frank Rasche joined Element Fresh in 2004. Before that he worked for 18 years with Coca-Cola, ultimately as operation director for the Chinese mainland, and general manager for the group's Taiwan company.

He says that after he talked with Minoie for two evenings, they decided "we can make something very special", not just in terms of food, but also in terms of the feeling for the brand.

"My friends said: 'You are crazy. You can never get Chinese people to eat raw vegetables in a restaurant,'" he recalls.

Now 60-70 percent of customers in the restaurant are Chinese. The company now employs a staff of 2,000 nationwide.

In the early days of development, the founders of the restaurant asked people how they could pursue a healthy, active life. Foreigners said "exercise", while Chinese people said "eating healthy". But when they asked Chinese and foreigners how to choose a restaurant, nobody put choosing healthy food first.

To many people, "healthy food" sounds boring, with no spice in it.

"When you want to make people eat healthy," Rache says, "the secret is to make the dishes fun and tasty."

Rasche says if your kids try a juice of carrots, ginger and vitamins, when they come back, they will choose it.

"It is interesting to see the response from female customers because they do not want to eat carbonhydrates," he says. "Our salads are designed to be mains."

The concept of the restaurant has always been "healthy food with great taste and variety", with influences from the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

The restaurant has two executive chefs, one American and one Chinese, both of whom are also partners of the company. They have prepared the foods to cater to both Chinese and Western palates, with a focus on health and nutrition.

The restaurants are designed to deliver safe foods in a free, modern and relaxing atmosphere, according to Rasche. Customers at the bar can watch their juices being made fresh.

"It is not just about food, but also about connection between people from different parts of the world," he says.

"Looking at what we've done now, it's a beautiful idea to build something new. I'm very happy to be where I am now. It's rewarding."

His own favorite foods in the restaurant, apart from carrot and ginger juice, are grilled salmon salad and the Chinese chicken tacos with Sichuan pepper.

Rasche's wife is Chinese. He says when they go out to eat in Chinese restaurants, they notice many people order salad.

"The trend is to be more health-conscious," he says. "I think we are doing the right thing at the right time."