On the farm with The Kitchen [Next Door]

The Kitchen restaurants in Boulder, Colo., source fruits, veggies, and herbs locally from Cure Organic Farm, where The Kitchen [Next Door] recently held its staff training. The new restaurant will feature the same ingredients as The Kitchen, but keep cost down (around $10 dollars for an entree) and service fast. It's also showcasing local producers like Udi's and Conscious Coffees. and partnering with Slow Food Denver's Seed-To-Table-Program to build school gardens in Denver districts.

"We don't even think about it as vegetarian. It's more about just really good food that happens to not have meat in it," says Executive Chef Kyle Mendenhall. This beet burger with feta and balsamic caramelized onions, served on an Udi's roll will appear on The Kitchen [Next Door] menu.

Hugo Matheson, Kimbal Musk, and Jen Lewin, proprietors of The Kitchen restaurants, will be launching the first zero plastic, aluminum, and glass waste program, which requires all beer and wine to be served directly from the barrel.

The staff of The Kitchen [Next Door] poses for a group shot at Cure Organic Farm on the first day of training for the newest addition to The Kitchen family of restaurants.

The most important (or at least the most enjoyable) part of a staff training? Tasting! The chefs prepared some of the menu's featured dishes, including the vegetarian beet burger, at the farm.

To represent the personal connection to food, each member of the staff received a shirt with his or her choice of vegetable, including artichokes and sweet peas.