Anthony J. Machcinski

amachcinski@ydr.com

Over the last few years, York County has seen a fast food boom, with everyone from industry giants Burger King and Chipotle to smaller chains like Pie Five Pizza finding a home in the area.

For those eating clean, like Michele Rehmeyer, finding a restaurant that meshes her busy schedule with dietary lifestyle isn’t easy.

Rehmeyer and business partner Marcella Cucchiara are hoping to change that by bringing Grabbagreen — an Arizona-based restaurant chain with an emphasis on clean eating and fresh produce — to York County.

“I think the trend right now is all about eating healthy, eating clean and, yes, it’s because it’s early in the year, but I think there’s a new trend in the United States as a whole of getting back to basics, eating healthy and how it affects your food,” Rehmeyer said.

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“I think York is ready for that. I think York can be on the front of that change.”

Rehmeyer and Cucchiara had been looking to open a franchise over the past year, but hadn’t found one that met their high standards. Cucchiara, a York Catholic alum who works as a health coach, wasn’t initially sold on Grabbagreen, but that changed after a trip to visit a franchise in Arizona.

“We went out in October and I really fell in love with it,” she explained. “Any issues I had were gone.”

Cucchiara sought a franchise that combined healthy eating, but also had great-tasting food.

“I didn’t want a restaurant that was just greens, miso and bone broth,” Cucchiara said. “Being there with our husbands, watching them eat the food and seeing their response — they didn’t feel like it was healthy, it was just delicious.”

Eating clean, as described by the pair, is “looking to eat real food, as close to nature as possible.”

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“We’re looking for healthy, properly-prepared proteins, non-gluten grains, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats (like avocados and olive oil) and staying away from anything you can’t pronounce,” Rehmeyer said. “You can’t go into Grabbagreen and get something unhealthy.”

Grabbagreen boasts a menu that is preservative-free, naturally gluten-free and GMO free, with proteins that are hormone-free and antibiotic-free. The menu features grain dishes like the French Quarter, made with avocado, brown rice and shrimp, to collard wraps with chicken or steak.

The company plans to use local farms to source its food, but which farms being used were not immediately available.

Grabbagreen has 15 locations nationwide and plans to open another 20 in 2017 across the nation. Cucchiara and Rehmeyer plan to open a Grabbagreen location at the Hunt Valley Towne Center in Cockeysville, Md., this summer and hope to bring the chain to York County by the end of 2017.

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While the business is another franchise location, the pair hope to foster a community feel by teaching health classes.

“We’re not looking to just put up any old franchise,” Cucchiara said. “We want people to not only understand how to eat, but have people eating well and living healthy lifestyles. I’d love for the community to embrace it.”

Anthony J. Machcinski is the food reporter for the York Daily Record. Follow him on Facebook, @ChinskiTweets on Twitter or email him at amachcinski@ydr.com.