East Idaho Eats: Arugula Deli serves fresh international food

IDAHO FALLS – A local restaurant is infusing international flavors into its from-scratch salads and sandwiches.

“Easily one of the most fantastic sandwiches I’ve ever had. It was delicious,” customer Jason Stone said.

Arugula Deli on Ridge Avenue is in a somewhat hidden location. But customers still manage to find the popular spot and fill every seat during the lunch rush.

“We were surprised at how many people were here. It’s a happening little place,” customer Sue Forman said.

Mindy Gutierrez and her husband Marcel, Bolivian native, say inspiration for their restaurant came from meals they shared at home.

“People would come over and eat with us and love the food and always encouraged him to open a restaurant,” Mindy said. “This came from a mid-life crisis. I was working in the corporate world, and he was going to school as a stay-at-home dad, and we wanted change.”

Marcel has been cooking since he was a child in Bolivia. He said he made his first pot of rice at age 7. With no previous professional experience, Marcel still excels in the kitchen.

He grew up shadowing his mother and cooking with whatever ingredients his family had in their garden.

“Back then everything was from the garden to the table, from the farm to the table. We didn’t have any processed food… and that’s what he does here too,” Marcel said.

He said his recipes in the restaurant stem from Bolivia and its sister countries.

“The type of food that we offer here is international food. I’m from Bolivia, and Bolivia is surrounded with a lot of Latin American countries. All those countries have some how influenced the type of food that I offer,” Marcel said.

Mindy and Marcel both have said the Tuscan chicken sandwich and the California quinoa salad are two of the hottest items on the menu.

The Tuscan chicken is savory with a blend of fresh vegetables, and a house pesto sauce piled into ciabatta bread. The California quinoa salad is mixed with fruits, vegetables, almonds, and a homemade pina colada dressing.

“We have a lot of success in the quinoa salad because of the qualities that the quinoa has. It’s high in protein’s it’s very healthy for you. The quinoa that we provide is also organic,” Marcel said.

All of the recipes at Arugula are made with ingredients provided by local famers.
The couple hope to use their own produce from their developing farm and green houses soon.

“We’re going to produce everything over there to put in the restaurant,” Marcel said.

They are beginning to plant this year with the prospect of using their farm-grown ingredients next year.

Mindy said they never expected to Arugula to be such a success, and they are grateful for all of the local support.

“We never anticipated being as busy as we are today. It’s just grown much faster that we anticipated,” Mindy said. “We have had some amazing support from the community. We’ve had a lot of people that come here on a regular basis.”