SAN MARCOS, CA - Fresh Origins®, the nation’s leading grower of microgreens and edible flowers, is heading to the National Restaurant Association Show (NRA) in Chicago with a wide assortment of culinary specialties built for summer menus and designed to drive meaningful impact.
Recent findings from Datassential show that the addition of microgreens increases the median price of a dish by $3 to $5 across all menu segments.
This data highlights a shift in how ingredients can influence menu strategy. Rather than functioning solely as garnishes, microgreens contribute to perceived quality, presentation, and innovation across both food and beverage programs. This allows operators to command higher prices without fundamentally changing core dishes.
At the show, Fresh Origins® will feature items selected with seasonal menus and summer LTOs in mind, alongside live sampling designed to demonstrate how chefs can put the catalog to work immediately. Highlights include:
- Seasonal fruit cups dusted with Mini Flower and Herb Crystals and finished with Micro Huacatay™, which was recently named a "flavor of the future" by Datassential.
- Whipped ricotta crostini topped with Micro Citrus Mix™, a versatile blend of bright microgreens perfect for toasts, grain bowls, and sandwiches.
Visitors to the booth will see firsthand what decades of outdoor growing produce: fuller leaves, brighter color and more concentrated flavor than indoor-grown microgreens. Fresh Origins®' Southern California farm is shaped around the region's natural climate, letting each crop develop in full sunlight and reach the chef at peak freshness.
“This year, we are bringing the Southern California sunshine to Chicago,” said Shelby Rodich, Director of Marketing, in the recent release. “With so many microgreen growers utilizing artificial light and high-energy environmental controls, we are showcasing what makes Fresh Origins so special. Our microgreens are grown outdoors, under the sun, and we look forward to welcoming attendees to taste the difference.”
See Fresh Origins at the National Restaurant Association Show May 16 – 19, 2026, at Booth #12344.
