Eric and I first visited Fresh Restaurants in Toronto way back in 2009, when Oh She Glows was just a year old, and I was beginning my own journey to plant-based eating. To say this is a full circle moment would be an understatement! Ruth has always been an inspiration to me, and I hope you enjoy reading about her life, routines, and best business advice in today’s Glow Getter feature!

Ruth opened her first vegan juice bar pop-up in Toronto 27 years ago (wowza!), emerging as one of the first Canadian entrepreneurs focused on making plant-based eating accessible and delicious. Now, Fresh Restaurants has expanded to four locations in Toronto (with another set to open this summer), plus two more in Mexico City and Moscow.

In addition to her work as a business owner and entrepreneur, Ruth has authored five plant-based cookbooks geared toward helping home cooks incorporate fresh, healthy ingredients into their daily meal plan. I love the way Ruth’s vibrant and colourful style pulls through in both the design of her restaurants and in her cooking. Her latest cookbook, Super Fresh, is a feast for the eyes. I don’t know about you, but I’m so much more inspired to eat healthy when I’m looking down at a rainbow on my plate!

Photo by Kyla Zanardi for Super Fresh cookbook by Jennifer Houston and Ruth Tal

Okay, let’s turn it over to Ruth and find out a bit more about her routines, go-to foods, and advice…

Photo by Kyla Zanardi for Super Fresh cookbook by Jennifer Houston and Ruth Tal

As always, let’s cap things off with Ruth’s best tip for fellow entrepreneurs…

Love it. Thank you so much, Ruth! 

On a different note, I want to thank you all so much for your support of our app’s nomination in The Webby Awards!! It was a huge honour just to be nominated, and your enthusiasm means so much to us. We didn’t end up taking home an award, but I’m super proud of our team and what we’ve created. We’re so excited to continue growing and improving the OSG app in the future, and as always we love hearing your feedback along the way. As a token of our appreciation, we’ve made a donation to isthmus, which will provide a local child with food on the weekends for an entire school year.