Sage Fresh is a fast-casual concept, located at 3101 Main Avenue (Old North Zia), brought to you by Carly Thomson (co-owner of Zia Taqueria) and Chef and Operating Partner, Jeremy Storm. The business plan for Sage has been brewing for decades, inspired by Zia, Spoons (out of Fort Collins), and countless other fast-casual concepts we’ve encountered on our travels and adventures over the years.

Sage’s menu was designed to further expand Zia’s impact on the local agricultural community. As one of the highest volume purchasers of local produce in Durango, Zia’s menu is established and well-loved. Zia uses plenty of local tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, cilantro, and salad greens but try as we may, no one is growing avocados or limes in the Animas Valley.

Sage, on the other hand, was designed to be flexible. We are able to utilize what local farmers grow best, and take it when it’s ready with the flexibility of a daily rotating soup menu. We can focus on root veggies and cold storage crops which allow us to serve local produce (and provide cash flow to local farmers) all winter long. We can utilize “seconds” of produce – perfectly ripe, organic, and nutrient dense produce that just doesn’t look perfect enough for the Farmer’s Market, as it doesn’t matter much once it’s chopped, grated, shredded, or mashed into a soup.

Sage Fresh Eats launched in April 2021 and continues to expand – now operating a community kitchen space, weekly lunches for Mountain Middle School, and full scale catering operation, and more.