Eat, Drink, Savor: Fresh Direct Fusion expands to fill demand

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Hollister’s The Vault began as a bank, became a restaurant, and is now open only for catered events. But every Monday, as it did on June 29 when BenitoLink visited, it becomes the working kitchen of Fresh Direct Fusion, a home meal delivery service that began in that space two and a half years ago. 

As attested to at the time by an Eat, Drink, Savor article, the business had started with just 10 customers, and the only assistance the owners, Ellie and Drew Quintana, could rely on was their seven-year-old son, Kade Quintana, occasionally pitching in as best he could. 

On that Monday in June, Ellie and Drew were joined by their now-regular sous chefs, Enrique Mora, who previously worked at Odium in Morgan Hill,  and Ray Ramirez, who was brought from the Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach. The tally for the day’s orders topped 90 packaged dinners to be delivered throughout San Benito County.  

As if that is not enough, on June 1, the operation expanded from one to two days a week, adding Thursdays and is also offering private catering. It’s a remarkable and ambitious schedule, considering the couple also owns and operates Inaka Fusion in San Juan Bautista.

Though arriving too late for most of the action, I was there as the prep kits were being assembled, with the three chefs working in a sort of coordinated poetry. Ramirez laid down a base of starches and veggies into the takeaway containers—that day, it was garlic mashed potatoes, zucchini, broccoli, bok choi and carrots—while Drew and Mora finished grilling and slicing the proteins, including steak, chicken and fish. 

Each meal gets a final inspection, with perhaps some more veggies added or a slight adjustment to the presentation.  They are sealed and moved to a staging area, where Ellie sorts them into bags for delivery to the customers. And Drew seems to be everywhere at once, checking on every detail.  

There are five or six basic menu items prepared for each delivery, with one, the Fresh Direct Fusion Classic, a standard: grilled chicken thigh with white rice and mixed vegetables.

“The chicken is always grilled,” Drew said. “We use a lot of citrus and herbs with no extra oils. What I like about the dish is that it’s very straightforward. It covers all your major food groups: protein, carbs, vegetables. It’s healthy, and it’s just a great lunch on the go.”

There is an extra-protein version of the Classic, always offered as well: Bulking Up, which adds five ounces of Teres Major bistro steak.

“It’s a very lean cut of beef,” Drew said. “It’s similar to a beef tenderloin but still has that beefy flavor of tri-tip. We grill it with salt, pepper and herbs. It’s like that backyard BBQ kind of plate where you’re picking a little something of everything and putting it on a plate.”

On the day I was there, three other dishes were featured on the menu, starting with the Steak Salad, which uses the same bistro steak with mixed greens, kale, fresh herbs, carrots, black beans, street corn, and a cilantro lime dressing.

“It’s protein-packed,” Drew said. “It’s a little more hearty than your traditional salad, with the black beans and the corn adding nicely to the flavor element.”

Fish is a standard on Mondays, either delivered or picked up within 24 hours of preparation. That week featured rock cod, sourced from Monterey Bay, pan-seared in a touch of olive oil and seasoned with citrus and herbs, then served with whole white Cannellini beans, veggies and an herb gremolata. 

“It’s a lean, flaky fish,” Drew said. “It’s a very universal and flavorful fish that we like to use because it fits into Thai, Japanese, Mexican, French, and Italian cuisines. The beans are another healthy element, with a lot of nutrients and fiber.”

The Carne Asada Bowl, Drew said, is his play on a bowl from Chipotle. The meat is marinated in achiote and chipotle chiles, with citrus, then served with adobo rice and veggies with a chile de árbol and cacahuate salsa on the side.

“I love grilling meats with Mexican chiles,” Drew said, “instead of using a lot of oils. The meat in traditional taco shops is flavorful, but it’s always so greasy. We fine-tune those types of marinades and substitute the oils and fats in our cooking with a lot of citrus and herbs.”

Each menu also offers a family-style meal in three different sizes, and Drew describes it as healthy and kid-friendly 

“It is always something,” he said, “that I would eat myself or cook for my family. They cover all your major food groups and are designed to please everyone in the family.” 

That week, the featured family meal was grilled New York strip steak served with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed asparagus. 

“The steak is prepared with ground peppercorns,” Drew said, “and grilled with thyme and herbs.  For the garlic mashed potatoes, we roast the garlic, sauté the onions, and caramelize them in white wine. And then add fresh… well, the rest is a secret.”

As these options show, Fresh Direct Fusion focuses on health, balanced macros for fitness, and family-style meals. But the fusion element, Ellie said, allows the kitchen to pivot among various ethnic backgrounds.

“We’re at a point now,” Ellie said, “where Drew has put together a really great culinary team that understands Drew’s vision, so they support him and aspects of his cuisine. So we are able to pivot and create meals from various ethnic backgrounds, which best reflects who we are.”

Kendra Barrett, who favors the Fresh Direct Fusion Classic, styles herself as one of their first and most dedicated customers. She said the prep meals “always hit the spot and never disappoint.”

“I wanted to try them,” she said, “because I have been cooking for my family for over 30 years and wanted to get a few nights off. It is great not to have to cook, and the whole family loves it. The chicken tastes amazing, like it was barbecued over charcoal.”

She is also enthusiastic about the health consciousness built into every item on the menu, which makes it easier to fit into more restrictive diets.

“It’s what everyone looks for in a service,” she said. “I like how they provide all the macros and let you know everything that is in the meal. It is very beneficial because my father is diabetic and my mother has kidney failure, and the meals are not extra salty and are very healthy for them.”

With a good number of crossover customers from Inaka Fusion, the next move for Fresh Direct Fusion is to expand service to its regular customers in Monterey and Santa Clara counties and further build the business.   

“The demand is there for growth,” Drew said, “and we’ve heard the call. I can count on one hand the number of days off I’ve had since opening Inaka Fusion, with running both operations and expanding the menus. But I enjoy it.”

Upcoming menus:

Available on July 13:

• FDF Classic, with spice-grilled chicken breast, mixed vegetables, and white rice. (FDF Bulk’n Up adds lean grilled bistro filet steak.)
• Cod Puttanesca, with a braised rock cod filet, San Marzano tomatoes, olives, capers, garlic, white wine, herbs and a chicken stock risotto.
• Coconut & Lime Chicken Breast Salad: grilled chicken breast, mixed greens with shredded carrots, celery and chopped peanuts, with a spicy coconut-lime dressing.
• No Carb Enchiladas with grilled achiote-marinated carne asada, light mozzarella cheese, zucchini rolled in no-carb tortillas, queso fresco, cilantro, and guajillo salsa.
• The Carnivore, with a grilled NY strip, gremolata, flake salt and sauteed asparagus.

Monday Family Meal: House-made jumbo meatballs tossed in a slow-simmered San Marzano tomato sauce with fresh bucatini pasta 

Meat by the Pound: chicken thigh, chicken breast, rock cod, carne asada and New York strip steak.

Available on July 16:

• California Salad with grilled chicken breast, mixed greens, cucumber, tomatoes and roasted garlic balsamic vinaigrette
• Grilled chicken breast with bourbon BBQ sauce, white rice and mixed vegetables
• Pan-seared salmon, sauteed cannellini beans, kale and mixed vegetables 
• Herb-grilled New York strip steak with garlic parmesan marble potatoes and sautéed broccolini.
• Vanilla and Cinnamon Overnight Oats: with almond milk, mixed berries, sugar-free strawberry cream, and toasted almond crunch.

Thursday Family Meal: Chicken Marsala with sautéed cremini mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, and sautéed broccolini.

Meat by the Pound: chicken thigh, chicken breast, salmon and New York strip steak 

Fresh Direct Fusion is on Instagram and Facebook. Orders may be placed directly on the website or by calling (408) 891-5373.

Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.

BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market, for helping expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and for giving our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.

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