MAGIC MIKE Mike’s Organic moves to a massive new retail space in Greenwich

Magic M i KE

MIKE GELLER OF THE EPONYMOUS MIKE’S ORGANIC HAS BEEN EDUCATING FAIRFIELD COUNTY AREA DINERS ON HOW TO EAT RIGHT FOR OVER A DECADE.

Eating farm-fresh food is not just a totem one should aspire to for Greenwich native Mike Geller of the hugely popular farm-to-home grocery service, Mike’s Organic, but rather a way of life. And one he picked up while living in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana where he saw how farm-fresh food could thrive in the aisles of a grocery store and felt firsthand how much a healthy diet translated to a healthy mind. Returning to his hometown with a mission after his time in Africa, Mike became a student of how food was grown and immersed himself in local, sustainable farming and agriculture, including volunteering at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. Already a passionate cook, gardener, fisherman and hunter, the evolution of Mike’s Organic was indeed organic.

WHAT BEGAN IN HIS PARENTS’ GARAGE back in 2009 with nine weekly deliveries has since grown to a storefront out of his delivery headquarters in Stamford, featuring 250 small farms and artisans, and a soon-to-open 2,000-square-foot flagship location on Greenwich’s post road, East Putnam Avenue, with 24-hour delivery across large parts of Fairfield and Westchester counties as part of the expansion. Along with the new store, Mike will launch a product line, Made by Mike’s, featuring prepared foods, from Glazed Ora King Salmon and Pastured Roasted Chickens to Mac & Cheese and Quinoa Primavera. This house-made line is currently available to customers via Mike’s Organic Delivery as well.

Promising to be “more than a market,” Mike’s Organic will be an experiential destination that features a rotating lineup of food-forward programming, such as a series of cooking classes, from a grilling course to a kids’ bake-off to a low-waste cooking class to learn how to make food from kitchen scraps. Additionally, Mike’s Organic will host a variety of experiences in partnership with local brands, from a dumpling-deep-dive with Norwalk’s Nit Noi Provisions to a make-your-own-pizza pop-up with the owner/tomato farmer of Litchfield County’s Waldingfield Farm.

The brand’s pillars are connection—to the people who grow, raise and make our food—and transparency—knowing what’s on it, what’s in it, when it was picked and more. Mike’s entire mission is to create connection between those who grow, raise, catch and make our food and those who eat it. We caught up with Mike to ask him a few personal questions about what’s to come.

What separates Mike’s Organic from other organic food delivery systems?

Mike’s Organic works directly with over 250 different small farmers, artisans and makers. Our focus is on directly connecting consumers to the people who grow, raise, catch and make their food.

What makes you most proud of Mike’s Organic?

The relationships I’ve built with the farmers over the last 12 years. It goes way beyond business . . . I got married six years ago and had dozens of farmers at our wedding in tuxedos and cocktail gowns! Getting to create lasting friendships with people working to fix our food system has been priceless.

How do you respond to people who tell you eating organically is too expensive or too difficult?

We do this crazy thing in this country. We walk into a grocery store and see one pound of ground beef for $1.99 and say: “That’s a great deal!” If you went to a Mercedes dealership and saw a car for $1,000, your first question would be: “What’s wrong with that car?” It’s all about how we assign value. You pay for what you get. When you think of it in those terms, it’s easier to justify a slightly higher price for something you’re putting in your body or your kids’ bodies.

Your passion for organic food came from what exactly?

A lifetime of gardening, fishing, foraging, cooking and learning at the feet of the people who grow our food. Food crosses cultures, breaks barriers and is essential to us all. It’s worth being passionate about . . . especially when it is grown organically! What is your ideal customer in three words?

Passionate. Educated. Engaged.

With the new flagship store, which is quite spacious, what do you see as being your biggest challenge and your biggest opportunity?

Our biggest challenge is getting it open soon enough! There’s been so much demand, it’s crazy! Our biggest opportunity is to take a brand that people have come to trust and love over the last decade and put it in a location where thousands of customers will see us every day and get to experience and taste something amazing!

What are some foods from your store that you eat every week?

This is a tough one since we eat so seasonally. Summer: cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, donut peaches, red heart plums, fresh garlic. Winter: bok choy, brussels sprouts, honeynut squash.

What’s in season in late fall in the Northeast that you are most excited for people to try/cook?

You have to try Honeynut Squash! It’s this delightful little relative of Butternut that is sweeter, has more flavor and is a perfect serving for two people! Highly recommend!

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

It’s the one holiday to me that’s just about food and family. We all get together around delicious food, catch up, enjoy . . . it’s the best. Also football. So Food. Family. Football. The three F’s!