Amy Falbo has always loved good, wholesome foods.
“I love grains, beans and vegetables and mixing them and spicing them up,” she said.
Falbo was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis many years ago and changed how she eats based on what is good for her gut. Six years ago while working as an early childhood educator was when the cooking quest began.
“It all started in my Italian parents’ basement certified kitchen,” Falbo said.
Soon after, she was stocking up the fridges at Salute and Old Rock Coffee with wraps and deli salads like her orzo pasta, moroccan and kale quinoa signature dish.
“Then this year, I basically outgrew the basement kitchen space thanks to the healthy eating demands of Sudbury citizens,” she said.
In April, she opened a certified kitchen and storefront on Kelly Lake Road in the West End distillery and brewery district.
The business has grown to four employees including prep staff and a driver.
“My mom is now on the payroll, too, for the last three years as business began to grow,” she said.
Falbo said she has always had a great relationship with food.
She grew up in her nonna’s kitchen (‘nonna’ being Italian for ‘grandmother’) and from there she started a small catering business called Amsa for hors d'oeuvres and food stations functions.
She then worked at La Fromagerie and started renting kitchen space at the Motley Kitchen in 2017, developing grab and go snacks with a friend who was on a maternity leave.
“I love making creative salads using ingredients that I can also blend with other ingredients to make offshoot creations,” she said.
That bodes well for her Southwest Chicken Taco wrapped in cabbage as the leaves are leftovers from the dill slaw she makes weekly.
Falbo’s famous kale quinoa salad is her No. 1 hot seller. It’s also the dish she makes the most of each week.
Falbo feels her Italian heritage and her love of garlic helped set her up for success in the food industry.
She also dabbles with a bit of catering on the side still today, but just for luncheons as the wholesale side of the business keeps her quite occupied with the Wednesday and Sunday deliveries.
Falbo has also added a coffee bar to the storefront and features her protein balls, chickpea blondie bars and juices from a Sudbury juicing company called Osadhi Juice.
She has lots of great ideas and good eats and is hoping Sudbury’s interest in healthy grains and beans and vegetables continues to be the right combination for Sudburians.
Good Grab Inc. can be found at 1012 Kelly Lake Road in the west end of the city.
The website is GoodGrabInc.com. The Facebook page is Good Grab Catering.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
