Founder and CEO Andrew Pudalov left a New York financing career to pursue his dream of opening a restaurant that offered filling yet healthy meal replacements for people on the go. That dream became Rush Bowls, which opened in Boulder, Colorado, in 2004, at the onset of the healthy-eating movement.
Rush Bowls’ menu includes açai bowls like the Beach Bowl with açai, mango, banana, guava juice, organic granola, and honey, as well as other fruit bowls with mix-ins and toppings.
“I made sure that the bowls had plenty of texture—blended fruits topped with organic granola for an extra crunch and organic honey for smoothness,” Pudalov says. “Some bowls are topped with hand-ground peanut butter for extra texture. I also wanted the bowls to be nutritious and very filling. These are meals, not in-between snacks.”
Rush Bowls isn’t confined to basic fruits and toppings. Pudalov says the brand has used green tea, avocado, chai, kale, cayenne, and dragon fruit in its bowls. The goal, he says, is to serve either complementary or contrasting flavors and textures that pair well in a bowl.
“On most of our bowls, we use a light, airy organic granola and honey as a topping so your bite has a full texture and flavor profile of sweetness, crunch, and creaminess from the blended fruit,” he says. “We also have bowls that contain cayenne pepper, which contrasts to the sweet, tart flavors of the fruit.”
Pudalov says most of Rush Bowls’ fruit is flash-frozen at its peak ripeness to retain nutrients, prevent decay, and ensure the brand can source a wide range of fruits throughout the year.
