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The Village Green/Town² Challenge






 I think I must have told you how much I loved the curried chicken salad at the old David’s Natural Market. That, and the tempting baked goods right by the checkout, were what kept me coming back over the years. Well, have I got news for you. I found it.



Can you see it? Maybe this will help.




The new home of my old favorite is Natural Market and Cafe, located at 7130 Minstrel Way, Suite 135, Columbia, MD 21045. It is the ready-to-eat portion of the now-departed Columbia David’s. 


Image from Natural Market and Café website 



OUR STORY:

We started our journey at David's Natural Market in Columbia over 30 years ago. We are immensely grateful toward David's and our customers for showing us continuous support and giving us an opportunity to fulfill our mission and serve our community. With David's closing, we have relocated to a different area on Minstrel Way in Columbia with the hope to continue serving customers like you!

Most recently this space was the Brazilian Marketplace and Café, but it is best known as the longtime home of Joe’s Place Deli. I really miss Joe’s. I wrote about it several times, including once when I spent most of my time encouraging readers to go out of their way to find the place.

Follow the Signs 

That’s the biggest obstacle to success here. You almost have to know in advance where it is. And, with the human inclination to stay within our scope of familiarity and not, say, the other side of town , that restaurant location is a challenging one. 

So I’m going to challenge you to find it. 


Image from Google Maps


See the red arrow in the building labeled “Awaken Wellness”? That’s where you want to go. Here are their hours of operation.



I discovered last week that the lowest gas prices anywhere near me were at the Exxon right there at the entrance and the Royal Farms almost directly across the street. (I’m not quite sure why the Royal Farms doesn’t appear on the map, unless one has to purchase an advert to do so.) If you need a reason to go to the other side of town, how about saving some money on gas while you’re there?

Here’s what you will find if you make the trip.


You found it!



Grab and go, heat and eat menu items and a vast array of sushi. Healthy and tempting snacks.



SOUP! Hey, I like soup. I think there were five kinds on offer but I can’t remember. 



Drinks, chips, desserts. Maybe you should grab an energy bar for later. 

If you were a fan when they were located in Wilde Lake, be adventurous and visit them on the other side of town. Or, if you live or work close to the new location, give them a try. If you find that you like them, recommend them to your coworkers and friends. It might be easier if you show them the map.



My thanks to the good folks at Natural Market and Café who allowed me to take these photos without really knowing who I was. Tell them you saw them in a blog post. 



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