By S Rufus

Oakland-based NIBLL, a health-focused food service whose clients include high-profile companies and world-championship sports teams, has just introduced a new option beyond plant-based meal delivery and catering. 

Last week, just in time to meet new needs spurred by shelter-in-place restrictions, chef/owner Kristen Thibeault launched NIBLL Grocery. 

Customers can choose from among several varieties of curated grocery combinations — which are delivered every Tuesday between 12 noon and 5 p.m. (after having been ordered by the previous Sunday). 

A stage-3 cancer survivor, Le Cordon Bleu alumna, and certified sports nutritionist, Thibeault was inspired by farm-to-fork and macrobiotic meals with celebrities such as Richard Gere and Sting — and by that Berkeley icon she dubs “the divine Alice Waters” — to create her own vegan-fusion style of cooking that she likes to call “stealth health.” 

While serving as executive chef at the Four Seasons San Francisco, Thibeault opened the first plant-focused restaurant in a Four Seasons hotel. 

Launched in 2015, NIBLL has amassed a prestigious client list that includes the Golden State Warriors, Dodgers, Giants, Red Sox, Astros, Amazon, BuzzFeed, Apple, and Lyft. 

NIBLL Grocery options include the Produce Box ($42: carrots, cherry tomatoes, Tuscan kale, mixed greens, bagged spinach, English cucumber, broccoli, onion, lemons, avocados, garlic; the Fruit & Vegetable Box ($49: apples, oranges, bananas, romaine lettuce, mixed greens, red onion, roma tomatoes, English cucumber, baby potatoes, celery, red pepper, zucchini, kale, carrots, lemons; and the Ultimate Pantry Box ($79: extra-virgin olive oil, eggs, butter, milk, half-and-half, Parmesan cheese, aged cheddar, penne pasta, marinara sauce, rice, quinoa, ground coffee, sugar, sea salt, peanut butter, whole-grain bread loaf, soup stock, granola, dried fruits and nuts). 

Another option is the Love Box, which consumers can buy not for themselves but for families in need. Each $30 donation is matched by NIBLL, Inc. and results in three healthy chilled family meals comprising soup, salad, apples, oranges, milk, bread, butter, pasta rice, beans, carrots, onion, greens, and a personal message.

See more at East Bay Express