Notable Edibles-Freshroll: Cambodian Street Food-Healthy, Light & Bright

At Freshroll, Channa and Kimchhay Chou hope to bring the flavors of the food they miss from their homeland of Cambodia to Cape Cod. Colorful and cheery, the vibe of their Mashpee café echoes their cuisine; plant-based food, lovingly prepared, that shares not only their culture, but their passion for a healthful diet and lifestyle. The eatery opened in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, and offers both dine-in and take-out.

Painted the color of luscious cantaloupe, the enormous blackboard menu, illustrated by a cousin, strikes a tropical note year-round. Just reading the extensive list plus seasonal dishes, beverages and desserts, takes a while. Having to choose from so many of these intriguing offerings is the next challenge!

On one visit, daily specials and street food snacks included crispy fried eggplant strips with a creamy ginger dipping sauce; crunchy cauliflower “wings” tossed with General Tao’s, Korean BBQ, or gluten-free Sweet Chili Garlic sauce; and a yellow mango curry rice bowl.

A pair of the family’s favorite soups is always on hand. Golden Soup, Channa’s grandmother’s recipe, is a coconut lemongrass broth with chickpeas, carrots, sweet peas and onions; the other, Mama Ramen Noodle Soup, is her mother’s creation, a Cambodian spiced broth with tofu, chopped veggies, cabbage strings and a side of curly wheat noodles. Soups are available gluten free with the option of rice or rice noodles.

The centerpiece of their restaurant, the fresh rolls, are available in four or five varieties every day. A side of peanut sauce accompanies each one. Layered onto transparent rice paper wrappers the size of large tortillas, are fresh and grilled vegetables, various fresh herbs and fruit, and rice noodles. Chanda, Channa’s younger sister, is on deck to prepare a Pineapple Sweet Potato combo (a third sister, Chantha, also works at Freshroll). Deftly filling and rolling the selection, she slices it in two, revealing the beautiful hues of fresh fruits and vegetables tucked inside. There are also Freshroll’s “Shushi” rolls. Freshroll tweaks the spelling of certain classics to distinguish them from their non-vegan counterparts. Choose from among six different combinations of fillings wrapped in rice and seaweed with a touch of pickled ginger and wasabi, and a soy glaze.

Warm rice and fresh salad bowls follow, plus several stir fry options, two different sandwiches and Freshroll’s “Pat Tai” Bowl. The Coconut Angel Noodles Bowl, a yummy, very generous portion, begins with a base of soft angel hair rice noodles with sautéed onions. Piled atop are fresh cucumber, beansprouts, and carrots. Mint, coconut and peanuts are sprinkled over all and to one side are tucked several super crunchy mini eggrolls.

Freshroll’s beverages include fruit smoothies and cold-pressed juices. The Tropical includes mango, lychee, loghan, jackfruit, passion fruit and coconut milk. Sweets like mango with coconut sticky rice or tapioca cream pudding with banana, mung bean and coconut cream, a treasured Cambodian street food, rotate seasonally.

Striving to use locally sourced 100% organic ingredients from New England farmers, the family travels to Rhode Island each week to an Asian marketplace that features produce and herbs as well as other components used in their Cambodian dishes. Most of their offerings are not overly spicy, with just a few of the dishes getting a touch of the chilies grown in their pocket-sized home garden. Little touches like fresh mint leaves and lemon grass make the other flavors sing. Channa adds, “Life would not be the same without garlic, onions and cilantro.”

Married in 2017, the pair are passionate about their young son Chysun and extended family members, many of whom also live most of the year in Massachusetts. Channa’s mom, Th any Im, and her older brother, Chanrith, arrived here in 2015. He has owned and operated Stir Crazy, a restaurant in Bourne, since then. A few years after they arrived, Channa joined them in the States to attend high school and later Rhode Island College, earning a business degree.

“I’m most familiar with the front of the house while my husband is the chef in the kitchen,” says Channa. “We’re very fortunate not to be experiencing the labor shortage so many other businesses feel. If we do ever need an extra person in an emergency, my brother and I are able to share employees between our two restaurants, most of whom are often family.”

Crucial to marketing their brand has been planting and growing their roots at multiple farmers’ markets. Channa and Kimchhay have attended the Chatham, Osterville and Falmouth markets since 2018, two years before they opened their brick and mortar restaurant. They continue to frequent them all. “We not only got to introduce our offerings to the public, but we found and befriended all the other vendors,” says Channa. “They were, and continue to be, our wonderful family of friends in our new country.”

“We were told that Cape Cod might be a good place for us to live and to launch a business,” says Channa, “and it truly is. It’s a great place to raise kids, and there are beautiful beaches and bike trails. Most importantly we have found work here that we love.”

“Initially it was very difficult as we worked seven days every week year-round. Now we work six days, and close Sunday,” says Channa. “We enjoy traveling to Cambodia every January and February to visit our family and friends there and rest, and on return, we are very happy to come back to our life here too.”

Proud to share their passion for healthy living and eating with their community, Channa and Kimchhay hope to soon offer wedding and event catering. The flavors, colors and variety of their menu seem an ideal pairing for parties and special gatherings. Future plans at Freshroll? They grin at each other and answer in tandem, “food truck.”

Freshroll
439 Nathan Ellis Highway (Route 151), Mashpee
freshrollcapecod.com