A new healthy eating outlet is headed Downtown. Bedrock Eats and Sweets founder Brandi Marter has signed a lease to occupy the former Frank’s Market & Deli space Downtown, where she’s bringing the venture she started almost two years ago.

Bedrock Eats and Sweets has signed a lease to occupy the former Frank’s Market & Deli space on South Main Street Downtown.

(Submitted Photo)

Her plan is to open a kitchen, cafe and market in the space, at 327 S. Main St., which she’ll use for food production as well as to sell grab-and-go options. She’s also planning hot food service down the line.

She’s making the move in part because she says she needed a manufacturing permit because of the food manufacturing she wants to perform if she remained in her current location.

Marter hopes to open Downtown by March, and eventually she says she’d like to add counter service and cafe-style dining. A small community market also is envisioned for the new site.

Among the benefits of expanding Downtown, she’ll be able to boost her production and eventually start shipping outside of Memphis. Marter told The Daily News a grab-and-go kiosk as well as meal pickup capability will remain at her current location.

It’s all, she said, about making things as convenient as possible for customers. That was also how she put it in 2013 not long after first opening, telling The Daily News at the time, “You don’t want people to not eat this way because it’s inconvenient. It’s important for people to eat like this.”

Marter started cooking out of the YoLo Midtown kitchen where she was a pastry chef, later creating a website that let people order pre-order meals. An avid CrossFit athlete, she installed grab-and-go kiosks at CrossFit studios and other locations, and her food is delivered around Memphis.

Taylor Berger of Henry Turley Realtors represented Bedrock in the South Main deal.

The way Bedrock works is items are prepared fresh each day, including meals, and customers can pre-order through the business’ website or pick up grab-and-go items in-person. Bedrock sources organic fruit, local vegetables, and grass-fed, free-range protein.

“Truly, there have been fewer things in my life that have given me more satisfaction than taking control of my food intake,” Marter wrote in an early blog post published on Bedrock Eats’ website. “Care about yourself, care about your family and your friends. Try harder. Eating life sustaining food is such an easy way to start.”