When salads decide to step up their game.
A few years ago if I had asked Shan, co-founder of The Well Dressed Greens, would he ever consider entering the salad business; he might have had his doubts. But today, sitting near his kitchen area, answering my questions about his venture while giving instructions for his latest order- he seems not only at home but also excited about sharing his version of salads with people looking for healthy food options. Shan spoke to me about his own journey towards adopting a healthy lifestyle, and a surprising outcome of that, his venture which he founded with his friend, Dharmendra Shukla. Meet The Well Dressed Greens.
Wearing a Green Hat
Shan wears many hats. He is a professional photographer, a graphic designer and a farmer. So how did salads come into this picture? While working in Mumbai as a professional photographer, a hectic schedule combined with the need to explore new food joints sent him down an unhealthy eating path. “I started eating a lot of junk food. Even though I had access to home cooked meals, I would get bored and eat out instead. It started showing in my health, and I put on a lot of weight.”
After moving to Bangalore, with some time in his hands, he decided it was time to set things right with his food choices. “In an attempt to eat right, I began cooking for myself. I started looking up healthy salad recipes, and interesting ways to recreate them. I was surprised that these trials were not as easy as I thought they would be. Some of the ingredients weren’t available, or they were expensive.” He adds that being used to a certain palate, he also wanted his food attempts to be full of flavours. “I began substituting ingredients with Indian flavours and recreating the dishes to bring them closer to home.” There were two advantages to these tweaks he shares-” Everything became so tasty,” he says laughing, “and many of my friend’s enjoyed these twisted versions as well.” Before long they began nudging him to share his salads with more people, and The Well Dressed Greens slowly started to take shape.
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Making Salads Interesting
The team first set up a cloud kitchen early in 2017, at Indiranagar. During the initial days, Shan was personally making the salads and delivering them. “I still remember the first day. I really panicked. I was rushing to make sure everything was OK. I think I was late with my deliveries, even though there were only a few orders. Slowly things fell into place, and I also got a lot of experience in understanding the consumer’s mindset.”
With regular orders coming in, Shan realized that the idea of taking salads to the next level was what people needed; however, he shares that his biggest confirmation came at the Bangalore Soul Sante. “We had two batches of salads planned, and we set up our stall with one batch of various salad options. Within an hour we were sold out. The other lot was still on its way. By the time we could get that ready, heavy rains brought an abrupt end to the event. As a businessman, it was not a great day, but it was so wonderful to see people enjoy the food and come back for more. I think that was a big confirmation for us.”
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Millets, Tapioca and Rasam Pho
The Well Dressed Greens is now located in Koramangala. The team offers a range of salads and smoothies which are designed to fill you up with all the right stuff. Shan says some of them are renditions of his childhood favourites and familiar flavours which he once ate on a regular basis. “Red bananas were something I would have for breakfast growing up. I use them to make a parfait. They are not just delicious, but they also provide enough energy to keep you going until lunchtime. The Kappa (Tapioca) Salad is another variation of something I ate while working in the fields, during my farming days. I would eat it with a shallot chutney. So now, I made this flavourful sauce to go with the Kappa Salad. We also have a salad called The Well Dressed Pho in which we use rasam to bring a whole bunch of flavours to the dish.” He adds that the Burrito Salad is one of the most popular choices, and some people order it on a regular basis. Shan’s personal touch comes in the form of spiced millets and an in-house salsa.
Salads with a difference. Shan, founder of The Well Dressed Greens talks about his food journey. Click To TweetAlong with adding an Indian flair to salads, the team has also worked on other components of their venture to best represent their goals. They source all the greens from a local organic farmer, and the packaging and cutlery are made from plant-based materials. Bamboo rice is sourced from Wayanad. Rockets for the salads come from Shan’s home garden, along with the mint and curry leaves.
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The Future
Multiple outlets of The Well Dressed Greens is definitely something the team is working towards. But their bigger goal, Shan says, is to make people realize that eating healthy can be a lot of fun. “In this business of creating healthy meal options, I have realized that consumers may not like all the flavour combinations that you present to them. Although many of the recipes on TWDG’s menu are a result of my kitchen trials, over the course of my journey, I have made sure there is something for everyone on my menu. People want to eat right, but they don’t want to compromise on taste. As we move forward, we are making sure they are not forced to choose between the two.”
For more information visit their Facebook Page and follow them on Instagram to stay updated on all things healthy.
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