You may have already spotted Cara Mangini setting up shop in the dining area at the Downtown Hills Market, as her Little Eater business continues to take off. Her pop-up concept (known as Little Eatery) showcases the company’s line of healthy prepared foods that are now sold at five grocery store locations, including The Greener Grocery and Clintonville Community Market.
We recently had the chance to chat with Cara about the menu, the pop-up and about the business model too. Below you’ll find our full Q&A:
Q: First, can you tell us a bit about your background and your relocation to Columbus?
A: It’s kind of a long story… I worked as an executive in the cosmetics and fashion industry in New York, and decided somewhere along the way that I wanted to pursue my interest in food and health. I traveled abroad as much as I could to learn about different food cultures and cook with foreign chefs and home cooks who could teach me about vegetables. I enrolled in a natural foods culinary school in New York and took on different food jobs at night and on weekends until I finally left my day job and 10-year career. I went out to the Napa Valley to work on a farm and at Farmstead, a restaurant committed to real farm-to-table food. The goal was to get to know produce at its source. I got to harvest figs and tomatoes during the day, and serve them off the line at night. It was there too that I developed my concept for Little Eatery and for prepared produce-inspired foods. The plan was to go back to New York or launch the business in California to be closer to my family, but in the middle of the experience I met someone who convinced me that Columbus was a great place to start a food business. It turns out, he was right.
Q: What can you tell us a bit about the concept of Little Eatery?
A: It is our mission to deliver fresh and healthy food that is satisfying, delicious and aligned with the seasons. Little Eater Salads (other prepared foods to come) and Little Eatery, my pop-up restaurant, are dedicated to putting good, clean food into the marketplace that supports local agriculture as well as organic farming. I don’t think we should have to settle for unhealthy, processed or defrosted foods when we don’t have the time to cook a meal. I am trying to make it more convenient to eat well, and also to encourage people to put vegetables in the center of their plates, if not a little closer to it. I hope Little Eater will prove that vegetable-based food doesn’t have to be a sacrifice.
Q: So how has Little Eatery been received by customers since launching?
A: Really well! I am so encouraged by this community. You never know when you put your concept out into the world if people will understand it or like it. I meet customers who are now eating better because they didn’t have the time or understanding of how to make this kind of food themselves. It’s nice to hear too that Little Eater is filling a need for people with special dietary restrictions and intolerances. And I am absolutely thrilled when a customer tries a vegetable they thought they hated, and ends up loving it. It makes me so happy to see people really get it.
Q: You had the pop-up shop running last year at Hills Worthington — are you doing the same thing there this year or at the Downtown store? Or are there any other new locations where our readers can find your products?
A: Yes, Little Eatery is now open on Thursdays and Fridays from 11:30am to 2:30pm at the Hills Market Downtown. The pop-up allows us to show off the very best of what’s in season at any given moment. The menu is a direct link to the produce that is harvested (often within 24 hours) from the farms in our area. Little Eater Salads are available at The Hills Markets Downtown and Worthington, The Greener Grocer in the North Market, Clintonville Community Market, Bexley Natural Market and through Green Bean Delivery.
Q: Got any exciting new products on the menu for 2013?
A: I am launching Little Eater Granola very soon. It is sweetened with a local maple syrup, and no refined sugars. I am excited to offer a healthy and super yummy breakfast and snack option. At Little Eatery, we have an expanded menu to get a little bit closer to what we would do in our own space. In addition to our signature produce-inspired salads by the scoop (and cheddar biscuits with honey butter), we are doing crostini, sandwiches and frittatas.
To find out more about the business behind Little Eatery, CLICK HERE to read more at TheMetropreneur.com.
For more information, visit www.littleeater.com.
Photos by Erin Bloodgood.
