Nashville Scene: Greenery Co. Aims to Bring Fast, Healthy Food to Hillsboro Village
The new restaurant will fill the old Provence Breads space this spring.
In a city where new restaurants pop up faster than even professionals who get paid to dine out can keep up, it seems impossible that there’s a restaurant void waiting to be filled. But the physical space where Provence Breads used to be on 21st Avenue South in Hillsboro Village might just be that space.
Two sisters, both Vanderbilt University graduates, have announced that their new Greenery Co. will fill that now-vacant storefront in spring 2020. The idea behind Greenery Co. is fast-casual salads, bowls and snacks that won’t bust your budget. The recipes are high in nutrients, low on carbs. Chipotle-style, you’ll be able to pick and choose what goes into your dish. The spot won’t be strictly vegetarian, but they say it will be vegetarian friendly.
When Caroline Gaston was living in New York she appreciated how easy it was to find a place where she could grab a salad to go and get back to work. When she moved back to Nashville a year ago, she was happy to be here, but found there were fewer fast, healthy food options. “I couldn’t eat the same way in Nashville as I did in New York.”
“Healthy food is not a new concept. We realize we are not reinventing the wheel,"says Gaston’s sister and Greenery Co. co-owner Whitney Abblitt. "But we are bringing this concept to a Southern audience,” she adds.
The duo chose the Hillsboro Village location because, according to their research, there are more than 100,000 working professionals within one mile of the restaurant, not to mention, tourists and students who frequent the area.
While neither sister has owned a restaurant before, both have human resources experience, and have worked in finance and fashion. Plus, Gaston says, “Whitney and are big eaters. We love food.” Gaston participated in a culinary entrepreneurship program which involved working at a fast-casual restaurant. “I am excited to be in business with my sister. We are excited to get to lead people.”
Austin, Texas-based chef Barclay Stratton is consulting on the menu. Stratton worked as chef de cuisine of Merchants in downtown Nashville before moving on to Ovenbird in Birmingham, Ala., and then to Austin.
Their mother and a third sister both work in interior design, and their sensibilities have helped Gaston and Abblitt develop the Greener Co. look. “A lot of fast-casual can feel austere. This should feel like someone’s home,” Abblitt says.
The average ticket, with a drink, will be $12.50, they estimate. Nashville is the first outpost for Greenery Co., and the sisters hope it will be the first of many. Stay tuned for an opening date.