Healthy Columbia restaurant serves up energy
Black Bean Co. is a new arrival to the Vista foodscape with a novel approach. They call themselves an “Energy Food Restaurant,” but what does that mean, exactly?
I sat down with Ellis Grossman, owner of Black Bean Co. and all around good guy to find out. As it is, the answer is simple: "energy food" keeps you running at maximum without wearing a hole in your wallet. When I asked how Black Bean began, Grossman’s answer surprised me.
“When I was twenty-two, I worked at a Taco Bell,” he said. (Grossman actually managed a string of the chain restaurants in and around South Carolina.)
“It was amazing to me that there weren’t more healthy options that were fast and inexpensive,” he said.
Enter: a health food drive-thru. Grossman took his know-how for fast food and farming and created a new business model around car-side health food.
Though the Gervais location doesn’t feature a drive-thru window (you’ll have to visit the James Island location for that), it’s still a quick stop for people on the go. Or, if you’re really in a pinch for time, you can order online and pick up in-store. They strive to serve every customer in under two minutes from order to table.
Grossman’s goal with his food is to provide a complete nutritional package. Black Bean is big on portion control. Their aim is efficiency — they'll fill up your tank with high quality fuel. Everything served is prepared fresh daily. Grossman strives to ensure that all elements of an energizing meal are present in everything he makes. Take, for example, the Spring Street wrap (my personal favorite): chicken, turkey or tofu, topped with hummus, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, homemade tzatziki sauce, sprouts and mixed greens. You want colors on your plate? You got ‘em.
As he was showing me around the dining room, I noticed Grossman’s shoes: dark brown Danskos with veggies painted across the toes. “These shoes have been all over the garden, in the kitchen, on the road," he said. "They’ve seen every part of the process.”
And it really is quite a process.
In the beginning, Grossman grew all his own produce on Wadmalaw Island, south of Charleston. Now, Black Bean Co. is proud to say that 80 percent of its ingredients come from local farms. Grossman said he tried taking out-of-season items off the menu in order to keep the restaurant as local as he could, “but people just kept ordering.”
In the end, he kept on items like the Strawberry Fields Salad, which uses berries from California. Now, Black Bean works with City Roots and Senn Brothers Produce to stock the Gervais location. Grossman’s goal is to form a kind of “central house” from which other local restaurants can purchase produce in order to keep local farmers in business.
And for those of you who have your doubts about local food's tastiness — leave your worries at the door. There’s nothing limited or bland about Black Bean's dishes. If anything, they’re more varied than any menu I’ve seen around Columbia. For example, how many fast food places use watermelon radishes? That'd be none.
Grossman wants to feature “every ingredient in every bite” and let me tell you, he’s done exactly that.
The Honey Turkey Bacon Club wrap is just as tasty as its name is long. Called a “Purge Energy Wrap” on the menu, the club features thinly sliced turkey, bits of turkey bacon, homegrown fresh tomatoes, crunchy sprouts, Black Bean’s famous mixed greens, cheddar cheese shreds and homemade honey mustard. The sauce is light but sweet. And in between beautiful marbled slices of tomato are those crunchy bits of bacon that give the wrap a complex texture.
If you’re craving something sweet to go with your meal, I recommend the homemade (notice the trend?) yogurt and granola. It’s a cup of Greek yogurt with vanilla bean and local honey mixed in, topped with oats, dried cranberries and cherries, golden raisins and — I assure you — love. Grossman called it world famous, then grinned.
“Well, I shipped some to New Jersey once, and that’s all it takes, I think," he said.
As I was eating, Grossman disappeared into the kitchen (also known as the Power Plant) only to emerge a few minutes later with a dust rag. He began to wipe down tables, push in chairs and converse with customers (who were, by that point, lined up out the front door). Grossman never stopped moving.
On my way out, I couldn’t find him anywhere. I really wanted to let him know everything tasted great, but he was gone. Halfway through the parking lot, I looked up and there he was, pacing, on his phone, his white chef’s coat bright in the sun. He raised a hand at me and I waved. No doubt, he was cooking up something else new.
Keep an eye on Black Bean Co. They're growing something great in South Carolina.