enter the sweet ride contest

August 30, 2010

We’ve gotten a lot of love and compliments for our custom wasabi green Republic Bikes we often park in front of our stores and we wanted to give you guys the chance to win your very own! This bike is planet friendly, sure to get noticed, and fit for a rockstar.

To enter simply do the following:

(1) Like us on facebook.

(2) Comment or like one (1) of our facebook posts dated between 8/30 and 9/10.

One winner will be randomly selected on Monday, September 13^th. Winner* will be announced via our facebook and our sweetlife blog.

And if you are not one for contests and want to grab your own bike now (sans sweetgreen logo of course), you can order one here!

*Winner must be able to pick up their bike at our Dupont Circle location – 1512 Connecticut Ave in Washington, DC.

Photo credit: Brian Stansfield. Production credit: Wandering Hat Productions.

chef colicchio’s testimony for healthy school food

July 6, 2010

On Friday, Top Chef Judge Tom Colicchio (who has eaten at sweetgreen!) testified before the House Education and Labor Committee in support of the “Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act.” The Act, proposed by Chairman George Miller (D-CA), reauthorizes the Child Nutrition Act (CNA) and increases its programs to serve more hungry children around the country. These improvements are significant, including universal access to school breakfast and lunch programs in high-poverty areas, improved food safety precautions in school kitchens, and stronger farm-to-school relationships to increase the amount of fresh produce available to students. The proposed bill has a higher cost than its predecessor but sounds like it could be way more effective.

My Favorite Quote:

“There can be no better investment—no better stimulus to our economy—than feeding this nation’s children healthily and well…Providing the building blocks for millions of kids to grow and develop as they should, will mean a population of robust and productive adults, and a more competitive America.”

He hits the nail right on the head: feeding our children healthy food is an investment in our economic future!

-Nic

Photo and information via ObamaFoodorama

keswick creamery and their new CSA

July 1, 2010

whoops!

June 29, 2010

Chocolate Strawberry

Meet McKee Flyod, creative baker, entrepreneur, and sweetgreen alum, who is about to make some serious noise in the DC dessert scene. We got a chance to sit down with McKee and discuss the inspiration behind her company, Whoops!, and all things whoppie pie related.

Baker meets entrepreneur McKee Floyd

Why whoopie pies?

I chose to focus on whoopie pies for three main reasons. First and foremost because of the flexibility they present as a dessert. At its core, a whoopie pies is two small cakes, with some sort of frosting or filling in the center. However, in my recipies I found you could expand on this model and incorporate all sorts of other elements into the whoopie pies–for example, fresh fruit or cookie crumbs could be added to the frosting filling, the sides could be rolled in sprinkles or candy. The top could be dipped in ganache, or you could pipe designs onto the top of the pie. Once I let go of the traditional “cake-frosting-cake” model, I found the whoopie pie could really morph into whatever dessert the customer wanted. It’s impossible to get sick of them, because the combinations are endless.

I also liked the nostalgic quality of whoopie pies–they’re classically American, but have been largely ignored as a boutique dessert. I attribute this to the traditional use of shortening in both the cake and the filling, which makes the flavor of the pie a little less flavorful than cupcakes or layer cakes. I found a way to rev of the flavor in my pies (the secret is listening to lots of cheesy Nineties music while baking).

On a final, more technical note, whoopie pies lend themselves well to being a new “dessert on the go.” You can hold it in one hand, and it’s a good portion size for one person–generous, without being crazy supersized. Perhaps most importantly, each bite in a whoopie pie has the perfect frosting to cake ratio!

Boston Creme

What inspired you to leave The Hill?

It’s funny–most people assume my decision to leave the hill was a result of “burning out” or some sort of disillusionment with the political process, and the highly partisan environment in politics right now. That isn’t the case–I really did love my job, and felt a strong loyalty to my boss and my coworkers, as well as to the issues at hand which I was dealing with. But even as I really loved my job on the hill, the idea for WHOOPS! was percolating in my mind for about a year before I finally left. In February I talked to Nic, Jon, and Nate about their experience starting sweetgreen. I realized there wouldn’t be a better place to learn about what it takes to start a great company and produce consistently high quality products. When they offered me a job working at sweetgreen, I knew it was the right time to leave the hill. I think sometimes you can have an awesome job–any way you slice it–but if it’s not right for YOU, that’s enough of a reason to make a change.

Red Velvet

What is the weirdest pie you ever made?

I make a blackberry and keylime pie which is a little strange–but really popular. I’ve been dying to play with including bacon in a pie–maybe a chocolate pie with caramel buttercream and bacon chunks.

What is your dream person to make a pie for and what would it be?

Aside from Oprah? Probably Lady GaGa–she kind of embodies the WHOOPS! spirit of having fun, breaking all the (dessert) rules, and thinking outside of the traditional whoopie pie format. I’d probably make her a red velvet whoopie pie with fluffy white frosting, toasted pecans, and coconut. And of course some kind of crazy toffee sculpture to sit on top.

Roasted Banana

What is the best dessert in DC (outside of Whoops!)?

Aside from sweetflow? Coconut cake at Creme Cafe is out of this world. Also, there’s an awesome guy named Eddie who has an ice cream cart in Columbia Heights/Mount Pleasant. His Mexican Rice Pudding flavored Popsicle is my new favorite dessert in DC.

sweetgreen capitol hill grand opening recap

June 28, 2010

This past Thursday, we had a Capitol Hill Grand Opening party to celebrate our arrival in the new neighborhood. Mayor Fenty and his team stopped by to help us cut the ribbon, mixologist Gina Chersevani from PS 7 masterfully crafted refreshing cocktails with VEEV vodka, and Whoops! master baker/entrepreneur McKee Flyod created decadent whoopie pies for all. The new neighborhood feels like home already! Photos below courtesy of Vincent Gallegos.

Nicolas Jammet, Nathaniel Ru, Mayor Fenty, Jonathan Neman

Andrea Northup from DC Farm to School and Jeff Mills, Director of Food Services DC Public Schools

With New England Patriots’ cornerback Leigh Bodden

The ladies of sweetgreen: Robyn Blum, Rachel Ackman, Renee Pickard, Bona Park, Florence Lumsden, Dominique Kleeman

Aurora Caskey, Laura Reading

Luke Adams, Noel Pitts, Jonathan Neman, John Thornley, Nathaniel Ru

Note the green scissors!

raise hope for congo

June 25, 2010

Our friends at Unison Agency just launched Raise Hope For Congo Music, a CD and website, for a great cause. Enjoy the music!

capitol hill 1st day in photos

June 8, 2010

We just want to thank everyone who stopped by on our first day one more time. We are very excited to be part of the Capitol Hill community. Here is what went down:

capitol hill now open

June 7, 2010

Thanks to everyone who stopped by today! We are extremely excited to be part of the neighborhood. The store closed early today at 4PM, but starting tomorrow we will be open from 11AM to 10PM daily. We hope to see you there!

welcome to our awesome new interns

June 3, 2010

We’d like to dedicate today’s post to the awesome new interns. Welcome to the family!

Name: Rachel Akman

TV shows I cannot possibly live without: Grey’s Anatomy & NCIS

Favorite/Most played artist on my iPod right now: Taylor Swift

If I were a salad, what would I be?: The Funky Farm salad with romaine, chicken, corn, apples, carrots, dried cranberries, and goat cheese

Name: Jenny Ermer

TV shows I cannot possibly live without: Modern Family & Friday Night Lights

Favorite/Most played artist on my iPod right now: John Mayer

If I were a salad, what would I be?: The Veg-Out salad with romaine, tofu, falafel, grapes, hummus, and feta cheese

Name: Florence “Flo” Lumsden

TV shows I cannot possibly live without: The City & America’s Best Dance Crew

Favorite/Most played artist on my iPod right now: Phoenix & Cut Copy

If I were a salad, what would I be?: The Beet It! salad with arugula, beets, feta cheese, walnuts, apples, and chicken

Name: Liane Sullivan

TV shows I cannot possibly live without: The Office & Gossip Girl

Favorite/Most played artist on my iPod right now: Maroon 5

If I were a salad, what would I be?: The Summer salad with arugula, strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, pita chips, and balsamic vinaigrette

Name: Bonnie Burgess

TV shows I cannot possibly live without: 30 Rock and The Office

Favorite/Most played artist on my iPod right now: MGMT

If I were a salad, what would I be?: The “Welcome back to America” (Currently studying abroad in
Madrid) with spinach leaves, tomato (red), hearts of palm (white), avocado, and champagne vinaigrette

sneak peek: sweetgreen capitol hill

May 24, 2010

Want to get a sneak peek of the newest sweetgreen opening up in Capitol Hill this June? Check out the photos below.