Judd Grisanti’s been cooking up something lately. Now he’s ready to spill the beans.
The popular chef from the Grisanti family restaurant fame is ready for people to get a taste (literally) of his latest venture. He will launch “Gourmet-To-Go,” which is part of his new Green Apple’s Foods Co., Sunday, February 16th.
Grisanti is thinking healthy. Each week, he will prepare meals and deliver them to people’s homes. These aren’t frozen chicken-potatoes-and-beans combos. Here’s a sample of his cuisine: “Asian Inspired Wild Salmon Protein Smart Fluffy Coconut Sushi Lime Rice Bowl.”
“It’s a macro nutrient and micro nutrient meal plan,” Grisanti says. “Macro means carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Micro means the natural vitamins in our foods that our bodies need. for an overall balanced diet.”
Grisanti isn’t talking about just cutting out fats. “We need good fats, not bad fats. And the good fats come from nuts. They come from avocados. They come from olive oil, sesame seeds, cashews, tuna fish, salmon, edamame, or walnuts. We’re taking pills for our vitamins when our vitamins are already in our food, and easier for our bodies to digest than a pill.”
Foodies first met Grisanti when he was a server in the old Beale Street location of Ronnie Grisanti & Sons Italian Restaurant, which was owned by his dad, the late Ronnie Grisanti. Judd went on to work at his dad’s restaurant when it moved to 2855 Poplar Avenue. He also worked as chef/owner at Spindini and was owner of Ronnie Grisanti’s Italian Restaurant in Regalia.
Judd operates his new business out of a customized commercial kitchen food truck in Laws Hill, Mississippi, which is not far from his farm. “It’s basically a commercial kitchen on wheels,” he says.
As a chef, Grisanti says,“Mentally, we’re always evolving. We’re always learning. We’re always exploring, especially in the culinary world. People call it ‘R and D’ — ‘research and development.’”
Judd came up with the idea for his new venture while recovering from a surgery seven months ago. “During the time that I’ve taken off, I’ve been here at the farm thinking about the paths that I’ve gone down. And wondering, ‘Where is Judd Grisanti going next?’ Which direction am I going to go?”
When he was working in a commercial kitchen in a restaurant, he could make anything he wanted on a whim. “I’ve always had the ingredients at my fingertips.”
But now, he says, “Being out of the restaurant business for seven months and not being in a commercial kitchen, I’m cooking for one now. And going to the grocery store and getting what I need.”
“I would come in tired and worn out physically, and I had to cook something for dinner. It had to be something that had nutritional values to it, so, I could replace the calories I burned and give myself energy for the next day. I learned it’s not just me that has to worry about what they’re having for dinner that night, planning their meals, prepping their meals, and going to find the time to do the shopping and the cooking.”
That’s when he came up with Gourmet to Go. “Fully-prepared, chef-created, well-rounded, nutritional meals. Flare, culture, and the art of cuisine delivered to your doorstep — for a balanced lifestyle.”
“A lot of people don’t have the full information of where all carbs come from. Your body has to have carbs.”
But there are good carbs and bad carbs, he says. “You want to eat carbs like quinoa, lentils, whole grains, sweet potatoes, different types of beans, and whole grain pastas. All those are okay, but you want to keep it high fibers.”
“People ask, ‘Oh why did you go to culinary school?’ I did go to culinary school to learn how to cook a steak or whatever. But,” he says “As chefs, we get lost sometimes in what we’re creating. We can definitely create incredible food that has micro nutrient and macro nutrient values to them rather than just putting out stuff with a lot of fat, heavy cream, butter, and all the stuff we love. Instead of using those ingredients that we would typically go to, there are alternatives. And we just have to put more energy and thought into what we’re doing. And it’s more simplified than what we think.”
Describing his Asian-inspired wild salmon bowl, he says, “It’s baked wild salmon with a home-made hoisin black garlic sauce. And that’s over shredded purple cabbage, shredded carrots, edamame, English cucumbers, shiitake mushrooms topped with fried shallots, furikake, and sriracha aioli.”
Another dish is “The Mediterranean Gyro Greek Chicken Smart Protein Bowl.” This includes quinoa, pearl pasta, and couscous. “I mix those three grains together. And then you have some green with it. More likely kale, if that’s what they wish. And on top you’ll have pickled red onions, English cucumbers, grape tomatoes, feta cheese, and a homemade tzatziki sauce topped with roasted garbanzo beans.”
Each meal comes in three parts. “Your main dish comes in a bowl with sauce or marinade or dressing on the side, along with greens or tomatoes. Minimal assembly. It can be ready in minutes. Microwave six minutes, or in the oven at 375 degrees and it’s ready in 20 minutes. And then you can add your sauce and your fresh herbs and whatever is on the side.”
Eventually, he says, “You’ll be able to pick out your protein, your mix of grains. And then you’ll be able to pick out the veggies you want to go on there. You might want it with lamb or shrimp or whatever. And then we’ll be able to customize it for you.”
His catchline is “Heat, Eat, & Enjoy!!!”
Grisanti says he will change the menu (which offers six dishes) weekly. “I have hundreds of recipes already written.” He also plans to add “some Grisanti menu items,” which are “protein forward.” And he’ll include Grisanti’s roasted chicken lasagna “with the fresh spinach and prosciutto” as well as the shrimp fried diablo.
For now, Grisanti is using his email address, grisanti909@gmail.com, Facebook address, “Judd D. Grisanti,” and Instagram address, “grisanti.restaurant” for orders. “We take orders for the week up until Tuesday night at 10:00. Wednesday, we set out for delivery and we bring it straight to you. There’s no hidden fee. No members fee. Nothing like that. We are just simply a chef providing a service to your door.”
In addition to Gourmet to Go, Judd’s Green Apple’s Co., which he describes as a “full menu line,” will include desserts and various types of snacks and starters, including hummus, and protein-forward desserts “We’re working on things every week. Testing and getting things done.”
Judd’s slogan is “Fork it Up.” “Instead of saying ‘Cheers’ or whatever, it’s like, ‘Fork it Up with Gourmet to Go.’ You can eat good and eat as much as you want. And when it good food it’s actually going to make you feel fuller.You’re getting everything you need. We’re doing these prepared meals to go straight to the consumer. It comes from our kitchen straight to your kitchen. You just eat and enjoy.”
