Seed-to-cup coffee shop and full-service Brazilian cafe
Background
Brazilia sets itself apart from the other hundred coffee shops in Noho by being a seed to cup establishment, meaning every cup of coffee served is a product of the beans harvested at Brazilia’s plantation in Sul de Minas, Brazil. The shop claims to offer “the highest quality coffee experience in New York City”, and does not disappoint.
Coffee aficionados will swoon over the Lab Concierge Service, in which you can choose three different roasts brewed one method, or one roast brewed by different methods: Aeropress, Chemex, French Press or Hario Pourover. If you aren’t in a coffee mood grab a freshly made juice, shake, or their award-winning hot chocolate.
What do they offer on PareUp?
Brazilia has listed a variety of fresh pastries such as classic & flavored croissants, assorted muffins, and Pao de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread roll).
Insider Tip:
The café menu is extensive and mouth watering. Throw a dart at the sandwich list and you are guaranteed a delicious meal, such as the ‘O Cubano’: Roasted pork shoulder, ham, swiss cheese, Pickled jalapeno, guava mustard, garlic aioli, pressed on a ciabatta roll.
The Squeeze features a bold line of raw cold pressed juices with cheeky names like “The Jeans I Wore In High School” that are guaranteed to make you feel great inside and out.
All juices are 100% raw, USDA certified organic, gluten-free, vegan, and certified kosher. Feel free to mix it up with one of their raw milks, shakes, and boosters; or sample some delicious vegan fare from their extensive menu. With four shops throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn and an impressive delivery service, there is no excuse not to pick up one of their delicious elixirs.
What have they offered on PareUp?
The Squeeze has featured a variety of juices, salads, and meals – most up to 50% off.
Insider Tip:
The Squeeze offers a variety of cleanse programs to fit your needs. If you’re new to the juice game or cant quit solid food just yet, try the “Squeezewich” plan, which supplements juices with healthy vegan meals. You even get dessert.
This is the first #tbt recipe of our #getwastED series! We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response to these recipes and a couple of folks have asked for recipes for some of our earlier creations. Which leads to some good news: each Thursday we’re going to “throw it back” and feature a recipe from one of our older Instagram posts until we catch up.
This week we’re throwing it back a few weeks to when @sweetgreen featured us on their Instagram feed and made our day (let’s be real, our year!). The subject: our latest #getwastED creation, a deconstructed roasted eggplant parm. Since we didn’t have a chance to share the recipe before, here it is.
P.S. This was healthy, delicious, and super easy to make. If you find yourself with leftover eggplant, parmesan cheese, or overripe tomatoes that need to be eaten, this one is perfect for you. As always, enjoy and let’s #getwastED!
Ingredients
⅓ of a large, leftover eggplant
2 overripe roma tomatoes, cut in half
½ cup of grated, parmesan cheese
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic glaze, to drizzle (we got ours from the store, but here’s a homemade recipe)
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Dress a baking sheet with olive oil.
Slice the remaining eggplant into slivers or rounds. Generously salt both sides of the eggplant and place them in a colander for 30 minutes.
Don’t forget this step! This process, known as “sweating the eggplant”, removes bitter juices and collapses the air pockets in the eggplant’s sponge-like flesh, thereby preventing them from absorbing too much oil.
Rinse the eggplant with plenty of water and firmly squeeze a few pieces of eggplant in your palm to draw out excess water. Pat dry with paper towels.
Slice the tomatoes into halves. Place the eggplant and tomatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the eggplant is soft and golden brown and the tomatoes are tender.
Remove the baking sheet and sprinkle parmesan cheese on each piece of eggplant. Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Let cool for 5 minutes. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve.
Positive thinking is key to creating enjoyable outcomes. However, sometimes it's refreshing to look at things from the other side and think about the few things you should never do during a cold in-person sales call. Some are obvious, but all taken from the range of responses (countless more nos than yeses) I’ve experienced. Again, each item on the list is prefaced with NEVER.
Stare at Your Shoes
Confidence is key. Why would someone believe in your product or service when you barely believe in it yourself? One rapid way to establish yourself as a person with value is to make strong eye contact. I'd err on the side of too much that it's uncomfortable vs. so short that you lose credibility, respect, and self-confidence.
Wear Suits & Carry A Big/Thick/Black Binder
Stores deals with salespeople frequently. More often than not, those salespeople do a shoddy job, which results in your target having a generally poor opinion of sales. Therefore, once she recognizes you as another peddler, she'll prejudge you negatively. While you can work back into her good graces, it's much easier to be subtle from the very beginning. As Peter Thiel explains, he will not invest in a business with anyone who dresses in a suit. Sorry, Willy Loman. A suit and briefcase can be perceived as compensation for a weak product, regardless of the tie you pick. Funky socks are an exception.
Stop Trying After the First Visit
When I receive a “Yes. Let’s do it.” on my first visit, I usually have to conceal my surprise and elation. Dan, cool down. Act like you’ve been here before. Creating results from the first interaction is wonderful but rare. The majority of agreements come after multiple touch points and after familiarity is developed. There's a fine line between persistence and nuisance - tread it boldly.
Forget the Value of Empathy
I get excited about the spiel I give. What store owner wouldn't want to use a sustainable method to improve their bottom line while building brand loyalty? Oh, actually a lot. These nos occur for a range of reasons (misunderstanding, fear of change, ignorance of potential value) and it is your job to determine which one it is. Asking ‘Why’ is valuable. Being a step ahead by squeezing your toes into the shoes of the challenging owner is even better. Address concerns before they’re answered. As Honest Abe said, "When I get ready to talk to people, I spend two-thirds of the time thinking what they want to hear and one-third thinking about what I want to say." Empathy is key - don't forget it.
Leave Once You've Piqued Their Interest
You've given your pitch and they like it. Now you can set broad plans for a follow-up and rest easy knowing you did your job. Wrong. You've done nothing. Once you've established that rapport, finish the job by closing. My go to is, "Is this something you'd be interested in?" Yes. "Great. Why don't we sign you up now to get rolling?" Even if there's push back due to current time constraints, you have just created a future meeting with the clear intention of closing the deal.
Take it Personally
If you allow it to get under your skin and believe that it is you and not the product that they’re saying no to, then your psyche will crumble. You'll begin to fear nos. Once you fear nos you'll fear rejection and will avoid approaching stores. It all goes downhill from there. Look at nos as a new opportunity to grow. Each pitch is a chance to learn something new and refine your technique. Alter your wording, your gestures, your eye contact and body language; all are small variables that can tip the scale. You are awesome, hardworking, and wonderful. Know that and no nos will ever rock your foundation.
Memorize and Recite
No one wants to be on the receiving end of a one-way conversation. Memorizing a script then spitting it back is robotic and boring. Create a conversation - listen to your target’s responses and build rapport. It's an element that will guarantee a positive response. Even if the answer is no, when you show up again they won't be bothered because they'll like you. Your product may have awesome differentiating features. None of these matter if your target can't relate to you in a positive way. Know the script but sell your personality. As a buyer, I'd rather hear 'I don't know' from someone I like than a crafted retort from a boring drone.
Forget Your Limitations
Sales is an energy-sapping, high-intensity role. You have to be on. When I lack energy, I also lack the persuasiveness and charisma that make me effective. Know when you're at your peak, but also when to call it a day. First impressions are key - if you can't be at your best, then hold off until you are. Tips for quick energy highs: headstands and apples. Separately, they are effective energy boosts. Done together? Tweet a photo and I'll send you a PareUp shirt. To prove how serious I am, I’ll reiterate. Send us a photo doing a handstand eating an apple & I’ll send you a free PareUp shirt.
Specialty, small-batch bakery cafe in East Village
Background
Zucker Bakery owner Zohar Zohar transports you back to her grandmother’s home through her Israeli and European inspired creations and the shop’s cozy, homey vibe. Since opening in 2011, Zucker has been whipping up unique cookies, savory bites, and their signature sticky buns known as Roses. Zucker also boasts a full line of espresso drinks, drip coffee, and cold brew from Stumptown Coffee Roasters to truly make your afternoon snack complete.
What do they offer on PareUp?
Zucker has a recurring deal on their Roses every day of the week, but only for the last hour of business. Make sure to snatch up one (or ten) from 5-6pm on weekdays, and 6-7pm on weekends.
Insider Tip:
Check out Zucker on social media and you will see glorious photos of little rainbow colored sprinkle balls, aka Party Balls or Israeli Sprinkle Balls. These little gems taste like brownie batter spiked with espresso - as delicious as they are cute.
Kale. Easily one of the team’s favorite vegetables and a pretty standard staple of most of our diets: kale salad, kale smoothies, kale soup, etc. The list goes on. Kale chips are great for a quick, nutritious snack and a delightful way to prepare kale that’s been sitting in your fridge “for-almost-too-long.”
As always, enjoy and let’s #getwastED!
Ingredients
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch of kale, rinsed and dried
2 to 3 tablespoon of olive oil
½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash and thoroughly dry kale. Once dried, tear into bite size pieces and remove their inner stems. Place stems aside.*
Place kale in a large bowl and drizzle it with two tablespoons of olive oil. Toss the kale so each piece is evenly coated. The chips only need to be lightly coated so it’s a good idea to gradually add in the oil. Otherwise your chips may come out greasy and not as crunchy as you would like!
Add garlic powder, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper.
Place the kale on two lined baking sheets. Consider using parchment paper to allow for easier clean up. Kale pieces should be in a single layer to avoid accidentally steaming the kale.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crispy. Around the 7-minute mark, rotate the pieces so they cook evenly.
* Reuse kale stems in tomorrow’s lunch or dinner. If you’re looking for creative ideas, Food 52 has a great article on this. Enjoy!
Agavi Juice is a relatively new entrant into the New York juice scene, opening up shop in the East Village just a few months back. They specialize in all-natural, organic juices, with a mix of cold-pressed, boosters, smoothies, protein shakes, and some delicious acai bowls and desserts. They’ll make the juice for you on order, and they also have some great readymade, grab-and-go options.
What have they offered on PareUp?
Previously, Agavi has offered a variety of organic items, including:
Cold-pressed booster shot
Cold-pressed juice
Items post on a non-recurring basis, so keep a lookout on the app. You can also favorite the store to get push notifications for when they post.
Insider Tip:
Try their cleanse program. A 1-day cleanse is 6 juices for $49, and you get even greater discounts if you go for the 3- or 5-day. They’re good for a few days longer though, so feel free to spread the juices out and enjoy them over a week or so.
#getwastED: Grilled Corn & Tomato Salad with Vinaigrette
Happy #DayAfterLaborDay! When you’re coming off of a holiday weekend, it can be hard to find the time to devote your usual time to meal prep. If you were out of town this weekend, like more or less the majority of New Yorkers, you likely didn’t have time to plan for the week ahead. We typically like to reserve Sunday mornings for assessing what food we currently have in our fridges and figuring out healthy, creative ways to reimagine it into new dishes. Given that we just came off a holiday typically associated with BBQs, it got us thinking... What’s a healthy, creative way to reimagine leftovers from a BBQ?
This weekend we went to a good friend’s BBQ and she had the most delicious, grilled corn on the cob. Our friend, ever the generous hostess, sent us home with three ears of corn. After perusing online, we’ve decided to make a healthy, light corn and tomato salad inspired by @Food52’s recipe. Let’s #getwastED!
Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients
½ cup dried pearl barley
1 ¼ cup of water (for cooking the barley)
3 ears of grilled corn
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 cup canned kidney beans
1 vine ripened tomato
1 ½ teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 large garlic clove
¼ cup basil cut into ribbons
1 bunch of chives, thinly sliced
¼ - ½ cup(s) olive oil
Directions
Pour the barley and 1¼ cups of water in a large pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Cover and cook for 45-50 minutes or until most of the water has been absorbed.
Chop grape tomatoes and vine ripened tomato into halves. Grate the two halves of the vine ripened tomato over a wide bowl, discarding the skins, and collecting the juice and tomato pulp (this will be basis for the vinaigrette).
Rinse and drain the canned beans.
Cut kernels off the corn. We laid the corn flat on a cutting board and sliced down the side of the cob to remove the kernels, but there’s lots of different ways to do this! We encourage you to find the method you like best. Once you’re done with one side, rotate the cob to the flat side
Mince the garlic, adding salt and then rubbing the mixture between your cutting board and the side of your knife. Add the garlic to your tomato mixture. Add a pinch of salt, crushed red pepper, and white wine vinegar. Whisk in olive oil slowly. This should yield at least ½ cup of vinaigrette. If you plan on making this ahead of time, make ¼ cup of extra vinaigrette to freshen the salad before serving.
Combine barley, tomatoes, corn, beans and fresh herbs in a large bowl and dress with your tomato vinaigrette. Toss to combine. Enjoy!
A rotating menu of delicious, catering-quality entree platters.
Background
Between the Bread is primarily known for its award-winning catering business, serving corporate events and private parties (think weddings, etc.). Luckily, for those of us who haven’t been to one of their events, we still have a chance to taste their delicious options through a small storefront located in Midtown West.
They run daily specials that include a rotating set of fresh, local, and seasonal options.
What Do They Offer?
Their specials vary daily based on what they have in-house, but there are generally a few chicken and fish options. We highly recommend their grilled and roasted veggies - always a healthy, and delicious addition to any meal!
Deals go live at 3pm and last for an hour – until close.
Insider Tip:
Their storefront closes at 4pm, so they may not be the most obvious dinner option. Don’t miss out, though! 30 seconds in the microwave or a few minutes in the oven go a long way towards making any of their platters the perfect, affordable option for dinner.
Ever find yourself with leftover items from yesterday’s meal? We sure do! Our #getwastED recipe series aims to provide delicious, quick, and sustainable alternatives to throwing food away. Try out our recipes and let us know what you think in the comments below! #FoodNotWaste
Up first is a delicious Shaobing with broccoli and egg, made from extra pastry items and some hardboiled eggs.
Ingredients
1 Shaobing, or any other leftover pastry
1 cup of leftover broccoli (steamed)
2 hardboiled eggs
Salt, pepper and sriracha to taste
Photo courtesy of Design Mom
Directions
Hard Boiled Eggs
Place eggs in a single layer at the bottom of a saucepan. Cover the eggs with 1-2 inches of cold water.
Set the saucepan on HIGH heat and bring to a boil (uncovered). Turn off the heat and cover the pan. Let eggs stand in hot water for 10-12 minutes.
Drain immediately and serve warm, or cool completely under cold running water or in a bowl of ice water. Set aside two eggs for sandwich (refrigerate the others).
Sandwich
Re-toast leftover pastry or bread. We used a Shaobing, a baked Chinese bread, but feel free to use other bread options!
Reheat 1 cup of broccoli in the microwave for 1-3 minutes.
Remove shells from two hard boiled eggs and slice coarsely.
Layer bottom of Shaobing (or pastry) with sriracha, add broccoli and sliced hard boiled eggs on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
1) North Chelsea: 401 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10001
2) Peter’s Field: 362 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10010
3) Stuyvesant Alley: 83 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10003
Store in 10 words or fewer
Community coffee shop and bakery, loves entrepreneurship
Background:
Pushcart Coffee is an independent coffee shop with 3 locations around New York. Their stores were a common meeting place before we moved into the Columbia Startup Lab, with fast WiFi, ample workspace, and friendly, personable staff. Their cold brew is second-to-none, and even in the summer, I salivate at the thought of their hot chocolate.
More relevant for PareUp, though, is their dedication to community and entrepreneurship. They have been perhaps our most avid retail partner as we’ve developed our product and expanded our operations in NYC, and have served as a great sounding board for our team.
What have they offered on PareUp?
Pushcart’s menu has previously featured:
Cookies
Scones
Croissants
Muffins
Dub Pies
Focaccia
These are all baked fresh daily in their own commissary kitchen, located in Brooklyn. They generally post around 5pm.
Insider Tip:
The chocolate croissant is a simple but fantastic choice.
Some Things That I’ve Learned About Being a Female Founder & CEO
Over a year ago, I decided to quit my job. After a few months of soul searching and hard thinking, I started PareUp with two friends. As a female founder in a space that is well-known for lacking gender and racial diversity when it comes to C-level managers, founders, and engineers, I reached out early on to other female founders for mentorship, advice, and support. Over the past year or so I’ve heard and read a number of unsettling things about the challenges of being a female founder and CEO that are both discouraging and inspiring, despite and or in spite of the horrible bits. I thought it might be helpful for other teams to share what I thought some experiences would be like versus what it turned out to be like.
Team dynamics
Prior to starting PareUp:
I had the advantage of starting this company with a good friend of mine from college and a friend of a friend. We’d worked on something else together before this and found that we balanced each other out really well. Because we’d worked together well before, I was confident we would all support and champion each other moving forward.
Working together on PareUp:
I feel very lucky to be working with two dudes who believe I’m just as smart and competent as a man would be in my position. They have been incredibly supportive as teammates and friends, and we have fun working together, which is important given how intense the days can get.
Networking
Before I started going to events:
I’ve gone to more happy hours and more post-work events in the last six months than I have in the previous four years of my working life. The tech community loves to get together, and I appreciate that. I love meeting new people, so I thought it would be pretty easy to introduce myself to other founders, investors, and other folks in the industry.
Once I started going to events:
I’m often one of a handful of women at tech events. At times, it’s awkward to break into a group of people you don’t know, but you’re there to meet people and you gotta do it. Oftentimes it results in new friends with great advice. Sometimes, though, the other person just isn’t interested in your story or what you’re working on. Move on to the next person. Co-ed networking is interesting, because guys usually gravitate towards other guys and women, if there are a handful at an event, end up talking in a circle together. I have to push myself out of my comfort zone a lot.
Note: if you’re a woman with her own tech startup or thinking about starting her own company, check out the Female Founders Conference. It usually takes place in February or March, so keep an eye out.
Pitching
When I was a n00b:
Before I went out and pitched a few times, I’d read and heard that it is especially difficult for female founders and CEOs to fundraise successfully and as quickly as their male counterparts. According to a Business Insider report last year, “women founders represent less than 7% of startups that get VC funding.” I heard stories of venture capitalists hitting on female entrepreneurs in pitch meetings, which is not only sexual harassment, but a sickening power play on a smart woman who wants nothing more than for her company to succeed. Needless to say, it’s not an experience I was looking forward to.
When I was less of a n00b:
I was lucky and didn’t experience any explicit sexism or harassment myself this time around. I spoke with more than a few respectful, smart investors who had great advice to offer. But I definitely felt that I had more than one conversation that would have ended differently had I been a guy. I’ll never know whether that’s actually true, unless I do what this Gawker writer did, but others have performed that test in my place, and it’s safe to say I probably experienced some degree of bias.
*****
Lastly, on a few occasions, people have assumed that one of my male co-founders came up with the idea for PareUp and/or serves as CEO. It’s hard to not get upset at the person when this happens, but I’ve come to realize that it’s not the person’s fault. The influences of the patriarchy are to blame here, and most of us have taken some cues from those assumptions and definitions of power in our lifetimes. While the world has changed, it hasn’t changed that much yet, and I feel a responsibility as a lady boss to help it along. So, what do I do when it happens? I tell the other person who I am, describe how PareUp came to be, and hope that the next time around, they’ll ask a woman what her role is instead of assuming that she takes a backseat.
A store that just recently opened in midtown, Chouxbox offers a modern take on a traditional French recipe. They’ve created all sorts of delicious, unique pastries and sandwiches using their own brand of “chouxbread” - a doughy, sweet creation that is impossible to resist. Based in midtown right outside the Lexington Av/53rd Street station, this is a perfect place to stop by for a lunchtime sandwich or a post-lunch snack.
Did you know?
The original “choux” were little dough buns from the 18th century, named as such because of their resemblance to cabbage!
What have they offered on PareUp?
Currently, Chouxbox is working with us to sell through their daily inventory of eclairs, in a variety of delicious flavors. These include:
Blueberry Cheesecake
Popcorn
Kawanutella
And many others!
Insider Tip:
Get the blueberry cheesecake chouxclaire. You won’t be disappointed. For something a little more wild, try the popcorn variation.
As someone who has used, created, and studied statistics for the better part of the past decade (or even further back if you consider my days studying the back of baseball cards as a child), it gives me no greater joy than to watch the rise of terms such as “big data”, “analytics”, and “data science.” Although these buzzwords are so new that they often don’t have set definitions, data analysis is nothing new.
As long as conscious decisions have been made - by man, animal, or machine - data analysis has been part of this world. It predates spreadsheets, computers, and even math, by thousands of years. For example, making the basic decision of what to eat is actually data analysis. You consider the descriptive elements of a food item (does it provide energy, does it taste good, is it poisonous, etc.) and then you decide whether or not to eat it. This is analogous to inputting different variables into a model that spits out an output.
What is important in both a mental model that takes seconds and a statistical model that takes hours is the understanding of the data. The first, often forgotten, assumption when creating a model is that the relationship of one variable to another actually makes sense to study. This seems so intuitive and simple that neglecting this step would be silly, but relationships in a data set are complex. They require an understanding of what the data means before a valid inference or conclusion can be verified.
“Causation” and “correlation” are not the only ways to classify data relationships. Instead, they are two ends on a classification spectrum. This is what separates analysts from computers. Any computer can create a great model from data, but it is the expert who derives meaning and application from that model. Often a single data point can have many levels of meaning, which is something only an analyst of the data can understand.
This is where PareUp fits into the world of food waste data. Very little academic research has been done on commercial food waste, but that does not mean it doesn’t exist. It may be raw and less extensive than what one might want in a perfect world, but the relationships are still there to be found.
Let’s look at a simple example. Imagine a hypothetical bakery gives us data with only two variables: time and the number of items that are considered waste at the end of a day. There is not a lot to work with initially, but upon further review, something is going on. We notice a simple plot of time versus waste may look like this:
After a superficial analysis of the data, it is easy to conclude that there is some clear relationship. But where does it fall on the correlation/causation spectrum? It would be pretty reckless to conclude causation – that every incremental day of the month could cause an increase in waste. It also wouldn’t really make sense. During this time period, there might have been a number of other changes, like in-store controlled activities (such as changes in production, price, or item variety), changes that impact store traffic (such as economic or environmental factors), or changes in attitude towards the store or items in the store. In this case, time may actually be the proxy for any or all of those factors. What we actually see is pretty clear correlation, but doing the analysis into why these variables are correlated will give us a good start into figuring out the cause(s) of the underlying trend. PareUp is working with a number of stores to do just that.
Data analysis has been heavily invested and analyzed in many industries, from marketing to athletics, but it is still very young in the world of food. This is not only due to a lack of data but also a lack of understanding about the story data can tell. Statistics do not discriminate by industry. The statistical techniques and theories that help marketers individually focus their advertisements are the same as the ones that help baseball franchises create winning teams and are the same as the ones that PareUp is using to help stores reduce waste. What we know is true, though, is that there is a causation relationship between more data and a reduction of waste. We’re just getting started, and we look forward to sharing what we find!
When Margaret called me and told me I got the internship with PareUp, I was ecstatic. The thought of working at a startup company intrigued me, and I was excited to see what was in store for me this summer. Now that I have completed the internship, I can reflect on my experience and see just how much I have learned.
The Internship
I spent the first half of my internship doing door-to-door sales in the city. It felt good representing PareUp and sharing with others what we do. I’m convinced that PareUp provides great value to food retailers, and each time I went into a store, I felt like I could make a real difference in helping them be more sustainable and make some more money at the same time. The work I did during those 5 weeks was strenuous but oddly rewarding, as I was largely working independently and every sale was my own. I managed to get through those weeks because the team offered me great sales tips and loads of encouraging statements, but going door to door was a lot harder than I anticipated.
The second half of my internship was spent in our office in SoHo. Our office felt like a home base where everyone could meet and discuss what needed to be done for the week. I spent most of my time helping with marketing and operations. With marketing, I contacted numerous organizations and professional bloggers/Instagrammers in an attempt to find potential partnerships. I was excited to see that almost everyone I reached out to was incredibly receptive and loved our mission. On the operations side, I did research on all of the back office software and services that a company needs to have in order to efficiently expand. It was nice learning about all of the basic things a company needs to exist. Thanks to specific instructions from the team and the strong Wi-Fi signal in the WeWork office, I felt like I was able to contribute a lot in the short time that I’ve been here.
Lessons Learned
This internship, particularly when I was working on sales, was challenging and tested me in ways I had never been before. But this was exactly the work experience I needed. Working with PareUp has taught me to push through difficult tasks, rely on others in a collaborative environment, and be persistent in finding an efficient way to run a business.
The best part about being an intern at PareUp was that I was treated as an equal. No matter how small my task was, everyone always made sure to let me know that what I was doing was important. Whenever I had an assignment, I was always given the freedom to run with it and this allowed me the ability to channel my creativity and come up with new ideas. My ideas were always taken seriously, which was definitely a great confidence-booster for me.
I love PareUp’s mission and I know that there is a bright future for the company. I’m thrilled to be a part of it. Overall, my experience as one of PareUp’s first interns has been eye-opening and exciting, and I hope to be back someday to continue to help us grow!
Located just a few blocks from our Soho office, Pi Bakerie was one of the first restaurants to sign up with PareUp. Their recipes are traditional and authentic, hailing from all over Greece and southern Italy, and are baked with ingredients that bring out the varied textures and flavors of the Mediterranean. The atmosphere is clean, crisp, and inviting, perfect for an afternoon coffee or casual meeting.
What will you find on PareUp?
Pi Bakerie’s menu has previously featured:
Moussaka Pi - Ground beef, eggplant, tomato sauce, and béchamel sauce
Fruit Tarts - Freshly baked each day, flavors vary
Tiropitakia - Cheese-filled flaky rolls
Croissants - Freshly baked each day
Green Harvest Pi - Spinach, kale and leek with feta cheese and phyllo
They generally post around 6pm, but have been known to come on earlier.
Insider Tip:
The Moussaka and Green Harvest Pi are no joke - rich and filling, they make a great dinner item paired with a glass of wine. For a snack, they may make the best almond croissant in town.
This past week, Sweetgreen debuted a special scrappy salad item on its menu. They’ve partnered with Blue Hill chef, Dan Barber, whose wastED dinner popups earlier this year made food waste news, to launch a “wastED salad.” You can get it at any Sweetgreen in NYC from now until September 28th. Earlier this week, we stopped by one of the locations and tried the salad for ourselves. Check out our experience below!
-Margaret & Mercy
[The salad in question--check out the size of the broccoli stem!]
So, how did it taste?
Marg: Just had my first bite of my salad. They forgot to add my organic roasted tofu, but no big deal. Looks like there are broccoli stems, some carrot shavings, purple cabbage bits, kale stems, arugula, shaved parmesan, sunflower seeds, and croutons. Lots of stuff here. Lol, this broccoli stem is a beast.
Mercy: (mid bite) Is that the weird thing you just showed me? I can’t find it in my salad, but it may be buried in there.
Marg: Yeah, dig around a little bit, you won’t be able to miss it!
Mercy: Found three of them! Albeit much smaller than yours..
Marg: They are really crispy, good texture.
Mercy: Totally. One of the main things I’m surprised by is all the textures going on in the salad. I think I read they used anchovy oil to break down the fibrous nature of some of the food scraps found in the salad.
Marg: Oh interesting, yeah I was just thinking that the kale stems are easier to eat than the kale stems I put into my stir fries when I’m too lazy to cut them out. I think I can kind of taste it a little bit in one of the broccoli stems!
[Anchovy oil]
Mercy: I’m really digging the parmesan flavor too.
Marg: I wonder how they chose which vegetable “scraps” to use. It seems like they picked really familiar ones, mostly broccoli and kale vs. like, carrot greens and shoots.
Mercy: Oh yeah good point. I bet it’s because the average person may not have much experience with carrot stems and greens, but we can all pretty much recognize broccoli and kale (or at least I hope we can!) Didn’t you mention that this was based off a salad that Dan Barber put together at his pop up Blue Hill?
Marg: Yeah, they put fancier, weirder things in that one. The NYTimes said it had: “bruised outer leaves from heads of bok choy and peelings from fennel, kohlrabi and apples.” I think you’re right, since Sweetgreen is a chain (a new kind of chain, but a chain nonetheless), they probably went for more familiar ingredients, since the concept of making a dish out of these things is less familiar for most people.
Mercy: Agreed, especially if the idea is to call attention to the amount of food Americans waste everyday. It makes the most sense to use items we’re familiar with and can repurpose in our own homes.
Marg: That makes me wonder what a more effective goal of the partnership would be--raising general awareness of food waste is good, but the salad itself doesn’t really show me how I could repurpose some of these things in my own home. I wouldn’t know how to prepare some of these shavings and stems in the tastiest way.
Mercy: I think it’s mainly to bring awareness to food waste in general and in creating this salad, to also give folks an example of how to put a salad like this together for themselves. It would have been helpful if they gave out cards to people who bought the salad to show them how to prepare some oft-wasted items at home, like maybe how to tenderize fibrous veggie stems with oil..also, you’re totally lapping me...
Is it worth getting again?
Marg: I’m hungry! Okay let’s talk costs. I assume that since they’re using parts of vegetables that most people don’t want, it shouldn’t cost them as much to make. Is this cheaper than their other items?
Mercy: Yup! It’s one of the cheaper items on the menu at $8.60. I think the Kale Caesar is similarly priced as well. Plus, you’re right--if these items are usually thrown away at most places, how does that factor into the cost??
Marg: It looks like it’s about 20% cheaper than their average salad, but with tax it still rounds up to about $10. Most people in NYC spend $10 a day, and this tastes like any other good salad. It just has different stuff in it.
Mercy: Yeah, I’d get the salad again for sure. Like you said, it’s pretty typical to pay around $10 (or more) for lunch in the city and at least this way, I know I’m doing something good during my lunch hour.
Marg: I wonder how many people tried it. Like of the people who were in line with us, I didn’t hear the people in front or behind us order it.
Mercy: The guy behind me got the Avocobbo, pretty standard. Hmm I wonder if other people were as excited as we were to try it out! The overhead menu had a promotion for the salad--I think it said “Change the Way You Think About Food.”
Will this change our behavior?
Marg: Do you think the salad did the trick for you, in terms of encouraging you to rethink how you’ll use vegetables in the future?
Mercy: I think it definitely has made me rethink how to pair these items all together and put them together into a salad, but I’m also biased. I think about reducing food waste pretty often, so for folks out there who don’t have this top of mind, I’m not sure if they’d order the salad. It would be interesting if they featured broccoli stems, carrot shoots, etc into the staple items on their menu. Just imagine...Avocobbo with...kale stems!
Marg: Yum, that’d be so good. So they’ve definitely sold me on taste. If I was the average person and someone gave me this salad without context, I’d think, “This is tasty!”
Mercy: You know what would also be cool...I know the salad is only featured until the end of September, but what if they kept it on the menu and made seasonal changes to the items they featured in the salad? I’m obviously really excited about this “wastED” salad idea and am trying to figure out ways to extend the promotion ;-)
Marg: You mean like, if they crisped sweet potato skins and put them in the salad for the fall? That would be delicious :D
Mercy: That’s exactly what I mean. You had me at crisped sweet potato skins..
Marg: Okay, so to sum up! We’d both get the salad again, and now maybe we’ll both be more creative with veggies in our kitchens, although it would be nice to get some direction from Dan Barber or the guys at Sweetgreen as to how...
Mercy: Agreed. If they’re reading this - would be be a great addition if you offered the end pieces on a loaf of bread when customers say “yes” to adding bread to their order. That’s an element of food waste that people don’t usually think twice about!
Marg: Boom, great point. Now it’s time to take a nap.
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