WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. When Samantha Young wanted to eat healthy on White Plains' Mamaroneck Avenue, with its countless pizzerias and gastro pubs, she opened her own salad bar.
It wasnt like I wanted to be an owner all my life, said the proprietor of Mix it Up: A Salad Boutique. I just thought, why doesnt White Plains have anything like this?
The former New York City event planner was used to lunching on healthy fare. "There are a lot of places in [New York City] like this and I thought, 'what a great idea.'"
A White Plains fixture for eight years now, A Salad Boutique is filled with culinary surprises. Just this past month an accidental delivery of shredded coconut helped create a fruity summertime delight complete with sweet ginger dressing and mangos. "We can do something different every day," she said.
I found this out firsthand when I ordered a concoction Young cleverly labels Everything but the Kitchen Sink. Its a combo of bleu, gorgonzola and shaved parmesan cheeses with shrimp, hearts of palm and artichokes, all atop a bed of arugula.
Running ones own restaurant comes with early wake-up calls and very little free time, though. Up at 6 a.m. and taking care of customers and orders all day and night made Young hunger for a bit of relaxation.
Which is why she has savored spending time at nearby Apogee Pilates and Wellness Center for the past two years.
The knowledge they have [at Apogee] is like going to a physical therapist, she added.
But the hard work is a labor of love for Young, whose leap of faith has resulted in a loyal clientele in White Plains and around Westchester.
"I had my mother looking down on me saying, 'You never know until you try it,' " she says of her decision to open Mix it Up.
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