The dried cranberries made this salad from Fairwinds Deli in Fair Haven pop. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)
By SUSAN ERICSON
Looking for a healthy, tasty lunch, PieHole’s wandering correspondent asked Warren Abrahamsen, owner of Fairwinds Deli in Fair Haven, what was fresh and delicious on the menu.
He suggested a spinach salad tossed with almonds, dried cranberries, fresh mozzarella, grilled chicken breast and red peppers.
But here’s the tricky part: it’s not actually on the menu. “You gotta know somebody to get that,” Abrahamsen said.
The tart dried cranberries provided a perfect burst of flavor against the creamy mozzarella and sweet red peppers, followed by the unexpected crunch of almonds –all of which made this a satisfying salad and, at $7.95, a bargain, too.
Fairwinds, on River Road, has been in business since 1980, so Abrahamsen has a trick or two up his sleeve when it comes to getting good food to his customers quickly. His eatery was the first to provide school lunches to the kids in Fair Haven.
“It started out with a friend, Jean Buck who didn’t want to make lunch for her kid,” Abrahamsen recalled. “Chris Buck was my first first-grader to get lunch delivered. She (Buck), told two friends, who told two friends, and the parents started using the lunches as an incentive.
“There are a lot of busy parents out there,” he said.
Another secret, or maybe a scoop: Fairwinds plans to add a salad bar in September, complementing the Freshica’s organic juice bar run in a corner of the deli by Jessica Dalmedo. Considering the ingredients of the secret salad, the addition should be interesting and delicious.
