Photo by Erin Nelson.
Jennifer Ryan, right, owner of Blueroot Company, and Robin Bashinsky bag spinach salads and curry tomato chickpea soup May 13 at their kitchen in Irondale to be delivered to health care workers at UAB’s main hospital through the Meals for Healthcare Heroes campaign.
Any first-time restaurant owner faces the fear of the unknown, but when Blueroot Company owner Jennifer Ryan first started making plans in late 2019 to open up a pick-up window in Mountain Brook Village, she never imagined what the world would have in store for her.
She and her team work out of a commissary kitchen in Irondale and sell meals at farmers markets. The Mountain Brook location, located at 2822 Petticoat Lane next to Patina, is her first brick-and-mortar location for Blueroot.
When Alabama started reporting cases of COVID-19 in March, Ryan closed her business for about six or eight weeks.
“That meant pausing everything,” Ryan said. “Included in that was pausing construction of the Mountain Brook outpost. That was no longer a priority.”
She felt a massive level of humility and uncertainty, especially because Blueroot is her first restaurant, she said.
“I’m sure every business owner feels that, generally speaking, when he or she decides to jump off of a cliff and start a business,” she said. “But those feelings are exacerbated right now in the wake of a global pandemic. Launching something for the first time in this environment is really challenging.”
Ryan has sought to be supportive of the staff’s various circumstances during the pandemic. For example, she supported those who were not comfortable coming into work. In addition, ensuring that Blueroot has tight safety protocols and policies in place amid the pandemic is the biggest way she can support her staff, she said.
“We took some steps very early on that seemed unique and maybe even aggressive,” she said. “But we felt they were necessary.”
Her staff gets a temperature reading when they show up to work, and the team reviews symptoms before starting. Everyone wears a mask and gloves. The company also keeps a minimal staff in the kitchen to maintain social distancing.
She is nonetheless excited to be able to support this community by providing a quick, healthy option for breakfast and lunch, she said.
“But with launching something new, unique and wholly different from what Birmingham has ever seen before comes with some nerves as well as some excitement.”
Ryan lives in Mountain Brook and is connected to the community, but it was the support from other Mountain Brook Village shop owners that helped Ryan make the decision to open Blueroot’s first brick-and-mortar in Mountain Brook. Melanie Pounds approached her first with an idea to use the space next to Pounds’ Mountain Brook Village shop, Patina, in an innovative way. She also received support from Emma Suttles, who owns MPower Pilates and Cycling Studio.
“Those are two examples of other women reaching out to say, ‘We believe in this concept. We believe in you, another female business owner. Let us help you and share with you what we’ve learned on our journeys. Let’s make sure this works,’” she said.
This community support will help her business to be successful, she said.
In the future, Ryan said she hopes to also open a flagship location for Blueroot in Birmingham. It has not yet been announced when or where this location will open.
Blueroot’s Mountain Brook location oped July 6. The hours for July are Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
At the pickup window, Ryan sells her nutrient-dense salads, grain bowls, superfood snacks, breakfast bites, coffee and other drinks in a grab-and-go setting. Coffee will start at $3, snacks at $4 and salads at $10, Ryan said, with breakfast items ranging from $4 to $8 and lunch items ranging from $5 to $12.
For more information, visit bluerootco.com or search @thebluerootcompany on social media.
