Emerald Greens all about delicious simplicity

Emerald Greens is a way for Barry Dunlop to continue doing what he loves while focusing on simplicity.

From the small, pull-behind kitchen featuring simple, fresh ingredients to the low-impact cardboard carry-out containers and wooden utensils, the new food truck created by the longtime chef and former co-owner of Brew focuses on being easy and delicious.

The menu features six signature gourmet salads, an assortment of pastries, drinks and freshly brewed coffee. Each salad is prepared on-site when ordered and can have grilled chicken, seared Ahi tuna or sauteed salmon added for a bit extra.

Check out the website here for the full menu, but the salads come from ideas Barry has put together or adapted from his wife, Brittany’s, personal tastes. As a vegetarian, she would rather stab a fork into some crispy greens over anything fried or grilled. The vegan chickpea on the menu is one of her go-to recipes.

In an area with many options for Hispanic foods, barbecue and fried chicken, Barry feels like bringing a gourmet salad option to the area will slot in nicely.

He has been towing the sharp, fully outfitted box trailer over to Jasper Schroeder Sports Complex for about three weeks now. The reception has warmed with the weather. Sunny days are super busy, and there is already a group of regulars that stop by.

Barry is a trained chef with years of experience working in and operating restaurants. Most recently, Brew in Jasper, which he and his partner, Josh Premuda, sold last year. After leaving the hectic reality of the restaurant, Barry wondered what he was going to do next. “I thought I could do some catering or something,” he explained.

Regardless, he knew it would be something in food.

To support the catering idea, the couple decided to convert their two-car garage into a commercial kitchen. But Barry also made plans to potentially retrofit an ambulance into a food truck. He thought it would be cool, but facing the reality of supply chain issues and the cost and time it would take to turn an ambulance into a food truck, Brittany was a little more pragmatic and swayed him to think a bit more simply.

Then, Barry happened to see a fully-outfitted trailer for sale about four-and-a-half hours away in Ohio. It was precisely what he and Brittany felt they needed for their little endeavor, so Barry headed out into a snowstorm and picked it up. With a few modifications, the trailer now features the exact amenities they need to operate the business they are designing.

For the couple, it isn’t about being everything for everybody. Remember, simple. Sticking to the cold, fresh menu and not wanting to operate with staff other than he and Brittany, Barry offers catering for small venues and does the food truck Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Emerald Greens is what Brittany calls a lifestyle business.

“We are trying to make something that we not only enjoy doing but also fits into our lifestyle so you’re not working 24/7,” she explained. “It is about taking something you really enjoy and making it work for you.”

Along those lines, the company is streamlined and works a day in advance. Barry is an early riser and loves coming out into the commercial kitchen at their home to prep for the day by chopping up salad fixings and baking pastries — a comfortable couch with a TV are nearby, or he can step into the attached gym with a view of the property’s pond.

“Brittany comes out a lot of times, and I’m sitting on the couch with my coffee,” he laughed.

Emerald Greens is set up at the Schroeder Sports Complex Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Saturdays, the trailer is at Hoosier Blooms at 122 East 8th Street for Brunch & Blooms from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. You can follow them on Facebook and Instagram or contact them through the website for inquiries.