Grassroots Gourmet: 3; Whole Foods: 0

About a month and a half ago, one of my esteemed RCRC colleagues by the name of Sara F. came into my office and announced that she and our friend Causten W. were going to start a catering business.

About 24 hours later, they had filed the necessary paperwork with the District of Columbia, taken out a small business loan, and befriended the woman who works at the DC public library in the small business support center. And with that, Grassroots Gourmet was born...

The idea was that progressive non-profit organizations spend money to cater meetings and events...and sometimes, larger non-local chains are called upon for the job that often do not share the same progressive ideals as the organization in need of the catering. Not that there is anything wrong with the Corner Bakery breakfast pastry platter (I have never met a scone I loved as much as I loved the Corner Bakery chocolate chip scone, which they have sadly stopped making which means GG must start making scones so I can get my fix...but this is a whole other story) but if you can support two young political activists that share your values while munching on some of the best ruggelach ever, why call Cosi? (Grassroots Gourmet: 1; Corner Bakery: 0)

The soft launch happened right before Thanksgiving. Sara and Causten were up to their ears in pie crust and apple peels...and when they took the pies out of the oven, they boxed 'em up and drove into town to hand deliver the goodies to their clients. That is the second unique aspect of their business model: all orders are delivered to your office!

This means orders placed for your board meeting are delivered right to the meeting (by the ever dependable Sara or Causten) so we can cut out that awkward moment right before the coffee break is supposed to happen when the food isn't there and you're unsure if it will ever arrive and you've already called ABP five times. (Grassroots Gourmet: 2; ABP: 0)

And if you order something for an after work engagement (say two dozen cookies to bring to your friend Elissa F.'s mid-week dinner party), it is also delivered to your office so you can just change from your work shoes to your Dansko clogs, jump on the L2, and arrive at the dinner party with a delicious dessert in hand (all the while, supporting a business that is in line with your values). Sure beats a rushed trip to Whole Foods during that 6:30 crazy time when the lines stretch all the way back to the American Flatbread frozen pizzas. (Grassroots Gourmet: 3; Whole Foods: 0)

It has been really exciting watching Sara and Causten launch this business! I am continually impressed that they work so well together--in stressful and often new/scary situations. I am proud of the way they really took a chance on a concept they believe in and seem to have a great time doing it.

Visit GG's most excellent website and peruse their winter menu...and consider placing an order for your next event calling for peppermint bark.