What were your favorite foods growing up?
In Minnesota, you really looked forward to fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables in the summer time.

What inspired you to create/start Salad Girl?
I wanted to share the idea of using "Fresh Organic Dressings for Fresh Organic Greens!" When I buy fresh organic fruits and vegetables, I am paying for both food quality and safety for my family, and why ruin these fresh treasures with dressings that have all the nutrition cooked out of them, or dressings made with starches and preservatives or too much vinegar?

Where and when did your career in food begin?
I began working as a dishwasher in a small resort up north by our cabin in the summertime, the Position of Salad Girl became available, and it was the first time I saw and tasted raw fresh spinach leaves right out of the local farmer's garden! It was then that I knew there was more to salads then iceberg & French dressing!

What are your favorite ingredients to work with?
Raw, freshly picked greens and seasonal fruits.

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
The artistry and recipes of Mollie Katzen in the Moose Wood Cookbook, Julia Child, The Art of French Cooking(this book got me a job as a private chef), Brenda Langton from Spoon River fame, and Lucia Watson of Lucia's.

How would you describe your recipes?
Tactile and fresh, full of texture and surprising flavor combinations, very artsy!

What influences your cooking style and particularly the dressings for Salad Girl?
Absolutely seasonal ingredients! When I began making Salad Girl Dressings, I would go to farmers market and gather fresh fruits and herbs from my garden to create flavors that were fresh right then! Lemony vinaigrette for spring asparagus, the first arugula with rhubarb vinaigrette from the garden in June...

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen? The Bullet Blender for whipping up new dressings, a stainless steel whisk, my easy grip paring knife, and easy grip veggie peeler, and my large rectangular vegetable strainer that rests upon my sink walls.

Salad Girl is a very eco-friendly brand. What sort of steps do you take when making dressings and recipes to preserve the environment?
We choose only organic ingredients, from the vinegar to the honey and maple syrup and the oil. We try to source as many of the staple ingredients locally as possible. We use an organic certified processing method that has sustainability built into its process.

What is your favorite dressing or recipe that you've created?
I am a seasonal dresser, drinker and eater! I love the deep reds and cocoas in the winter time, crispy whites and greens and bright colors in the summer and the warm cinnamon & apple and pear tones in the fall. During each season I love to mix these different seasonal ingredients and colors to create surprising tastes and flavors- i.e.: The Cocoa Roasted Butternut Squash Salad paired with a Creamy Roasted Pear and Root Vegetable Soup in the winter months. In the spring I love the sugar snap pea sprout with sauté ed sea scallops and the Lemony Herb Dressing.

If I'm trying to watch my weight, what sort of products from Salad Girl would you recommend?
All of our Organic Dressings are made with wonderfully concentrated ingredients and flavors, and are easy to reduce calories by adding one part water/one part dressing. Because I love the fresh flavor of fresh greens, I like to use dressing as an accent to my salad, so I would suggest reducing the serving size to using only 1 tablespoon/serving which equals approximately 1/2 the caloric count as listed on the label, adding your own water adds volume, is easy and very smart!

What was your worst recipe disaster?
Cooking spareribs for the first time- the chemistry of par-boiling just did not make sense to me, but once I gave in and used this method, everything was great!

What is your least favorite food?
Red Meats- but am beginning to trust the local processing methods i.e.: Grass Fed Cattle etc.

What is some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
Local Artisanal Cheese, especially all the varieties of Award winning Blue Cheese processed in creameries right here in Minnesota!

When you are not mixing up dressings, what are some of your favorite places to eat?
The Saint Paul Grill for sentimental suppers and special occasions, Lucia's for local eats, Café Latte for a seasonal desert tart (I am a nut for good pate brisse, and this is good!)

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had? I have been lucky to have a brother that lives in California, and loves to eat-one of my favorite meals was in La Jolla at a restaurant on the rocks overlooking the children's beach, dotted with sea lions

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast? Absolutely learn food chemistry- It will become the best foundation for a creative cook.

What do you eat when you are home?
My husband is the fish and poultry cooker, mostly on the grill. I prepare the accompaniment: sauce, salad, starch (rice, potatoes pressure cooked veggies...) we have fresh fruit for dessert even in the winter (citrus is a treat!)

Your dressings are available in many Minneapolis/St. Paul area super markets. Do you plan to expand Salad Girl dressings to the East Coast?
It is in the works! Whole Foods carries us in Minnesota, and will carry "Salad Girl" in any of its stores when and where requested, the same goes for any local co-op, just ask your produce manager, and we can find distribution!

What sort of tips would you give to those trying to eat organically?
If the peeling of the fruit or vegetable is being eaten or used in the cooking or processing method, make sure that it is the fruit or vegetable is organic. When buying organically processed foods, you are getting the assurance that no chemicals, additives or preservatives have been added to the product, and that the plant or organically certified kitchen it was prepared in is also inspected thoroughly and often. Absolutely no harmful pesticides or unsanitary conditions are condoned, and this is worth it when you have visited as many food processing plants as we have!