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SYRACUSE EATS
Opening during a pandemic UNDETERRED BY COVID-19, THREE NEW RESTAURANTS WELCOME DINERS By Jennifer Wing, Ashley Casey and Jason Gabak
Greens (N) Grains brings healthy options
Located at 1 West Genesee St. in Baldwinsville, Greens N Grains is focused on offering healthy food to area residents. “There really wasn’t a healthy option nearby, so we wanted to cater to the community and offer something different,” said co-owner David Duskee. On offer are smoothies and greens, grains and noodle bowls, and the menu gives customers the ability to build their own bowl and smoothie by choosing the items with which to build them. Not feeling creative? No problem – they have devised creations such as the “Wake Me Up” smoothie, featuring Café Kubal coffee, bananas, rolled oats and almond butter and the “Green ‘N Chickpeas” bowl, with romaine, chickpeas, peppers, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, kalamata olives and feta. They also offer pizza made with a cauliflower crust, as well as varieties of toast, yogurt, oats and power balls. Duskee opened the restaurant in late May with his aunt, Tammy Panebianco, who owned Dani’s Dessert and Wine Bar, and said business has been great despite having opened during the pandemic. “In fact, business has exceeded our expectations given what’s going on,” he said. “We have daily goals and have exceeded them every single day.” The only challenge was that, at first, customers couldn’t sit inside, which has changed as restrictions have loosened. “Our takeout has been incredible, and we have extended our hours to be open until 6 rather than 5 p.m., as people were having trouble getting here before we closed,” Duskee said. You might say the restaurant business is in Duskee’s blood, starting with his uncle, who opened Red Door North in Pennellville. “We all worked there,” Duskee said. His cousin owns 916 Riverside and Jake’s Grub and Grog in Brewerton, his brother and sister-in-law, Nick and Chanel, own Duskee’s Sports Bar and Grill in Phoenix and Chubby’s Sports Bar and Grill in Fulton and Duskee himself owned the now-closed Bittersweet in Downtown Syracuse. Business has been so good that Duskee is now looking to expand in the near future, with plans to open another location. “Tammy also intends to start up a food truck in the fall,” he said. “We have been looking at three possibilities for our second location, which, ideally, we would like to open in late spring of next year,” Duskee said. “This business has definitely been a success.”
Greens (N) Grains offers bowls, smoothies and toast along with other health-conscious choices on its menu. Pictured are Greens (N) Grains co-owners David Duskee and Tammy Panebianco.
Greens N Grains is open from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. For more information call 315-303-0287 or visit grainbville.com.
August 2020
Recovery Edition
