36 July 2022
After the Walmart closed, "we were left
with a food desert. And I feel strongly
about offering healthy food choices."
– Tonya McNeill, owner of e Salad Box
A
s temperatures soar, our appetites oen crave lighter fare.
A bounty from the garden comes in all the colors of the
rainbow. (And maybe toss in some crumbled feta and crispy
bacon, too.)
Where can we find the best salads locally? Here are some options.
Pick your bowl size and go to town
With a name like e Salad Box, there's no doubt about the specialty at
this new eatery on the block. But there's more to the story. Recognizing
a need for additional food options on the Murchison Road corridor,
visionary Tonya McNeill is taking lemons and making lemonade.
Aer Walmart Neighborhood Market closed its store at Murchison
Road and Pamalee Drive in 2018, "we were le with a food desert,"
McNeill says. "And I feel strongly about offering healthy food choices."
McNeill adds that the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced her belief
that a salad restaurant was more important than ever to supplement the
neighborhood's Southern fried and fast-food fare. With experience in
the food industry — she owns N'Zone 2 Go and NZone Social Venue
off South Reilly Road — she sought a way to bring "the freshest possible
product" to the Murchison Road community.
Salad days
Hot weather calls for cool eating
BY JANET GIBSON
GOOD EATS
Tonya McNeill opened The Salad Box to bring fresh food to the community.
Photos by Cindy Burnham
