Grand Traverse Salad Co.’s Build-Your-Own Salad

Tastemaker

By Lynda Wheatley | Aug. 22, 2020

You might think Grand Traverse Salad Co.’s location — at the hyper-trafficked corner of Cass and South Airport; across from a gas station, next to a McDonald’s, and kitty-corner to a BATA bus transfer center — is an unusual choice for a healthy eating destination. Then you go inside, witness a menu that offers five different options for greens, nearly three dozen options for toppings — a gamut of fresh and Instagram-star veggies, proteins, seeds, nuts, beans, grains, and fruits, plus about a dozen dressings, all handmade by co-owner Jan Scheill — and you think to yourself, “It doesn’t matter if this place were on Mars, I’d find a way to stop by.” And trust us, at $8.99 for up to eight toppings, you can afford the rocket fuel. Uber-fresh, absolutely delicious, and with as many locally available ingredients as Jan and husband John Schiell can get their mitts on, the vitamin-rich smorgasbord they make available will make you feel like a DIY salad sculptor. (And should your indecisiveness get the best of you, several tested-and-true signature salads and sandwiches, and daily soup bowls and smoothies will … well, not help much.) Takeout for home, work, or to their fenced and shaded patio out front. 2500 S. Airport Rd., Traverse City. (231) 642-5900, www.gtsalad.com