Trenholm Plaza is going green with newest restaurant opening
Greens galore are on the menu at the latest restaurant planning to open in Forest Acres’ Trenholm Plaza.
Verde, a Charleston-based restaurant specializing in build-your-own salads and wraps, will open its first Columbia location within the first couple months of 2020, co-owner Jennifer Ferrebee said.
Ferrebee and her husband, Sam, opened the first Verde eight years ago on King Street in downtown Charleston.
“There wasn’t a lot of ‘fast casual’ at the time in Charleston,” Ferrebee said. “And there wasn’t a lot of fast casual that focused on healthy options.”
The couple, who both worked in hospitality prior to becoming restaurateurs, built their restaurant on the kind of food that they, as working young professionals, would want to eat.
At Verde, diners choose from seven bases to begin to build their bowl or wrap, from romaine and arugula to wild rice and power grains. Then, choose from more than 40 toppings and finish off your meal with homemade dressings that include agave mustard, chipotle lime vinaigrette and lemon tahini.
Some of Verde’s signature creations include the “Southern Harvest” (mesclun, roasted chicken, apples, pecans and cornbread croutons with sweet tea vinaigrette) and, one of Ferrebee’s current favorites, the “Buffalo Caulipower” (romaine, buffalo-roasted cauliflower, roasted chicken, shredded carrots, bleu cheese, buttermilk dressing and Red Clay Hot Sauce).
“Everything about Verde is intended to make you feel good,” Ferrebee said. “I think everybody is really understanding the value and the importance of what we put in our bodies — and not in a diet way or in a superficial way, but in a way of choosing food that fuels our bodies really well.”
Each salad or wrap is built in front of you when you order, “so we really get to interact with our guests,” Ferrebee said. “Guests tend to visit us on a regular basis, because this isn’t something you eat as a treat on the weekend; it’s more something that’s a part of your regular lifestyle.”
Salads and wraps range from $7.35 to $9.95. Kids eat for $3 on the weekends.
Verde will open in early 2020 at Trenholm Plaza, 4840 Forest Drive.
There are five other Verde locations in Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Charlotte.
This story was originally published December 20, 2019 at 2:12 PM.
