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SPOTLIGHT
“Food is very personal,” acknowledges
Peter Darrow ’05. “It’s like religion and
politics in that way. There’s nothing that
can upset someone faster than telling
them what they should or should not
be eating.”
But that doesn’t mean you can’t pro-
vide people with options when it comes
to their diet, Darrow adds. For the last
two years, the 28-year-old budding
restauranteur has been busy creating
a new option for health-conscious New
Yorkers. On January 9, he opened Dar-
row’s, a dine-in and carryout spot, which
offers “farm fresh takeout.” With fresh
ingredients sourced from New York’s
Union Square Farmers Market, and
menu items that take into consider-
ation exactly what is being put into
one’s body, Darrow hopes to make a
difference in his patrons’ lives by offer-
ing them healthy choices.
Darrow’s (www.darrowsnyc.com )
offers an organic market, featuring
the produce of local farmers, options
for vegans and vegetarians, and fresh
chicken or fish for the carnivores. Meals
can be washed down with sulfite-free
wines or fresh juices and smoothies
made from organic fruits. Darrow
admits that his concept began as one
to accommodate vegans and vegetar-
ians (he is a vegan himself), but that
he soon realized he would instead like
to “create a bridge between meat-
eaters and non-meat-eaters.” While
Darrow’s offers salads and wraps, its
menu also features “functional plates.”
These dishes are healthy, says Darrow,
without sacrificing flavor, debunking
one of the myths of healthy eating.
“Each plate serves a specific health
benefit that we have vetted with a nu-
tritionist,” he says. “We have a protein
plate, an energy plate, an antioxidant
plate, an immunity plate, a detox plate,
and a stress-relief plate. These are all
100-percent plant-based. But there
are options to add chicken or fish to
them. And they taste great.”
Darrow considers himself an entre-
preneur who is interested in healthy
eating but, until the idea for the res-
taurant began to form, he had no ex-
perience in the food industry. When
both of his parents were diagnosed with
cancer, three months apart, Darrow
began to consider the impact of what
he puts in his own body and how he
might minimize genetic links to the dis-
ease. It wasn’t until his father, Peter,
died of multiple myeloma in May of
2013 that Darrow, then a first-year
business school student at Bentley
College, decided to take action.
“This venture is in many ways in
honor of my father,” he says. “It’s about
taking control of your own body. I real-
ized there was a way to help make posi-
tive change in people’s lives.”
In January of last year, Darrow hired
restaurant consultant Andre Neyrey.
The two came up with an innovative
plan to combine healthy foods with a
fast-food concept they call “premium
fast casual.” For those who wish to
dine in, iPads adorn each table at
Darrow’s. A concierge roams the
floor, ready to answer questions, but
“servers” are limited to table runners
who respond to the orders sent by iPad.
“We hope this adds intellectually to
the customer experience,” says Darrow.
“They place an order, it goes directly
to the kitchen, and there is no lag time.
It increases efficiency.”
Darrow doesn’t plan to stop at offer-
ing healthy food alone at his spacious
shop on E. 18th St. His premise in-
cludes blending nutrition with fitness
and wellness. There is a nutritionist
on site to continually monitor menu
item choices. Plus, Darrow envisions
a multi-functional space that will
eventually include yoga classes.
Plans are underway for adding
Sunday brunch and soon the owner
hopes to offer thriving catering and
delivery services.
“We hope this will be a holistic
health environment,” he says. “A
one-stop shop. My father used to
tell me I’d be successful at the things
I am passionate about. I really do
believe in this. I believe in the social
mission of trying to provide people
with better alternatives and changing
the preconceptions of healthy food.”
Most of the ingredients from Darrow’s
Farm Fresh Takeout are sourced from
the Union Square Farmers Market.
Peter Darrow ’05
/
Farm Fresh Takeout
By Jana F. Brown
COURTESY DARROW'S FARM FRESH TAKEOUT
