What's Cookin'? Paleo!

Several months ago, Jenn Kuehn, a trainer and the owner at Shred Spinning and Training in Madison, suggested to Gayle Dufour, the owner of What's Cookin' in Madison, that she offer paleo.

Dufour checked it out and learned that the paleo diet, also known as the caveman diet, includes meat, eggs, vegetables, fruit, roots, nuts, and fish.

It does not allow for grains, beans, dairy, potatoes, refined salt, refined sugar or many processed oils. Paleo is short for the Paleolithic era, a time many millions of years ago before agriculture was developed, and so it also sometimes referred to as the hunter-gatherer diet. 

Dufour's glad she did

Dufour started providing paleo sandwiches and meals, along with a wide range of takeout items. And she's glad she did, for two reasons. The first is that it's been wildly popular, drawing people from all over the state.

One woman recently drove more than an hour from Stamford, ordered lunch, and then cleaned out the fridge of the heat-and-eat meals to take home with her. People from Shred also are frequent visitors, along with Cross Fit and other gyms. In addition to paleo fanatics, Dufour also is drawing people who need food that is gluten free, which paleo is.

The second reason Dufour is glad she did it, she says, is that she likes the people on the paleo diet. "They're happy! People just say they're that way because they feel good," she said. 

Paleo offerings only a part of what is available at What's Cookin'

The paleo offerings are only a part of the menu at What's Cookin' at 78 Boston Post Road, on the west side of town. You can also get bacon cheeseburgers, onion rings, curly fries and fried dough with sauce or cinnamon sugar. You can get breakfast or lunch all day from 8 a.m. when it opens to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and until 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sundays. 

Dufour, in the short time since What's Cookin' opened earlier this year, has become a community fixture. She cooks for the Our Lady of Mercy School, and picked up many parents of students as clients in her store.

She also is generous when it comes to supporting community events. In May, according to Jill Swimmer, Dufour "catered an amazing dinner for the entire cast of [the Daniel Hand High School] cast of Grease (0ver 130 people) ... for very little cost ... She is an amazing chef and business owner and ... is very community oriented."

Try before you buy

Earlier this week, Dufour was one of several businesses catering a Chamber of Commerce Event at Jolie Boutique in downtown Madison. In addition to the traditional party fare, Dufour brought some paleo offerings for people to try. Dufour said she's confident more people will want to eat paleo once they try it.

Dufour said expanding to paleo was not that difficult once she solved the problem of where to get bread. After making some inquiries, she settled on New Life Breads, based in nearby Guilford, which produces a soft, flavorful almond flour bun. In addition to her other paleo foods, Dufour also offers the bread in her freezer case.

Dufour's number one sellers in paleo are plantain lasagna, and spicy shredded barbecue pork over caramelized mashed plantains, both of which are offered as heat-and-eat meals to go. Almond crusted chicken with mushrooms, spinach, bacon, and garlic also is popular. Cauliflower rice is often available, as are various sweets that include pure chocolate, coconut, and nuts.

"The taste tells it all"

Accommodating her customers this way was all part of Dufour's plan when she opened about a year ago. Her commitment to flexibility is underscored by the bright blue digital menu board, easily changed, that runs along the back of the dining area. If people want to come in and try some of the offerings, Dufour is willing to do that as well. And when people buy big orders they are often apt to receive something additional to try, Dufour said. 

"I prefer to let people sample," she said. "The taste tells it all."

Dufour said she intends to continue innovating and trying out new things. She recently acquired a Vitamix blender and hopes to soon be offering smoothies and fresh juices. She'd love to eventually turn a nearby shed into an ice cream and hot dog shop. That way, mom and dad can some in for a healthy meat and vegetable gluten-free meal and the kids, if they want, can have hot dogs or fried dough, already on the menu, and ice cream.

"I love to see my customers happy," she said.