Off The Clock: Reaping the Benefits with Saladworks’ John Scardapane

Saladworks’ John Scardapane takes pleasure in seeing his garden grow.

By Charles Bernstein, Contributing Editor -- Chain Leader, 3/1/2006

John Scardapane, founder and CEO of 71-unit, Conshohocken, Pa.-based Saladworks, has loved gardening for the last 25 years.

“It has a calming effect on me,” the 42-year-old executive says. “I love doing the mulching, soil-planting, nurturing and feeding of my vegetables.” He spends three hours on weekends tending to his vegetable garden. Although his wife, Gail, is not interested in gardening, their four children, Alexandra, 15; Anthony, 13; Isabella, 4; and Sabrina, 2, all chip in. He also helps his mother, Joan, with her indoor plants.

Learn by Doing
Scardapane grows most of the same vegetables that he uses at his tossed-to-order-salad chain, such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots. “By going through the growing process, I know what makes a great crop and how to select the best produce,” he notes. “Gardening has helped us find the perfect farms that will produce the highest quality yield.”

Scardapane also grows lots of herbs, moving them inside during the cooler months. He recently completed pruning his perennials, vines and shrubs. And he is looking forward to harvesting the last of the root vegetables: carrots, beets, garlic, onions and potatoes.

Planning Ahead
To gear up for the spring, summer and fall, Scardapane is going through numerous plant and seed catalogs. He always starts the growing season with slow-growing and cool-weather vegetables such as leeks, celery, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. “This way they are ready to go in the ground as early as April,” he says.

By spring Scardapane starts his flowering shrubs and likes to have peas in the ground by St. Patrick’s Day. In May and June, he begins planting warm-weather crops like melons and squash. His earliest tomatoes start blooming in the peak of summer. “This is my own tradition, and something I have been doing for years,” he declares.

This year Scardapane wants to grow more heirloom vegetables such as Roman beans, lemon cucumbers, eggplants, Spanish Roja garlic, Bulgarian peppers, and more Lillian yellow and Brandywine tomatoes.

Nature’s Bounty
While all this gardening gives him the chance to cultivate his green thumb and enjoy some fresh produce, it also provides Scardapane with a sanctuary from the hectic work week. “It is a great way for me to get my head clear, spend time with nature, enjoy fresh air, blow off steam and relieve stress,” he declares.