"[Customers] can grab their meal, check out, and go," said Tasty Spoon's Shalin Lele. Credit: Courtesy of Tasty Spoon

“[Customers] can grab their meal, check out, and go,” said Tasty Spoon’s Shalin Lele. Credit: Courtesy of Tasty Spoon

In a pinch for breakfast, lunch or dinner? Another speedy, prepared eats purveyor, which opened its doors in Largo on Aug. 4, has you covered. Located at 3387 East Bay Drive, the grab-and-go store, known as Tasty Spoon, specializes in low-carb meals.

"Everything is freshly made and prepared for someone to come in, check out the fridges and take a look at what they want," said Shalin Lele, Tasty Spoon's helping hand (more on that in a sec). "They can grab their meal, check out, and go."

Tasty Spoon was inspired by Shalin's husband, Bhushan, who made a commitment to healthier food choices despite a busy schedule. After Bhushan shared the idea of an affordable, health-conscious grab-and-go place with his aunt, Jenny Abhyankar, Tasty Spoon was born. Abhyankar and Bhushan are co-owners, while Shalin is their right hand who's helped every step of the way.

"Low-carb is more than a diet. By replacing refined sugars and carbohydrates with healthy fats and proteins, it helps [your body] maintain sustainable energy. You don't experience a 3 o'clock craving," Shalin said.

Largo’s new low-carb meal purveyor debuted earlier this month. Credit: Courtesy of Tasty Spoon
The low-carb theme, of course, drives Tasty Spoon's menu of "restaurant favorites minus the carbs." But that doesn't mean gluten-free and vegetarian options aren't offered. Customers can look forward to fridges stocked with classics like chicken Parmesan, eggplant lasagna and a variety of flatbreads, plus dishes that feature cuisines from around the world — think nachos-style carnitas and butter chicken.

For breakfast, there's a lineup of sweet and savory items, including lemon pancakes and bacon and onion frittatas, and a fun mix-and-match ice cream sandwich bar is even in the works.

A dedicated kitchen staff cooks up the new store's selection of meals daily inside its bright, 900-square-foot space, where takeout truly is the focus (really, there are no seats). Each dish is made from scratch and replaces hard-to-pronounce ingredients with wholesome ones. And about that affordability thing: The goal is to provide wallet-friendly offerings that don't exceed $10.

"We really want the community to eat healthier, feel good and have the energy they need to do what they do in their lives," Shalin said. "Be with their family, do their work, be with their friends. We want to be that good food source for them. We want them to have that blind trust that the ingredients are good and there is care put in, because we really pride ourselves in that."

Tasty Spoon is open from 7:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Sunday; and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.

Tasty Spoon also has a build-your-own ice cream sandwich bar in development. Credit: Courtesy of Tasty Spoon

This article appears in Aug 17-24, 2017.