NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In the middle of a recession, a Nashville man decided it was time for a career change and decided to open his own company.
At the age of 50, Dale Pillow, who previously worked as a commercial painting contractor decided to open Mista Dale's Food Company, which specializes in mustard slaw.
Pillow told Nashville's News 2 that he begun cooking when he was 17-years-old, but he just started making his unique mustard slaw just a decade ago.
"I wanted a healthy alternative for a mayonnaise-based slaw," he explained.
The business owner said that he tweaked his recipe for several years before deciding on the final product.
"I've been tweaking it for 10 years and finally, nailed it to the point that I was really comfortable with it," Pillow said.
The former painting contractor told Nashville's News 2 that several of his friends encouraged him to open his mustard slaw company.
"I don't want to be one of those folks that gets later in their years and go, ‘I wish I would've tried it'," Pillow said.
Within a month of opening his business in the spring of 2009, Pillow was in talks with Kroger to sell his one-of-a-kind slaw in the grocery store under his nickname ‘Mista Dale.'
Now, four Nashville Kroger stores carry Pillow's products.
Currently, Pillow said he sales about 2,000 jars a month of his healthier alternative slaw which is made with cabbage, carrots, green peppers, onions and a few other secret ingredients which he would not reveal.
The businessman said that as his company continues to expand in more cities, he expects sales to top 15,000 jars per month in upcoming months.
"It's extremely, extremely gratifying. I get cold chill bumps just thinking about it," Pillow said.
Currently Pillow offers sweet, spicy or barbeque Mista Dale's slaw. New flavors such as jalapeno slaw, baked beans and potato salad will be available in the near future.
For more information on the Mista Dale's Mustard Slaw, visit his Web site.
