LaJuanese “Toodie” Wilson’s hands could rival the professional artist. She is not an artist per se, but a chef who works to transform fruit and veggies into colorful mosaics.

LaJuanese “Toodie” Wilson originally aspired to become a nurse. Instead she turned her love for making salads into a business by opening Salad Expressions at 120 A.W. Willis St., Suite 103. (Photos by Wiley Henry)

Kim Dixson, 21, has made a few salads from time to time. However, as a part-time employee at Salad Expressions, she now understands that there’s an art to making “Toodie’s” salads.

She learned the art of making salads from her 35-year-old son, LeMichael Wilson, who opened Salad Expressions in Chicago in 2005.

LeMichael came up with the idea after his coworkers at Kennedy-King College in Chicago began inquiring about the salads he made for himself.

“People would ask him about his salads; he’d made so many,” said Wilson. “He then ventured out and opened a store and specialized in salads. He made them so pretty, almost too pretty to eat.

“I saw that he was able to reach a lot of people. People were eating healthy, and it was profitable,” said Wilson, 53, who worked the counter, invested her money, made deliveries, and watched her son create edible masterpieces.

Unfortunately, the young business did not survive.  Wilson returned to Memphis in 2008 and opened her own Salad Expressions last year in September at 120 A.W. Willis, Suite 103, across from the MATA bus terminal.

LeMichael, who still lives in Chicago and comes to Memphis at least twice a month, is now a private investor. He keeps an eye on the store, she said.

“When I came back home, I first started working at Target. But salads is what I wanted to do,” said Wilson, who previously lived in Dolton, Chicago, and operated a home daycare for 10 years.

Wilson originally aspired to become a nurse, but then she caught the self-employment bug.  “I enjoy working for myself,” she said. “It’s a little hard, but I like what I’m doing. And I think I’m doing a good job. I’m producing a good product.”

There are nearly 20 different salad combinations to choose from. Consider Toodie’s Mega Turkey Salad, for example. Deli turkey is served on a bed of fresh mixed greens, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, sweet red onions, broccoli, eggs and cheddar cheese.

There’s also the Mega Veggie Salad with a heaping of tossed greens, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, red onions, broccoli, shredded carrots, black olives, roasted red peppers, marinated artichoke hearts and bean sprouts.

“I want everyone to enjoy my salads,” said Wilson, who treats her customers to a little jazz while they wait for her to unveil another masterpiece.

Three weeks ago, Kim Dixson, 21, was hired part-time to assist Wilson at the counter so she could focus on making salads. “I just want them to be right. There’s a certain way they have to look,” said Wilson.

Her customer-base is pretty much centered in the downtown area — with a few exceptions, however. “We’ve delivered as far as Springdale Elementary School (on North Hollywood),” she said. “We’ve also delivered to the MED (The Regional Medical Center at Memphis) and other places in Midtown.”

If everything goes as planned, Wilson said her son will start looking for another location in Memphis to open a second store.    

Salad Expressions is open 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday. For carryout and delivery, call 901-347-3578.