Dressing up

Westport entrepreneur mixes a winner

Kerry Wood, owner and founder of Kerry Wood Healthy Foods at Whole Foods in Westport.

Kerry Wood, owner and founder of Kerry Wood Healthy Foods, grew up in New Orleans where the food is among the planet’s best, but she turned to Tuscany for her initial success in retail salad dressing.

“In New Orleans cooking isn’t exactly the healthiest but it has incredibly wonderful, bold tastes,” said Wood. Rather than give up the unhealthy dishes, “I would come up with my own recipes that had the great flavor, but are much healthier.”

After helping her father in their New Orleans kitchen, Wood became part of the music promotion business. She has worked for a number of record labels, a trajectory that brought her first to New York City and then five years ago to Westport where she continues to promote music.

Wood developed her dressing a year ago, originally for her children. It is now sold in Whole Foods and markets between Fairfield County and New York City.

“There’s so much stuff in our food system that you don’t really want to eat,” said Wood. “I try to make really healthy choices for myself and my children. I think you can have great healthy food but you can also have wonderful taste and for me one without the other doesn’t work. I’m always trying to find that perfect combination.”

Wood said she spends hours doing research on the advantages and disadvantages of food products.

“Most of my career has been in the music business, calling radio stations promoting music,” said Wood. “That was my great love and passion for so many years. The music business is going through a lot of changes. So many industries are right now, so I thought what better time than now to pursue my other love, which is my food.”

Wood said a lot of the skills she used in the music industry apply to her new industry.

“I feel like I’m working a hit record,” she said. “Working it up the charts and bringing it success and trying to get people to experience it. I’m doing a similar thing, surrounding it with marketing and promotion. Where I used to be calling the program directors, now I’m calling the store managers and buyers. It’s like working my own little hit.”

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