Imagine this: You come home from work, school, or a tough day running the kids around, and “Volia””, a personal chef has made you a delicious, healthy meal from ingredients you would use if only you actually had time to cook. No fast food drive-thru, no deli counter, fatty salty, chicken or frozen “healthy “ entrée, but fresh and appetizing meals.
Now imagine that this “personal chef” is available to all of us, and anyone who buys groceries can afford to eat the meals. It sounds out of reach, but that’s exactly what happens when you walk into trainer/chef Jillian Tedesco’s new venture, Fit Flavors.
As a trainer with a background in nutrition, Jillian saw that her clients would train hard in the gym, but struggle with eating well. She started cooking for clients and had four right away, which grew to 20, which grew to 200 meals a week. At that point she decided to go to culinary school to add even more finesse to the healthy meals she was preparing.
At one point she was training people in the mornings, going to culinary school, and cooking meals for clients from her home. She’d buy groceries on Friday, cook all day Saturday, and deliver the meals on Sunday. Other trainers saw the weight loss and fitness success from her meals and recommended her to their clients. She rented kitchen space and finally hired a chef, Chris Tucker, who she had interned with in culinary school. They shared the same philosophy and vision for the food they wanted to prepare.
They no longer deliver, so the idea for a storefront was to make the meals accessible to everyone when they needed it; not just those who were having ALL of their meals prepared for them.
The menu constantly evolves because they base everything on seasonal produce, fresh ingredients and local, grass-fed beef and free-range poultry. Extra steps and cooking techniques like braising, sautéing, and grilling, hand-making their burgers or making their own condiments from scratch set them apart from other prepared meals. And their snacks beat out packaged protein bars and smoothies, using no flour, sugar, or butter. They grind their own oat flour and almond flour, use Level 1 whey protein and sweeten with agave and honey only.
Each meal is measured, weighed and packaged with clearly marked nutritional information on the package. Floor to ceiling cases full of healthy eating greets you as you walk in the door; breakfast items from protein pancakes to carne con huevos; lunches from soups to burgers to salads and pastas, and dinners with sides included. Pineapple shrimp with coconut rice, pork tenderloin with mashed sweet potatoes and grilled veggies, vegetarian options, and even a burger and “fries”.
The kitchen is a professional, spotless, organized place and all of the chefs seem to genuinely enjoy what they are part of. Jillian has even recruited her family to help in the prep and running of the place.
I love the idea of being able to just walk in, pick up, and have the food on your plate at home in a short. All the while knowing that I’m being good to my body while still making my taste buds happy.
You can take a look at their menu at http://www.fit-flavors.com, and their nutritional info is listed on the site. I’ve tried a bunch of different items , from snacks to dinners and I've gotta say that they are amazing. Delicious, and really filling; not just for an hour, but for the whole morning or afternoon. Jillian's and Chef Chris's knowledge of the right nutritional combinations for optimal energy and health relieve any guilt you might have about not cooking for yourself or your family. (If you try only one thing, get the Fit Turtles. You will never again settle for a run of the mill protein bar!!)
Fit Flavors’ store is located at 14842 Clayton Road in West County , (636-220-9390) and limited meals can be found in the Fitness Edge and Wild Horse Fitness. For those of you farther east, they will be opening a second storefront some time in November or December at 8566 Eager Rd. at Brentwood Pointe in the Dierberg’s Plaza, next to Beauty Brands and DSW.
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