A number of elements of Pueblo have lengthy been without access to recent, wholesome meals of their communities, together with the West Facet.
Jocelyn Martinez, the founding father of SoulSmile Heath and Wellness, frolicked rising up along with her household within the Hyde Park neighborhood and is conscious about the wants of the neighborhood.
After spending a decade within the restaurant business in Denver, Martinez noticed the optimistic change that may occur when a restaurant devoted to serving to the neighborhood opens in an underserved neighborhood.
When she first moved again to Pueblo, she was shocked to see that just about nothing had modified for the neighborhood when it comes to entry to recent meals. Proper now, it takes a couple of 15-minute drive one-way to get to a retailer that provides recent meals choices.
“There’s nothing right here, there is no method to get meals, nothing,” Martinez mentioned. “So it is all the time been this dream of mine to convey meals to our neighborhood.”
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Now, Martinez intends to translate the optimistic change she noticed in Denver to Pueblo’s west facet with SoulSmile Kitchen, which she expects to be up and operating by the top of the month.
She desires to point out individuals “You may nonetheless eat wholesome in an inexpensive manner that is scrumptious,” she mentioned. “It is a deprivation-free manner of consuming and it is sustainable.”
Martinez is a licensed well being and mindset coach who specializes in gluten-free, dairy-free meals and commenced her meal supply service simply two years in the past. She sources most of her substances domestically and emphasizes in-season produce in her recipes in addition to utilizing antibiotic-free meat.
Whereas some individuals won’t be used to consuming gluten and dairy-free meals, she hopes that each her restaurant and her private expertise will assist individuals get the braveness to attempt one thing new.
“I’ve been gluten-free, dairy-free for 4 and a half years and I did it for well being causes and it was life-changing for me,” she mentioned.
Furthermore, Martinez emphasizes that making this alteration in your food regimen doesn’t equate to a lack of sure meals or taste, a standard false impression.
“We dwell in a time the place there’s tons of choices for various merchandise that you may nonetheless have pizza, you’ll be able to nonetheless have enchiladas, you’ll be able to nonetheless have pasta,” she mentioned. “It simply will probably be a bit of bit totally different however that does not imply it must be flavorless.”
When her authentic brick and mortar location grew to become unavailable, Martinez got here throughout a fully-stocked cellular kitchen trailer that she bought and parked in an open lot on her household’s property in Hyde Park. From there she started the method of creating the restaurant an official fixture of the neighborhood, which required re-zoning by means of town.
With the re-zoning of the land accredited unanimously in the course of the Jan. 10 Metropolis Council assembly, SoulSmile Kitchen has overcome the final official hurdle, Martinez mentioned.
Now she’s branching out her enterprise to incorporate her present meal supply purchasers in addition to locals who need to pre-order household meals or order the day of. Additional, Martinez hopes to welcome walk-up prospects as nicely as soon as the climate warms up, capitalizing on the crowds for the extracurricular actions at close by Dolores Huerta Preparatory Excessive College.
Martinez mentioned she additionally hopes to welcome different like-minded cooks and bakers to the kitchen who’re fascinated by sharing much more recent choices with the neighborhood.
“There’s a lot stuff occurring with DHPH, and there is a lot enlargement on the brink of occur round right here that it is like, ‘Why not convey sustainable meals to the neighborhood during which you need to serve?’ So it is such as you’re bringing it house.”
Monique Marez, the coordinator of the Pueblo Meals Venture, is trying ahead to the optimistic influence {that a} idea like SoulSmile Kitchen might convey to the realm.
“It is a reframe on what we prioritize as a neighborhood and I am so excited that Jocelyn is not going to solely be serving but additionally educating on how useful it’s to essentially join along with your meals system,” Marez mentioned.
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Martinez is a part of the cohort of the Pueblo Meals Venture’s new entrepreneur startup growth program, which will probably be formally launched subsequent week. SoulSmile Kitchen is only one of 13 totally different initiatives hoping to deal with the difficulty of meals inaccessibility.
“We’re very excited to convey alternatives for that neighborhood growth, that financial growth piece and assist of us who’ve an ideal concept however maybe do not fairly know learn how to get there,” Marez mentioned.
“We’re very excited to have Jocelyn as a part of that cohort in addition to the opposite companies that wish to make native meals a actuality right here.”
Contact Chieftain reporter Lacey Latch at llatch@gannett.com or on social media @laceylatch.
