FOOD A Food
Drink focus issue.
Saturday, January 16, 2016 • Page 1B
Healthy, organic food truck makes debut on North Main By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
Julia Hogan-McNeil of Julia Cooks Organic & More featuring 7Star Juice Bar is a true believer in the healing power of food. Three years ago, she says she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. “I lost my eyesight and was paralyzed,” Hogan-McNeil said. When the doctors told her that medicine couldn’t control it, she and husband Robin decided to go another way. Hogan-McNeil went to a holistic clinic in Spring Branch and began a detox program, a part of which was drinking all her food in the form of organic juices since she couldn’t chew. When she could eat again, she cut out anything with gluten or soy. After 30 days, Hogan-McNeil said there was a remarkable improvement. “I was a brand new person,” she said. “I came out of there running.” Hogan-McNeil said that follow up scans couldn’t find the previous lesions on her brain and spine and that her blood pressure was nowhere near the dangerous levels that it had been. “[The doctors] couldn’t believe it,” said Hogan-McNeil. To celebrate, she and her husband, whom she calls her “right-hand man”, posted a photo of a gourmet salad she had made to social media and friends and acquaintances
started to take notice – asking her to make them salads, too. Hogan-McNeil had a background in special education and marketing, not cooking, but she did have family in the food and catering business and had picked up skills over the years. In February 2014, Hogan-McNeil debuted her salad in a jar and a business was born. She concentrated on doing things healthy and gluten free, but since “people like to eat”, she said her food needed to be tasty, too. “People like meat,” said Hogan-McNeil, so she added fresh ground turkey burgers and turkey chili to her repertoire. Those items along with her black bean patties proved popular. In May 2014, she was asked to open up a restaurant at Ellington Field. After cooking for customers on the base, Hogan-McNeil then worked on items for delivery. After a year, when things had gotten slow on the base and once they had developed a good following, the McNeils decided to divert the restaurant to one on wheels. For the most part, Julia Cooks Organic & More Food Truck is stationed at 6521 N Main St., in the parking lot of Haute Dimensions Boutique. The opening of the truck was bittersweet since it was partially funded by an inheritance from McNeil’s father James, who passed away in 2015. See Food Truck P. 3B
Pucker up
Meyer Lemons a sweet deal for neighbors wanting fresh, local produce By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
What’s yellow, oval and grows like crazy in The Leader area? If you answered Meyer lemons, then perhaps you are one of the people who has a tree in their yard. The citrus season is late October, through the beginning of April. In January, Meyer lemons are at full ripeness. “I have a very ugly one in my yard,” said Carolina Leigh. “But it makes the best fruit. Last year I got 145 lemons off it, best year yet.” Dr. Bob Randall has certainly earned the title citrus guru. He was a founder of Urban Harvest in 1994 and then served as its Executive Director for 21 years. Randall says that all citrus originated from East Asia and that there are well over 1,000 varieties of citrus in the United States, with about 150 varieties in the Houston area. Because citrus is semi-tropical and grows well from seed, he said Houston has a good climate for it. He has a quarter acre where he grows 35 kinds of citrus himself. Meyer lemons are different than what you see at the grocery store. Randall says that those are Mediterranean lemons which come from climates where the summers are cooler than Houston. The Mediterranean lemons freeze at about 27 or 28 degrees. The Meyer lemons can go down to almost 21 degrees without protection. They are very fragrant bloomers, too. Randall says that the Meyer lemon tree comes out of the ground in one stem, but then branches out in a bush like fashion, often attaining eight or nine feet. “[Meyer] are not as sour and they are juicer,” said Randall. “Often people prefer a less tart lemon.” A 1998 New York Times article talks about the new love affair – at the time – between New York chefs and the Meyer lemon. Chefs and restaurants in Houston are pretty fond of lemons too, Meyer and other-
Photo by Christina Martinez Max Zierau, 9, son of Shannon and Andreas Sr., picks a Meyer Lemon from his backyard tree.
wise. Matthew Zoch at Prego does a Lemon meringue tart in a coconut. Trevisio Executive chef Jon Buchanan has an award winning Lemon Risotto with Jumbo Lump Crab. Sean Beck, sommelier and beverage director for Caracol, Hugo’s and Backstreet Café has a drink called Taming the Sun that uses them. Berryhill Baja Grill is known for its freshsqueezed mint lemonade. “I have 11 lemon trees,” said Donnette Hansen of Rainbow Lodge. “I use the lemons, the juice, the zest and preserve some of the Meyers. On New Year’s we did seared sea scallops with a pistachio gremolata using our citrus zest and the sauce using the reduced juice from the sweet lemons. This year I harvested over 500 lemons, a few key limes, over 100 tangerines and gobs of kumquats.” Home cooks make good use of the lemons, too. Carolina Leigh makes candy and marmalade with her Meyers. Emily Zihlman makes a lemon and vanilla bean and/or ginger jam with them and also freezes the juice for cooking. Pamela Buenker makes lemon cakes and bars, while Sue Amash and Jane Schiffer make Lemoncello. Sarah Shah has a producing tree and makes preserved lemons to use in chicken and fish dishes all year. She also has a great recipe for a Sweet and Sour Lemon Pickle. Kim Fee says she “makes my move with empty bags when friends and family are over-run with Meyer lemons.” She’ll put her frozen lemon cubes in soup for an extra zip. Of course, not every tree can be like reader Liana Lew-
is’ tree which has been in her yard for 30 plus years and is prolific. Alisa Tackett says she has a tree that has never produced. “It was potted for the first few years and we moved it around with us a few times,” said Tackett. “I planted it in the backyard last year because I thought that may help but it hasn’t. Clearly, I’m doing something wrong. I’d love to know where to get good advice.” That advice can be had from Urban Harvest who offers classes for frustrated gardeners. Dr. Randall said that a non-producing tree can be a result of too much rainfall or too little sun, among other factors. He also said that the trees are living things that develop at their own pace and sometimes a tree can take a few years to get going. On the other hand, if you have more lemons than you know what to do with, Fruit Share Houston can come pick up your extra citrus and donate it to food pantries. “If anyone wants us to harvest their lemons we are happy to do so,” said Kent Keith. “All the collected fruit goes to one of two different food pantries. Last year we harvested a total of 18,350 pounds of fruit. About 5,000 of that were lemons. This year we are projecting 21,000 pounds.” E-mail them at fruitsharehouston@ gmail.com or call 281-7283623. Ready to get your own tree started? Consider the 16th Annual Fruit Tree Sale put on by Urban Harvest, which is the largest single-day fruit tree See Lemons P. 3B
Photo by Christina Martinez Julia Hogan-McNeil pours juice for one of her organic juices from her food truck, Julia Cooks Organic & More Food Truck.
Expert opinion
Q&A with Elite F’ing Meals owner, Barbara Zuluaga
who want to eat healthier to 1. Do you have a culilose weight or just feel better. nary background? How We even feed kids! Surprisingand when did you decide ly, kids love our food and we to start this business? are working on healthy boxed I have no culinary backlunches for kids next. ground, but I’ve always been an avid home cook. Growing 5. Where do your source up, my mother cooked all of your ingredients? Why is our meals daily and I spent a organic important to you? lot of time learning her tradiThe word organic can be a tional family recipes, and then misnomer. I find more value in some. My parents are Filipino local, grass-fed meat when I and Spanish, so we grew up know the farmer who grew it, eating foods from both cul- Barbara Zuluaga versus following a USDA label tures. They are also avid travelers and they always wanted 4. Who are your typical that says organic and comes us to experience different cul- clients and why do you from a giant warehouse. You tures and cuisines. I credit my think your food appeals to have to think about it from the fact that the USDA is also a parents for my adventurous them? palate and my love for learnOur clients vary greatly business and organic certifiing about other cultures and across the board. At first, we cation is very expensive. Not foods. only had CrossFit clientele, that I am discrediting organic but now we have a plethora of (we use organic produce when 2. Your business name folks who eat our food. From we can’t get it locally), it is just is certainly eye-catching. high performing athletes, to that small, local farms that are How did you come up with people with auto-immune dis- owned by families can’t always it? eases like Crohn’s, Rheuma- afford the organic certification When we opened in 2013, toid Arthritis, celiac or HashiSee Elite P. 2B our focus was mainly to pro- moto’s, to just average folks vide food to CrossFit gyms. The name Elite F’ing Meals was thought up by my brother, who is a Marine and Purple Heart recipient, in response to the question - what would a crossfitter eat? When I told him my plans for opening a business, his answer was - “They would eat elite. No, they’d eat Elite F’ing Meals.” The name was definitely risky, but once I branded it with an ultra-punchy, patriotic logo in red, white and blue, people either really loved it, or they just didn’t get it. Believe it or not, I’ve only received a handful of truly negative comments about it. If anything, it makes Fresh Healthy Gourmet Meals people want to know more about who we are and what Gluten Free Meals we are doing.
Mobile Food Truck
• • Vegetarian Meals • Weight Loss Meals • Weekly Meals • Catering • We Deliver •
3. Why do you think the Paleo diet is important? Is it something you follow? Everyone has a different version of Paleo. For me, Paleo is a template for eating healthier. Whole foods such as meat, vegetables, nuts, fruits and seeds that are unprocessed. Dairy, chemicals, processed foods and sugar are eliminated. We take it one step further and focus on where our foods come from and utilize the best ingredients like grass-fed beef, pastured pork, organic chicken and eggs, as well as local or organic produce. Nobody is perfect! I follow the template as closely as possible, but at times have occasional cheats and I use grassfed dairy at home (a variation of Paleo called Primal).
call 281-960-8249
www.julia-cooks.com
email orders: orders@julia-cooks.com
5 Day Detox
99
$
99
Includes Detox Juices and Meals! Limited Time Only!
Current location 6521 N. Main in front of Haute Dimensions
HOurs: Tuesday -saturday 11am-6pm
GREENWOOD KING The Leader of Real Estate Sales in your Area
713.864.0888 G
R
E
E
N
W
k O
O
D
1801 Heights Blvd. K
I
N
G
.
C
O
M