Created 3/3/2011
Wholesome Tummies Expands From Florida to Georgia
Provider of thousands of daily healthy lunches awards
first out-of-state franchise
ORLANDO, Fla. – Thursday, March 3, 2011– Wholesome Tummies, an Orlando, Fla.-based company created by two mothers, has awarded its first out-of-state franchise to an Atlanta-based business woman. This will mark the four-year-old company’s fifth franchise in less than a year. Other new franchises are expected to be awarded in the coming months.
Wholesome Tummies provides thousands of meals to 15 Central Florida private and public schools each month. Co-founders Debbie Blacher and Samantha Gotlib launched their franchise option last year to expand their mission to change school meal plans from high-fat and processed foods to more fresh and natural selections. Franchises have been awarded in St. Petersburg, South Jacksonville and North and South Palm Beach County.
“We care passionately about children eating foods that are fresh, all-natural and free from artificial ingredients,” said co-founder Samantha Gotlib. “This epidemic of childhood obesity is very real and can be corrected by helping parents make better food choices, especially at school.”
Wholesome Tummies franchisee Judy Gordon of Dunwoody was searching for a business opportunity on the Internet when she read that Wholesome Tummies was listed as one of the freshest new franchises by Entrepreneur Magazine.
"Having come to the United States from South Africa, where I was used to seeing children eating fresh fruits and veggies daily, I was shocked to find menus of deep-fried chicken nuggets, fries and pizza with over-boiled green beans, sugar-laden apple sauce and mandarins in syrup masquerading as the ‘healthy’ part of school lunch,” Gordon said. “Our kids are taught the food pyramid in the classroom, but what happens when they visit the cafeteria? It's time we put our money where our mouths are, and show children how easy and fun eating healthy can be.”
Gordon is mother to three daughters, including one with special needs. Her 13-year-old daughter, Katie, was born with Prader-Willi syndrome — a disease that involves insatiable appetite and obesity if food intake is uncontrolled.
“I know firsthand how important it is for parents to monitor what their children are eating,” Gordon said. “I believe that healthy food can be tasty, and I’m excited about making Wholesome Tummies available to local children and their parents.”
With a goal of developing eating patterns that lead to lifelong good health, Wholesome Tummies serves as a total healthy lunch solution for the nation’s childhood obesity crisis. Wholesome Tummies chefs and expert food service professionals are available to manage school kitchen operations. In addition, Wholesome Tummies offers nutritionist-approved healthy lunches daily to schools that do not have kitchens. Parents simply order the meals online, and they are delivered directly to schools. With menus made up of only the most natural ingredients, Wholesome Tummies creates foods that cajole children to make healthy food choices.
For more information about Wholesome Tummies, visit www.wholesometummies.com