Briana Gee credits her family — namely, her dad — for cultivating her interest in healthy cooking.
The fit 30-year-old and UA nutritional sciences graduate recalls many a meal that she cooked for him, no matter how it tasted, that he ate and then advised her on how to make it better the next time. “My dad was my best guinea pig,” she recalls. “I always loved cooking and he hated wasting food.” To this day, her family and friends still lovingly call her “Ratatouille” after the beloved Disney film.
Gee has parlayed this culinary devotion into her company, ABLE Nutrition & Fitness, and its recent offshoot, ABLE Fresh. Through ABLE, or Achieve, Balance, Live Empowered, Gee not only offers workouts, personal training and fitness counseling to her clients, she prepares and delivers them healthy meals from her licensed, commercial kitchen for under $10 each.
“It goes so hand in hand,” recalls Gee, who launched ABLE just a few years after she graduated in 2008. “I like the idea of helping people who really wanted the information. I love the food side of it. I wanted to show that healthy food doesn’t have to be bland or boring.”
The meals, which can be customized to be gluten-, dairy- and soy-free, have gained traction among Tucson senior citizens and athletes, who want to remove the guesswork from their daily eating. Gee changes the menu on her website monthly, confirms all orders by Thursday, shops on Friday, cooks all day Saturday and delivers the fully-cooked meals on Sunday.
“I started with recipes as guidance,” said Gee, who seeks out fresh herbs, citrus, grilled meats and seasonal vegetables for her monthly menus. “Now, I’m writing my own recipes. I’m always experimenting and asking, ‘Well, how will that look on a plate? I’m never going to cook something that is not going to have great taste.”
Why are your meals fully-cooked?
I make them so you don’t have to prepare them. You would just heat it up like a TV dinner, in the microwave. There are many services out there that provide you the ingredients, but you still have to cook and you still have to clean up. Mine are ready to go, and the thinking part is done for you. I also include “use by” or “freeze by” instructions.
How do you work with your clients with allergies?
I will meet with them and find out what their goals are. Everything can be individualized. With my nutrition background as well, I do all the nutritional analysis for them.
What is your current go-to ingredient?
I really like cilantro. I always try to include it in a lot of the meals. It’s fresh and visually appealing.
With your busy schedule, what do you cook for yourself?
I keep it simple. I love breakfast for dinner. Having an omelet with whatever leftover protein I have and some vegetables. Five to 10 minutes and you are done.
What is your vision for ABLE Fresh?
It’s my passion and it has been great to turn what I love to do into a career. I would love to have a storefront one day, a quick stop for people to pick up a healthy meal that’s ready to go.
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