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Fitlife owner: 'Healthy food can taste good'

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By GEORGE WILKENS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 18, 2011

SOUTH TAMPA - As an avid marathon runner with a master's degree in business administration and a decade of experience in the restaurant industry, David Osterweil knows a few things about fresh food, nutrition and healthy eating.

Early this year he launched Fitlife Foods, which prepares and markets "indulgently healthy" balanced meals ready to heat and eat.

It doesn't have to be an either/or scenario, said the 33-year-old Tampa native. Healthy food can taste good.

"It's real food; it's not diet food," Osterweil said of Fitlife's menu of nearly four dozen meals and snacks. "We're not about tofu and sprouts."

Drawing on experience including the past seven years with OSI Restaurant Partners, operator of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill and other well-known chains, Osterweil's venture debuted Feb. 28th in a 2,500-square-foot store in Carriage Trade Plaza.

"It was a huge leap," he said of leaving Tampa-based OSI. "But I wanted to do something I love," said the married father of a 3-year-old girl, with a second child on the way.

The menu was developed by Osterweil and Fitlife culinary director Davis Jaeger, in consultation with renowned chefs. Lunch or dinner offerings include everything from Spinach Waldorf Salad to Miso Marinated Salmon and Feta-Stuffed Chicken.

The seven breakfast selections include Oatmeal Bruleé, Complete Morning Muesli and Florida Frittata.

Because the nutritional needs of a grandmother differ from those of an offensive lineman, meals come in three sizes, he said.

Portions are weighed and containers labeled with nutritional information, including calories, carbohydrates, protein, fat and fiber. Fitlife can provide the Weight Watchers point count of each item. Meals include organic and vegetarian dishes, and 40 percent of all items are gluten free.

While nutritional balance is very important, "If it doesn't taste good, there's no point," Osterweil said. "It's just about using really good ingredients."

Nine of the company's 16 employees work in the on-site kitchen, preparing meals with quality ingredients, from free-range chicken broth and organic tomato sauce to Greek yogurt, organic milk and Grey Poupon, a fat-free Dijon mustard. The most popular meal, Tampa Bay BBQ Beef with Mac n' Cheese," starts with sirloin.

Fitlife uses natural ingredients free of hormones, additives and antibiotics, focusing on low-glycemic, high-fiber carbohydrates, lean proteins and healthy fats to achieve the best balance of energy throughout the day.

"You use the right ingredients, you get the right flavor," Osterweil said.

Prepared meals are sealed in microwavable containers and refrigerated. "We don't freeze anything," he said.

Meals range from $6.25 to $11.75. Snacks start at $2.25. "Most of our meals are less than $10," Osterweil said.

In addition to being healthy and tasty, the meals are designed for convenience, and many customers stop in after work and pick up a couple days' worth, Osterweil said. Repeat customers include nurses and other hospital workers, he said.

College student Jamie Denson of St. Petersburg is a regular customer since starting the "21-day challenge," eating Fitlife Foods only for three weeks.

"Everything I've tried, I've liked," the 28-year-old said, singling out the Miso Marinated Salmon and Lo Country Jambalaya as among her favorites. The beef barbecue and others meats are very good, far superior to frozen Lean Cuisine meals she previously ate, she said.

The challenge starts with a 30-minute "wellness assessment" -- recording the participant's weight, body mass index and physical activity level -- to help determine what size portions meet the person's goal of losing weight or preparing for an athletic competition. A session at the end of the 21 days lets participants see the difference, Osterweil said.

Osterweil, who grew up on Davis Islands, is a University of Miami Business school graduate who earned his MBA in marketing and finance from American University in Washington, D.C.

As an OSI director and culinary strategist, his menu ideas were prepared in the company's 232 Carrabba's restaurants.

"Life is too busy," he said. "Food should be fun and easy."

gwilkens@tampatrib.com

(813) 259-7124

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