Move over, Jessica Seinfeld. There’s a new Sneaky Chef in town — and she delivers to your house. “My son was never a child who would eat a vegetable on his own,” says CaterTots owner Margaret Bravo, “so I had to find ways to hide them in a way he would enjoy.” Many a mom can relate, but we don’t always have time to purée caramelized cauliflower or kale into a casserole — definitely not in a way that will go unnoticed. Enter Bravo. Fit and trim, the enthusiastic mom opted to replace her morning workout with cooking healthy meals at a local commercial kitchen from 4 to 7 am so she can deliver fresh and healthy dishes to families through her new catering adventure, CaterTots.
“My son was never a child who would eat a vegetable on his own,” says Bravo.
From Memorial to the Museum District, Bravo delivers meals without a minimum order requirement. Years living in New York City, where she and her husband could order anything they desired, prompted that part of her creative concept. “We were so reliant on the delivery aspect of food in New York, and I missed it when we moved to Houston,” she says.
But delivery is only part of the CaterTots story. Bravo uses seasonal organic ingredients — many sourced from local farms she discovered through area farmers’ markets — to create her healthy menu items. Some are based on family recipes she grew up eating, albeit tweaked to be healthier. Take, for instance, her Mississippi grandmother’s roll recipe, which has been in the family for more than 100 years. Bravo subs honey for sugar, adds half whole-wheat flour and uses applesauce instead of eggs; you’ll never notice the absence of calories in the delicious cinnamon rolls or Longhorn ground-beef slider rolls, the latter her kid-friendly substitute for a traditional beef slider. Other kid dishes include quinoa mac and cheese with Longhorn ground beef, zucchini hummus, Cauli-tots and hidden veggie tomato sauce — all kid-tested and approved by her adorable, discerning son, Asher. Bravo also whips up some serious gourmet choices for grown-ups: lobster mac and cheese, pimento or chicken salad sliders and, our personal favorite, lobster rolls. She even makes her own split-top buns.
Not only will Bravo deliver your dinner, but she can cater your kid’s birthday bash, end-of-year school parties and play dates. This fall, look for seasonal additions to her menu involving apples, butternut squash and pumpkin, plus the launch of Family Meals — a weekly family special that includes an entrée for two adults, a kid’s dish for two and those tasty cinnamon rolls. Bravo, Miss Bravo!
_md.jpeg)
