Pure & healthy

Patrick Asuncion took a roundabout route to the restaurant business.

After spending a good chunk of life in a design career that took from him from Silicon Valley to New York, Asuncion decided to go back home to the Lone Star State.

“In all those years I was investing money in restaurants in Texas,” he said, “and at one point I decided to put some work into all those things I’d been putting money into.”

Asuncion spent the next several years working as a general manager at multiple fast-food locations. But that wasn’t the right fit, so in May 2010 he opened Pure Healthy Eatery at 4223 Research Forest Drive in The Woodlands, borrowing some concepts from a friend’s establishment in Whitestone, N.Y.

While the New York restaurant focused on workout nutrition, Asuncion’s idea was to open a space with a more general appeal. So he took elements of the menu and worked with a local chef to add a more Southwestern style.

In late 2010, fitness professional Rodney Cook joined as a partner to help Asuncion carry forward Pure’s vision.

“We focus on a healthy lifestyle,” Cook said. “We are not focusing on a diet or weight-loss challenge, because they are not good for you. Instead, we teach eating good, wholesome foods that are not just good for you but also taste great, and we do it without deep fryers, but all-natural ingredients that are made fresh to order.”

And the formula has caught on, as Pure Healthy Eatery now serves between 800 and 1,000 customers a week.

Popular offerings include the Mediterranean wrap with shrimp and the salmon burger with chipotle mayo. If you’re looking for something crispier, there’s the chicken Parmesan or a side of potato fries; the two latter choices are prepared in an air fryer, but the kitchen will use oil at a customer’s request.
Specifically, Pure aims to get at the heart of why so many people don’t eat right.

“A lot of people, they cringe when they hear the word healthy, and they stay away,” Asuncion said. “Our concept is to provide food for the masses; we don’t want to limit ourselves to the triathlete who wants more of a plant-based diet. If someone wants a burger, instead of going down the block and getting one that’s packed with saturated fat, we have a grass-fed bison burger. ... So if that triathlete wants to bring his friends in, we have options for them, too.”

Pure Healthy Eatery
4223 Research Forest Drive, Suite 350, The Woodlands
The menu features a variety of entrees, sandwiches, wraps, soups, juices, smoothies and desserts. Meals range from $8 to $13, while 16-ounce specialty drinks are $4.50. A children’s menu and catering services are also available.
www.liveandeatpure.com
281-419-3200

This story appears in the May 2012 edition of Motivate.