DALLAS — Can babies be foodies? One East Dallas chef says "yes."
Tara Anderson just launched a new Internet business, Half Pint Palates, delivering freshly-made baby food with globally-inspired flavors.
Charlotte Dyer, from the M streets, is nine-month-old client. Her parents feed her Anderson’s chef-prepared baby food.
"If I wouldn't eat what's available on the shelf, then why would I feed it to my child?" asked her mom, Sarah Dyer.
Anderson left a good job as a corporate chef at Pepsi and rolled the dice on opening this small business.
"Do I want to spend the rest of my life doing something that I'm okay with?” she recalled asking herself. “Or, do I want to spend the rest of my life doing something that I'm really passionate about, that I believe in?"
Looks like she's answered that question.
In a Deep Ellum kitchen, she's cooking up the kinds of fresh and globally-inspired foods that most kids rarely eat.
"We shave fresh ginger and simmer it with sugar and water,” she said, as she stirs a pot of gourmet oatmeal.
Her client list is small today, but she's got big things in mind — like changing the way kids eat.
"I think that this is a big goal of mine. I don't know if I can change it America,” she said, “but I think I can change it in East Dallas. And if I can change it in East Dallas, maybe I can change it in Austin. And then maybe Memphis and Charlotte."
It’s a movement happening one half-pint palate at a time.
Half Pint Palates just started taking orders online, but they're still small, and may soon start a waiting list for customers they can't yet accommodate.
A day's worth of baby food costs around $18.
E-mail dschechter@wfaa.com
