Behind the Menu: Meals at Be Fit Cafe skimp on calories, but nothing lost in flavor
Chuck Suiter was never going to hide the nutritional value of his food at Be Fit Cafe, located at 10259 Sawmill Road, near Powell.
Suiter, who designed the menu, decided to list carbs, fats, proteins fiber and — perhaps most important — calories.
“I was already, I guess you could say, a little ahead of the curve,” said the restaurant veteran of 40-plus years.
Suiter and business partner, Seth Levin, opened Be Fit Cafe nine years ago.
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Individual meals ring in at 750 calories or fewer, even for the pizzas. (Until recently, it was 700 calories but because of supply shortages, some of the restaurant’s ingredients aren’t available.)
Everything is baked in an oven; nothing is fried.
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The Buckeye Bounce pizza ($10.50 for 10 inches) offers pesto, chicken, roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes and mozzarella and goat cheeses.
“It’s a really refreshing pizza, especially on the gluten-free crust,” Suiter said.
The Cuban ($12) is another house favorite, combining pulled pork, mozzarella, pickles spicy mustard and barbecue sauce, served on a regular pizza dough.
“It just giving it that little tang with the mustard,” Suiter said. “It seems to blend in pretty well.”
The Nashville hot chicken ($11) is pretty self-explanatory, he said.
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“A lot of people are looking for that little bit of extra spice, which is the Nashville spice,” he said.
Wrap sandwiches are plentiful on Be Fit Cafe’s menu.
Woody’s veggie wrap ($8.50) has spinach, romaine, pepper jack cheese, shredded carrots, sunflower seeds and honey-mustard dressing. Ask for no cheese and it’s a vegan meal.
“We do have a few little vegan options,” Suiter said. “And it’s very colorful and it’s a very light wrap. I have a lot of people who want something to tide themselves over. They don’t want a heavy protein and things like that.”
Although soups ($3 for 8 ounces, $4 for 12 ounces) frequently change, Suiter says chicken noodle, broccoli cheddar, vegetable chili, Baja chicken and an herb-forward tomato bisque are among his favorites.
“There’s no cheese on it,” he said. “A lot of people seem to enjoy that sweet dressing.”
It’s also available in wrap form ($8.50), with a slight variation.
“We just add a little cheese to it,” Suiter said. “It’s just a little mozzarella. Everyone seems to love it.”
Another light option is the Thai chicken salad ($9) — romaine, spinach, chicken, shredded carrots, crunchy noodles, alfalfa sprouts and an Asian-style sesame dressing.
A variety of healthy smoothies, including meal-supplement choices, are available.
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The King ($5.25 for 16 ounces; $6.25, 20 ounces; $7.25, 32 ounces; and 8.50, 44 ounces) pays tribute to Elvis Presley by offering peanut butter, banana, a splash of honey, skim milk, protein powder and casein, a slow-release protein “that will make you feel fuller longer,” he said.
As long as people are seeking healthier meals that don’t sacrifice flavor — and restaurants willing to put the nutritional info on the menu — there always will be a place for Be Fit Cafe, Suiter said.
“I think people are becoming more health-conscious,” he said. “People are making changes because it’s never too late to make changes.”
Be Fit Cafe
Where: 10259 Sawmill Road, Powell area
Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays
Contact: 614-792-2233, https://www.befitcafe.com/
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Be Fit Cafe near Powell shows flavor, nutrition go hand-in-hand
