ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A cafe in the shadow of Muhlenberg College was honored Friday for working to make the city healthier and better connected.
Jay’s Local on Liberty Street is the region’s first Blue Zone-approved restaurant, which recognizes its role as a gathering space in the West side and its recent push to offer more nutritious options to diners.
"If you care enough, it’s not hard” to make small, positive changes.
Lyell Scherline, owner of Jay's Local
The Blue Zones Project is a nationwide initiative that promotes community health and well-being. Lehigh Valley Health Network helped the project establish a Lehigh Valley arm last year.
Owner Lyell Scherline on Friday teased a few “Blue Zone-inspired” special dishes, which he said include ingredients that should make people feel “fuller for longer.”
Jay’s is committing to skipping "unnecessary ingredients” and less-healthy cooking preparations, such as deep-frying.
Being conscious of ingredients “wasn’t completely new” for Jay’s Local, where “our menu is on the healthier side,” Scherline said.
“We’re always looking to go in different directions,” Scherline said, urging customers to suggest new dishes. “We want your ideas; we’ll name it after you.
"If you care enough, it’s not hard” to make small, positive changes, he said.
Scherline said he hopes he’s just the first of many Allentown business and restaurant owners who join the Blue Zones Project.
Brooke Griffiths, executive director of the Blue Zones Project, recognized its owner, Lyell Scherline, for his “commitment to improving community well-being through healthy food, connection and purpose.”
The initiative “is a really amazing way for all Allentonians, everybody in the Lehigh Valley, to come together, to show up and find a way to lead longer, better lives together."
Mayor Matt Tuerk
“We could not think of a better partner to be our first Blue Zone-approved restaurant,” Griffiths said.
Mayor Matt Tuerk praised Jay’s Local and the Blue Zones Project for bringing people together to build community.
The initiative “is a really amazing way for all Allentonians, everybody in the Lehigh Valley, to come together, to show up and find a way to lead longer, better lives together,” Tuerk said.
The Blue Zones Project in August designated Alvin H. Butz Inc. as the first Blue Zone-approved worksite for the company’s commitment to its employees’ well-being and its support for healthier lifestyles.