Local Green Atlanta opens Disney World Location – The Atlanta Voice

ORLANDO, Fla. — Earlier this yr, Zak and Robyn Wallace opened Native Inexperienced Orlando, Walt Disney World’s first Black-owned meals truck.

The couple additionally owns and operates Native Inexperienced Atlanta, a fast-casual restaurant that gives wholesome vegetarian and pescatarian meals choices in Vine Metropolis. 

“We needed to come back down right here to Orlando, and make a footprint right here at Disney, however actually go into different communities which are akin to a Vine Metropolis and have the ability to provide a few of those self same wholesome choices,” Robyn Wallace mentioned.

Robyn Wallace mentioned that when she and her husband have been first opening their Vine Metropolis location, they have been informed that folks in that neighborhood weren’t all in favour of wholesome meals choices.

One yr earlier than they opened the brick-and-mortar location in 2018, Zak Wallace began the Native Inexperienced meals truck. He needed to serve wholesome meals to individuals residing in Atlanta’s meals deserts.

“After we have been within the throes of COVID, we have been ready to make use of our meals truck to go administer meals to the homeless neighborhood in Vine Metropolis,” Robyn Wallace informed The Atlanta Voice.

With its closely plant-based menu, Native Inexperienced affords a spread of choices that aren’t typically present in low-income communities.

Meals deserts and meals insecurity have affected rural and low-income communities for many years, with the pandemic solely exacerbating the problem.

In response to information revealed by the USDA, non-Hispanic Black households expertise meals insecurity at double the nationwide common. In Atlanta, three out of 4 residents residing in a meals desert are Black.

Native Inexperienced has additionally partnered with US Meals to offer lessons the place they train individuals locally how you can make wholesome snacks and smoothies at house. They then present the packing containers of meals and provides so that folks can even have wholesome choices of their houses.

“We don’t imagine in simply giving meals away, as a result of I don’t imagine that that’s actually going to alter how individuals do issues in the event that they’re not taught,” mentioned Robyn Wallace.

She continued to say offering the data and the instruments they want is what permits individuals to alter their consuming habits.

“We’re hoping that after we get this absolutely up and operating, that we are able to go into Orlando and do the identical factor,” mentioned Robyn Wallace.