Tooba's Cafe joins the Mass in Motion Healthy Dining Program

(MELROSE, MA) February 27, 2014....Mass in Motion-Melrose/Wakefield is proud to announce that Tooba’s Cafe, located at 35 Essex Street in Melrose, has joined the Healthy Dining Program.  The Mass in Motion Healthy Dining Program is an initiative of the City of Melrose and Town of Wakefield Health Departments and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH).

Restaurant foods tend to be higher in calories, fat and sodium, and portions are bigger than food prepared at home. But more and more customers are looking for healthier options while dining out.  The Mass in Motion Healthy Dining Program works with local restaurants to make healthy food and drink options available to customers. By offering healthy entrees and side dishes, local restaurants are making it easier for customers to make healthy choices.  Tooba’s Café is the third Melrose restaurant to join the Healthy Dining Program.

Saied Chaharom, owner of Tooba’s Cafe, has been working with Kara Showers, Mass in Motion-Melrose/Wakefield, to promote fresh vegetables and whole grain menu options.  Saied and his family and staff were very proactive with revisions to their menu to ensure healthy choices are clearly visible to both existing and new customers.

Frequent Tooba’s customer Carole Tate says, “Saied prepares healthy food cooked fresh.  Tooba’s, a come-as-you-are-café, offers a delightfully different menu compared to other options in the area.”

Please stop in for a multigrain bagel or the homemade must-o-khair yogurt on your way to the office.  Many of the menu offerings are full of fruit, vegetables and flavor so be sure to bring your family and friends in to try them.

The Mass in Motion Dining Program is now listing Tooba’s Café, Petrone’s Pizza and Cappas Trackside Kitchen as Melrose participants on their website.  For a full statewide participant list, visit www.mass.gov/massinmotion and search Healthy Dining.

If you are interested in joining the Healthy Dining Program in Melrose or Wakefield, please contact Kara Showers at 781-979-4123 or kshowers@cityofmelrose.org.

About Mass in Motion-Melrose/Wakefield, a Program of the City of Melrose and Town of Wakefield Health Department

Mass in Motion-Melrose/Wakefield works locally to increase opportunities for Melrose and Wakefield residents to eat better and move more in the places they live, learn, work, and play. Melrose and Wakefield are among 52 cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth that are part of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Mass in Motion Municipal Wellness and Leadership Program.  Mass in Motion-Melrose/Wakefield is working to support the implementation of Safe Routes to School, Healthy Market Program, Access to Farmers Markets, Healthy Dining Program, and improving school nutrition initiatives that will make the healthy choice the easy choice for residents.  www.MiMmelrosewakefield.com