Earth Week: One Small Step...try gardening this year!

Wondering what you can do this week to save the world? Why not plant a veggie garden?

There are about a billion reasons to plant your veggies:

• You'll contribute to the production of clean, fresh oxygen and increase the greening of our ever plant-depleted urban and suburban areas.


• You'll reduce pollution - those plants are natural air scrubbers!


• You'll reduce your carbon footprint by a ton - there's nothing more 'local' than a homegrown tomato.


• You'll get a hands-on experience in caring for our planet that will stick with you forever


• You'll save a ton of money on organic veggies.


• You'll feel great knowing for sure that what you're eating is really organic, locally grown, and vine-ripened.


• You'll be healthier, because you'll be getting in some exercise.

Gardening isn't just for people with thousands of acres and a view of rolling hills - anyone can do it!

Even entrenched City-Rats can start a small container garden, like the one pictured to the right.  If you've got a terrace or a wide window, you've got the right conditions to grow your own food. A five gallon bucket or two can yield enough tomatoes, lettuce, peas or green beans to feed you and Pablo, your new boyfriend. If you're finicky, feel free to ditch the bucket and upgrade to a planter. You're bound to find something that suits your aesthetic .

In some urban areas, the buildings are even allowing container gardens (and more!) on the roof. Spend a little time growing dinner, and you might be able to "just happen" to invite that super hot chica in 2B to a 'spur of the moment'  dinner while you two are chatting over the communal watering can.

No space at all? Ask around - most large cities have sprouted communal gardens. According to the latest research, urban gardening is becoming as hot as a club on Saturday night. So why not hit the Scene? You'll take home dinner... and maybe a new friend or two.



If you've got any land - a yard, a lawn, a strip of dirt, you can get crazy. Did you know each square foot of earth can keep a single adult in salad all summer long? a family can eat an entire summer's worth of homegrown produce in the same amount of space as the average coffee table top. Just a single square foot - about as much space as a box of cereal - will save the average veggie eater $300.00 over the course of 3 months.

Want to do more? you can save the world even more - by planting an Extra Row for Hunger.  Growing food for those around you who can't afford it puts feet to your feelings and proves you're serious about loving your neighbor - even Mrs. Poscovitz, with the 13 cats.

Gluten Free, Not Gluten Freaky: Top 10 Ways NOT to Order GF Food at a Restaurant

It’s happened to all of us - we’ve ordered a specially prepared, superdee-duper gluten free version of some random menu item at Restaurant XYZ. We were super careful to explain exactly, exactly, EXACTLY what we could not have and why. We even provided a neat little card in seven languages and waited three hours for the grill to be scrubbed. And then we got sick…

We wondered, “Why?!?” (or more accurately, “What the !@#$%^&!?”)

Perhaps the server picked croutons out of our ’special’ gf salad. Perhaps they didn’t really check the ingredients on the label of seasoning. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

Or perhaps it was me. Not me, me, like Naomi Poe ‘me’… Perhaps it was ‘me,’ as in you.
Never! I say. And prolly so do you. But maybe???? just maybe…. we’re the problem.

These are the top ten mistakes you should try to avoid making. They’re not as funny as Letterman… but they’re certainly more helpful:

{Read More}

Paying It Forward

So, as you may imagine, we get a lot of email from customers(and even more from solicitors, which I love) through our website.  For "legal" reasons, all communication is filtered through one person so that it can be redirected to the right person.  These emails range from compliments to suggestions to an occasional complaint. The complaints are usually pretty funny, especially when they are about how we're a bad company for supporting clean wind-power because it kills bats. (OK.. not funny about the bats, but just people love to point out the strangest things).

On a serious note... the reason I am posting this is because sometimes something happens that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. The kind of thing that makes you smile knowing that THIS is EXACTLY why you started a socially responsible business.  There are two great stories here, one of a wonderful group of kids out "doing something good", and another about an employee in our San Diego store that is proof that "pay it forward" does exist. The email below was sent to us this morning and I wanted to share this with everyone... Earth Day is coming and since we, the people, take up a lot space on this planet, helping the planet can come in many shapes and sizes.

I want to share an extraordinary customer service experience that
I had at your San Diego location.  This past week, I was leading a youth
group mission trip to downtown San Diego.  On day two, we broke up into
small groups with $10 each and were sent to "do something good" for our
community.  The students in my group wanted to go to Balboa Park and buy
lunch and some goods for a homeless person that they had spoken with the day
before.
So we met up with Daniel in the park and he said he would like pizza.  So
the five of us walked to 5th St. and the students went in to purchase a
pizza for Daniel.  While waiting outside the students had an amazing
conversation with Daniel.  Then when the girls went back in to get the
pizza, your employee at the front counter recognized that these kids were
buying the pizza for a a homeless man and offered to cover the cost.  Myself
and the students were very touched by the kindness of this young woman.
With the money saved, the students were able to buy Daniel a new backpack
and a pack of new socks.
I just want you to know that because of this experience, Pizza Fusion is now
being recommended to all of my friends on Twitter and Facebook.  I cannot
sing your praises high enough!  Thank you for being a wonderful Pizza spot
that is staffed with equally wonderful employees!

Sincerely,
David

A HUGE thank you to David for sharing this with us and creating a space where our youth can learn valuable lessons like this.  They should all be commended for their work.  And as the co-founder of this company, it truly makes my heart smile thinking of the generosity of that employee at the San Diego store when he/she offered to pay for the pizza knowing who it was going to.  It is also a true refelction of the guys that own that store.

Thank you!

Out of the Box Eating

HI!!! I'm Naomi, and I'll be contributing here on the blog - I'm passionate about lots of things - my kids, saving my planet, and food! I also happen to be the resident expert on all things gluten free, which is very helpful in my day job as CEO at Better Batter | Gluten Free Flour.

You'll see Me post pretty regularly on some of my favorite and most cherished topics. You'll know what I'm writing about when I use the following Title Headers:

Gluten Free, not Gluten Freaky: Anything and everything you want and need to know about the gluten free lifestyle.

Eaten Alive: All about raw food. Ponderings, Tips, and Recipes

The Curious Vegan: All kinds of thoughts, hints, and recipes for those looking to reduce or eliminate their consumption of animal based products, especially tailored to those with flexitarian tastes or loved ones.

I'm sure looking forward to sharing with and hearing from you!

Our Founder Gets "Raw"

Hey Everyone!

I'm excited to add my first post on our new, and very much improved blog.  For those of you that don't know me, my name is Vaughan and I am the co-founder of this mothership we call Pizza Fusion.  I will be dropping by here on a more regular basis and appreciate you taking the time to read about our company which we're very proud of.

About 3 months ago I started training for my next marathon with several other friends and Pizza Fusion co-workers. We are proudly training while raising money and awareness for Autism Speaks, an amazing charity(more on them shortly).  We call ourselves the "Fusion Extreme Team" and work with coaches to get us prepared for the 26.2 miles that lie ahead on June 26th in Seattle.  To make a long story longer (you'll soon realize I have a problem making them shorter), I have decided to kick up my overall training regime up to a whole new level. You know... get serious and stuff.  My girlfriend and I have decided to do a 100% raw foods cleanse for 14 days while we transition into a new training program with both the running team and endurance coach.

I will use this stage to discuss the many challenges one may face while training for a marathon, as well as how difficult it can be to live a "raw" lifestyle.  I'm only into Day 2 and I can feel my body craving all of my vices like coffee and an occasional steak.  Yes, I am a conscious carnivore.  I will be sure to post the "before" pics very soon and hope I won't get too many comments on them.  I appreciate you following my progress and hope you enjoy what you read!

One woud think that just being healthy is the reason why we chose to do this.  The REAL reason is because there are children and adults that need our help in a fight to find a cure for Autism.  As I mentioned, we have set a lofty goal of $60,000 to raise for this amazing charity.  I know that this is a strange economic climate, but there is always something that we can each do to make a difference.  Please show your support by making a small donation to this great cause: http://www.active.com/donate/teamfusion_seattle09

I will be posting all of the "major" news on this blog but you can follow my daily Tweets(aka whines) on Twitter.  Click here to follow me on Twitter.