The lack of healthy eating is the number one reason many African Americans are overweight. We are allured by buttery and high cholesterol favorites like buttermilk biscuits, macaroni and cheese with fried chicken. Many African Americans can’t imagine finding healthy foods that will satisfy their tastebuds. Well, Bobby and Paulina Colter would beg to differ. They are the business owners of Ma’cemais and Myrtle Family Cuisine…Vegan Food for the Soul.
Mr. and Mrs. Colter met in Canada, where they were married after a Pen Pal Courtship. Bobby Colter, a retired trucker, hails from Crockett, TX. Paulina is the chef/baker. She is from a small village in Saint Lucia (St. Lucia). Her story is quite remarkable. She came to the United States in the late 1980s with two other St. Lucian women from her church to marry three American men after reading an ad in the church newsletter. She was meant to marry another man, but as fate would have it, he was too young for her. Bobby had no intention of marrying then, but they believe God led them to each other. Both spiritual people have explored many faiths while raising eight kids.
After their daughter, Kercy, experienced problems during pregnancy, they researched the benefits of plant-based diets and switched to a vegan diet. This quest for healthy eating options resulted in an eighty-pound weight loss and a significant shift in healthy eating that has improved the quality of their entire family’s lives. Mrs. Colter learned nutrition and cooking from her mom by helping to provide for more than a dozen brothers and sisters. She also kept homes for wealthy Caucasian residents of St. Lucia, including cooking meals in the English tradition. Mrs. Colter prepared healthy meals for long journeys to feed her husband and one son who spent time on the road trucking. They would even drive hours off route to get her tasty meal plates.
From the desire to find healthy alternatives for their family, and a desire to live a healthier lifestyle, their delicious business, Ma’cemais & Myrtle Cuisine, was born. Their business is a labor of love inspired by the deep love of family. The Colters named Ma’cemais & Myrtle Cuisine after their mothers.Their granddaughter, Sage, created the digital artwork from various pictures of her great-grandmothers. The Colter’s daughter, Kercy, and her husband, Skai Shadow, promote, market, and develop corporate sponsorships for their business. It is such a grand Family Affair that has been beneficial to their health and wellness and lucrative for their family. The Colters believe, “It is essential to eat healthy because health equates to wealth. Without fitness, it is impossible to be wealthy spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and financially. Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
The Colters take great pride in creating vegan baked goods and meals that are delicious to your taste buds and healthy for your soul. Saturday nights are unique in the Colter home, where they celebrate food and family at their family gatherings they call “Saturday Night Treats.” Relatives, kids, and grandkids stay all night for food, games, dancing, and movies. They have all the same favorite foods, such as pizza, cookies, and cakes, but they are Vegan foods that are delicious and healthy.
They operate from a private kitchen and sell vegan food at farmers’ markets and festivals. They also provide vegan baked goods to different events in the community. Their goal is to have a trailer or food truck soon, then open a brick-and-mortar location to serve healthy foods to the public. The Colters are passionate about sharing their love for healthy, delicious foods that promote consistent healthy eating and foods that are good for your body. The Colters believe that we really need to remember that “Man eats Cow, but Cow eats grass,” which is a quote from their favorite Health Guru Doctor Baxter. Cows are healthy just from plants so we can be too.
Their signature baked good is their Coconut Bread. It is so good that people who don’t even like coconut love it. They use coconut milk straight from the coconut instead of coconut shavings. Using the ingredients that are in their most natural state allows everyone to have the most honest, healthy, and high in nutrition food. Many of their signature dishes taste better than their less healthy non vegan recipes. They have delicious vegan pizza and vegan cakes that look and taste like a cake you would find at your local bakery. If you are interested in trying any of their healthy selections, you should join them at the Braeswood Farmer’s Market 10425 Hilcroft Ave. Houston, TX 77096 on Saturdays or check out their Instagram: @ma_cemaisandmyrtlecuisine. You can follow their Facebook and Instagram for weekly announcements.
