Healthful eating are buzzwords for some people.
For Meagan Santavicca and her husband, Anthony, also called Rudy, the words ring true and are a promise of a positive, forward-thinking lifestyle.
Their strong belief in helping others understand the power of nutritious food, proper portion size, and more healthful lifestyle choices is boldly represented with a saying emblazoned on the bright green and red walls of their restaurant, “Clean Eatz – We Change Livez.”
“Our mission is to help people improve their lives through better lifestyle choices by offering nutritional products and fitness opportunities, providing educational tools, and offering motivational support. We aim to guide individuals on their healthy lifestyle journey and provide access to balanced, nutritious, and delicious meals,” said Meagan Santavicca, owner, along with her husband, of the restaurant at 266 South Main Street in Newtown.
Meagan Santavicca and her husband, Anthony, who have a strong belief in helping others understand the power of nutritious food, proper portion size, and healthful lifestyle choices have a Connecticut restaurant, “Clean Eatz – We Change Livez.”
Launched in 2013, Clean Eatz began franchising in 2015. According to the company, founded by husband-and-wife Don and Evonne Varady, they seek to change lives “through clean, balanced food, thought-provoking education and motivational support that inspires results. We know personal wellness is not one-size-fits-all, so we craft nutritional products and fitness opportunities that meet the needs of every type of lifestyle.”
This healthful eating philosophy is a way of life for Meagan and Anthony Santavicca.
“We didn’t learn properly that you need to portion your meals correctly as children, and that balancing the macros you ingest can have long-lasting effects on your health,” she said. “My husband and I come from large Italian families so flavor was the most important part of our dishes growing up. As we grew up, we learned that the fuel you put into your body is just as important as all the other things you do for your health.”
Meagan Santavicca describes Clean Eatz as a healthful, affordable café geared to help anyone eat better, whether they’re in training, time constrained, or looking for a fast, nutritious option.
All meals are portioned properly, according to the couple. Clean Eatz features a menu of food that is prepared with no added butter, oils, fats, or salt with many of the meals falling within a 500-calorie range.
The café menu offers build your own bowl options, burgers, wraps, flatbreads, protein options, Kids Meals, and sides such as sweet potato fries and steamed broccoli. In addition, it offers customizable meal plans, fresh meal prep, and Grab ‘N’ Go Options.
“Our meal plan menu changes weekly. Our Turkey Burnt End Cuban Flatbread is probably our most popular café item, but people like building their own bowls,” said Meagan Santavicca.
“Our menu has a lot of gluten-free options like breaded chicken nuggets or cauliflower pizzas, and we have keto options in our grab-and-go freezers. High protein is a major focus for us, and we have a lot of options to adjust meals to be higher in protein or lower in carbs.”
Also, Clean Eatz offers in-house-made baked goods, such as protein cookies, buckeyes, and clean crunch along with protein smoothies and iced coffee.
Meagan Santavicca and her husband, Anthony, who have a strong belief in helping others understand the power of nutritious food, proper portion size, and healthful lifestyle choices have a Connecticut restaurant, “Clean Eatz – We Change Livez.”
Eyln Gaudreau, an employee, appreciates the Santaviccas’ dedication to their business.
“Meagan and her husband are at the store everyday getting their hands dirty with the rest of us. They’re both very knowledgeable when it comes to nutrition and helping people navigate the right path,” said Gaudreau, pointing out Clean Eatz offers weekly, non-subscription-based, meal plans with different plans every week.
“The meal plan has low carb, extra protein, and low carb extra protein options. All meals are made fresh and are refrigerated, not frozen, for a quick heat up when you get home,” Gaudreau said. “I’m seeing a lot of parents signing up for meal plans so they don’t have to worry about what to make for dinner after a long day of work.”
Always involved in the food industry, the Santaviccas said they knew they’d open a restaurant one day.
“My husband has worked in restaurants since he was 14, and for a time worked alongside my brother at a restaurant where we used to live in Yorktown, New York,” explained Santavicca. “We liked the business model because we like to be healthy, and with two small kids we know how hard it is to plan healthy meals for the week.”
A healthful lifestyle is generational for the Santaviccas.
“My husband comes from a family of football coaches, and we both participated in a lot of sports growing up. My father-in-law was a gym and health teacher, and my mother-in-law is an absolute beast in the gym,” she said. “My father was a butcher so he understood the importance of quality food. As we grew up, we became more interested in a healthier lifestyle and started to learn more on our own.”
Santavicca said she appreciates the parent company’s support system, fully equipped with trainers and nutritionists that help them build meals for their customers.
“On the local level, we engage with our customers to find out what they’re looking to get out of eating better. We want to give them the tools to take care of the one body they were blessed with,” said Santavicca who appreciates making a difference in people’s lives.
“We’re blessed to hire such a great group of people that share our values. It’s great to see children come in and enjoy eating healthy. We even put a kids table in for them to sit, color, and play games,” she said.
For anyone who feels healthful food is bland or boring, Santavicca encourages them to come and try their food.
“Most of our customers can’t believe the meals are healthy because they taste so good,” she said. “Our customers are everything. We both love meeting and talking to new people, and what better way to do it than over a healthy meal.”