Cafe serves food for champions
Mark Humphrey
Starting today, health-conscious gym-goers will be able to enjoy Amy
Giraldo’s special tuna salad and sandwich recipes, coffee and healthy
smoothies as her Champion Cafe opens its doors inside the World Gym
on Hollywood Way.
Giraldo’s husband, George, who runs the gym’s Champion Fitness
personal training service, is pleased that others will be able to
enjoy the recipes he’s come to love.
“This will certainly make it easier to stay on my diet while
training,” said George Giraldo, who is also a bodybuilder. “Having my
wife working so close also keeps things within the family, which is
great.”
George and Amy Giraldo fittingly met while Amy was working at a
juice bar.
Recently, the cafe area at the World Gym on Hollywood Way was left
vacant, and the Burbank residents seized the opportunity to do
something unique.
“We think it will be a wonderful way to enhance not only the gym
but also the neighborhood with a really good juice bar,” Amy Giraldo
said.
She took the chance on the business venture, in part, because she
loves cooking for others and feels that she has a knack for making
food that people enjoy.
Her experience preparing George’s meals for his training regimen
has her confident that she can deliver food that is not only healthy
but can appeal to differing diets.
A prime example is Amy Giraldo’s special tuna recipe, which is
offered in both sandwich form, helpful for those who need to
carbo-load, and a salad version, perfect for carb-monitoring South
Beach and Atkins Diet fans.
The cafe additionally offers a selection of coffee drinks like
Espressos, Americanos and Lattes.
While some question the nutritional value of coffee, George
Giraldo counts himself among its supporters.
“Coffee is an excellent training aid. Not only is it a great fat
burner, but it also provides extra energy,” he said. “If I don’t
drink coffee before my workouts, I find that I’m not worth a thing.”
The couple believes that having the Champion Cafe within the gym
is an excellent tool for gym-goers to take advantage of. After
exercising, people are exhausted and need to recharge, Amy Giraldo
said.
In addition to coffee drinks and tuna items, visitors to the
Champion Cafe can expect to find specialty smoothies with supplements
like protein and folic acid, though Amy Giraldo is quick to point out
that they are not going all out and offering a large number of
supplements such as wheat grass or anything of the sort.
Other items to watch out for on the menu are rice bowls,
sandwiches both traditional (turkey, roast beef) and eclectic (“The
Elvis,” a peanut butter, banana and honey sandwich), and breakfast
items like multigrain pancakes and egg whites.
Customers can also call ahead to ensure that their food will be
ready when they arrive.
“A lot of people would agree that food makes them happy,” Amy
Giraldo said. “And I’d like to think that food that not only tastes
good but is also healthy would make them that much happier.”