Page 74 - Abilene Living

Bonterra Blu was born out of a perfect storm of resources, timing, and like-minded people coming together to give a sleepy town a wake-up call. Trueblood may not have been able to predict the success the restaurant would see after only six months, but he acknowledges that it is part of a movement. Across the country, the importance of knowing your farmers and supporting local business has been growing in waves. This is a wave that Trueblood feels Abilene is starting to see, which also opens a place for his other love, education.

“I started cooking classes when I started the catering business,” Trueblood said. “That’s one of my favorite things to do, educate. Educate people on food, the basics of food… Cooking is a lost art that wasn’t passed down frommom to child, and so there (are) a couple of generations that have completely missed everything about cooking even the fundamentals…most folks have to just make it up as they go along and their children suffer, and their spouses suffer, and their health suffers.” “My ultimate goal would be to teach full-time, especially kids,” Trueblood explained. “We have done the Career Day at

the Wylie Junior High every year for the last fve years. Once again if we can see that forty-fve year old adults need help with food, why don’t we go back to the source where it starts... To me it’s just a passion to get people back on the right track. We’re involved in a couple of local food movements. Going to the farmers market and buying local food is a big part of our teaching and our lifestyle too. So we have the opportunity to teach that as well.”

Joel and Trish Trueblood, with their three children, attempt to keep a socially and ecologically conscious mindset that they incorporate into all aspects of their life, whether it’s through the restaurant, the cooking school, the catering business or their volunteer efforts locally and internationally. The goal always remains the same, to live life, to cook good food and to educate those around them. They realize this goal with each person that comes in for a meal, shakes their hands afterwards and tells them they are proud to see Bonterra Blu fourish in, of all places, the place they call home.  ALM