Prepping With a Passion

To become a world class athlete, it’s all about the preparation. In the business world, Emily Weusi would tell you it’s the same thing. It just so happens her business, Weusi Wellness Cafe delivered a pretty big catering gig for world class athlete and former Dallas Cowboy Dez Bryant.

“We landed an opportunity to prepare 1,000 meals for a Diabetes Awareness Drive Thru event on Saturday in Lufkin,” Weusi said. “It’s paid for by NFL athlete Dez Bryant and Lufkin is his hometown. The meals will be given out free, along with nutritional information and tips, to help spread awareness about diabetes within the community. Our focus is to help do our part in bringing change to his local community through health, wellness, and education.”

Weusi said she found out about the opportunity from a friend she met 10 years ago when she first moved to this area.

“I was attending Texas State University, I worked part-time on campus and was a bartender in downtown Austin on the weekends,” she said. “My dear friend, Manny Fresco, was a connection and the one that got me the job in Austin shortly after I met him.”

Though she sometimes regrets bartending as her occupation she said — because it led her down an unhealthy path — she was grateful for her time spent in Austin because she met and made powerful connections that have gotten her where she is today.

“Manny reached out to me earlier this month and I designed a custom proposal, and our bid was approved the following week,” Weusi said. “We were in the running with a few other meal prep companies across Texas but having the long-term friendship with Manny was what made it happen. Manny is a veteran and selftaught videographer. I have watched him develop over the last decade and he has worked for influencers such as Paige Hathaway and is now Dez Bryant's personal videographer.”

With the coronavirus wreaking havoc in the business community, Weusi said she’s grateful, blessed and motivated by the opportunity.

“When COVID-19 hit in March we had to close our gym Str8 Training for two months, experienced a decrease in sales with both businesses, and had to cut hours significantly,” she said. “This decreased morale within our employees. Once we found out we landed this catering job I was able to bring back all my employees to get the job done. We are all grateful for the opportunity to work together as a team again.”

It’s a good thing too. Because her group is serving the same meal to all 1,000 people.

Sugar Free BBQ Chicken, Roasted Green Beans, and Sweet Mashed Potatoes.

Calories per entree: 491 calories, 42 gram of protein, 25 grams of carbohydrates and 10 grams of fat

“We purchased the food from our local H-E-B,” she said. “They were kind enough to deliver everything to us for free and pulled items from other locations to make it happen on such short notice.”

It included: 666 chicken breasts; 500 sweet potatoes; 250 pounds of green beans; 60 bottles of sugar free barbecue sauce. US Foods donated 1000 servings of sugar free iced tea.

It’s not the first time Weusi has prepped for a large event.

“I had a meal prep business from 2015-2017 named The Healthy Smoker. We catered an event in Austin, called The Fittest Experience in 2017,” she said. “It was a massive CrossFit competition that attracted athletes from all over the nation. We prepared 3,000 meals for that event, so we knew what we were getting ourselves into with this one. We were partnered with San Marcos BBQ at the time so this is my first event like this to lead, cook, and prepare on my own. I have a team of 10 to help me execute. We are pumped up to say the least.”

Weusi said she’s never met the all-star athlete but wants to.

“I haven't met Dez yet but hope to at the event,” she said. “I posted a live video to announce the event to our local community and Dez quickly messaged me directly to ask for the footage and reposted my video on his social media accounts to promote the event. He did send me his direct contact info and we have been in communication. He expressed his gratitude to me, and I thanked him for the opportunity.”

Weusi said Dez was all about giving back and is looking for more support in this area.

“He recently launched a community membership based business, Society X. This allows for members to connect with him, other professional athletes, and peers within his network,” Weusi said. “Members can expect private events, product giveaways, and experience giveaways. There is also an entrepreneurial side to the membership, business owners that become members can expect to experience mentorship from Dez and his connections. My husband and I plan to join Society X so that we can stay connected and hopefully land more opportunities like this in the future.”

lwinter @sanmarcosrecord.com

Twitter: @LanceWinter