Business Beat: Clean-eating focused food truck opens in Longview

When Josh and Laura Robertson were expecting their first child, she started to question the "status quo" — particularly when it came to food. "We started looking into changing our own diets," Laura said. They made a change that their whole family follows to gluten free, dairy free, no seed or refined oils or refined sugars, no microwave use, no plastics and no aluminum.

"When you are eating the way we are, it is very hard to eat out," she said. Now, though, the couple is offering that option at their new food truck — Caveman Comforts, which is at 5651 U.S.



259 next door to the Spindletop gas station and convenience store and north of FM 1844. The couple had talked about opening a restaurant but decided to start out with a food truck, which has less overhead, and grow from there. "There is a huge need here and a want," Laura said.

"People are starting to become aware of how things you put in your body affects you in negative ways." "It's been really good," she said of the public's reception to the new concept. "It's been fun, hard, all the things when you're opening a new business.

" Southwest Sweet Potato Fries at Caveman Comforts. (Courtesy photo) "We already have a lot of regulars that come every weekend, sometimes a couple of times a weekend." The term "Caveman" comes from the fact that the menu is mostly paleo, although some dishes have corn — and because it's comfort food.

The menu includes several types of loaded sweet potato fries, such as the Southwest style that comes with black beans, corn, chicken and housemade vegan cheese sauce with vegan sour cream made with cashew milk. Other nondairy items on the food truck are made with coconut milk. Two types of tacos and two types of chicken wings round out the menu.

"All of our meat is sourced locally" and raised holistically, Laura said. The couple also sources as much of its other ingredients from local farmers as possible. Caveman Comforts is open 11 a.

m.-1 p.m.

and 5:30-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11:30 a.

m.-2 p.m.

Sunday. Owners Jackson Foltyn and Lana Niemann at Roxy's Candy Lounge Thursday, November 21, 2024, in Gladewater. (Les Hassell/Longview News-Journal Photo) Roxy's Candy Lounge in downtown Gladewater is on a mission of more than one kind.

Roxy's opened in December, with Lana Niemannn and Jackson Foltyn as partners in the business. But make no mistake, Roxy, Foltyn's daughter, is the CEO, Niemannn said. Roxy, 10, attends elementary school in Richardson and is autistic.

Niemannn said the for-profit business' purpose is two-fold: to give Roxy a place to learn skills and how to run a business so she can be self-sufficient and to help support a nonprofit organization Foltyn started called The Roxy Room. Roxy's Candy Lounge Thursday, November 21, 2024, in Gladewater. (Les Hassell/Longview News-Journal Photo) The organization raises funds to put sensory rooms in schools where needed and requested to help children on the autism spectrum, Niemannn said.

Foltyn is best known locally for purchasing the former Gladewater Opry and opening the Jackson Theatre there, where he presents a mix of live theatre and music. Niemannn said she and Foltyn also have plans to open Fulton's General Store in downtown Gladewater as well as an Irish pub and Airbnb rooms across the street from the Candy Lounge. Foltyn and Niemannn first became acquainted when she attended one of his shows.

She already owned buildings in town, she said, and they found common ground in their desire to help downtown Gladewater prosper. "The goal is to change downtown to a more vibrant area and have a night life also," she said. "This is a tourism town, and we want to bring more tourists in.

...

" Display cases filled with treats at Roxy's Candy Lounge Thursday, November 21, 2024, in Gladewater. (Les Hassell/Longview News-Journal Photo) Roxy's Candy Lounge, which is at 104 S. Main in Gladewater, features a variety of classic candy favorites as well as a variety of treats and desserts, such as different kinds of fudge, chocolate-covered Oreos, milk and white chocolate pretzels, varieties of truffles and other goodies.

As the business grows, a portion of sales from certain merchandise will go to support Roxy's Room. Roxy's Room is designed to give children on the spectrum a place to reset when necessary when they're at school. The size of the rooms depend on the need and feature things like cocoon swings, tents, sensory toys and other items to help provide peace for those children when needed.

The nonprofit organization, which Niemann said operates strictly on donations, has provided four rooms so far, including in Roxy's school at Prairie Creek Elementary, two in Liberty City and one in Spring Hill. Nineteen other schools have applied. Rooms cost about $8,000-$15,000, depending on the size.

The next ones are planned to go in Gladewater and White Oak schools. "This is strictly on donations that these rooms get done," Neimann said. Roxy's Candy Lounge is open 11 a.

m.-7 p.m.

Tuesday-Friday and 11 a.m.-8 p.

m. Saturday. For information, visit roxyroom.

org , Roscy]s.