Watch CBS News

Organic Baby Food Turns Into Business For S. Fla. Mom

PALMETTO BAY (CBS4) -- Parents always want the best for their children and that includes the food they eat. A Palmetto Bay mother is a firm believer that it's never too early to start children eating healthy and fresh and now the rest of South Florida can benefit from what this health-conscious mom does.

At the young age of two, Gabrielle Zulueta knows what is good for her and that is because her mother Veronica Rives gave her a fresh and healthy start the moment she was born.

"You are setting them up for a whole lifetime of healthy eating, Rives told CBS4's Marybel Rodriguez.

Rives, who suffered from food allergies and asthma wanted to minimize the possibility of her daughter's risk so she began to do her own research while she was still pregnant. What she found, however, concerned her.

"Most of the baby food found on the shelves were jarred, I wanted something fresh and organic that did not have pesticides or steroids," said Rives.

As a result, the busy Palmetto Bay mom and real estate attorney decided to cook the baby food herself using only organic vegetables, steaming and pureeing them. Rives later began incorporating meat into her daughters diet keeping them organic as well.

"In my opinion getting their taste buds ready to taste a whole array of different things," said Rives as she cooked her famous picadillo with ground organic turkey.

Veronica's delicious fresh dishes were such a hit with her little one that she wanted to give other parents, especially working moms with not much time to spare the same option. That's when she opened up a business called Petit Cuisine, a delivery service of fresh organic meals for babies and toddlers.

Petit Cuisine offers free delivery in Miami-Dade County and includes a delivery charge outside of Miami-Dade.

If you'd like to try two of Rives trusted organic recipes:

Click Here for Havana Nights Stage 2
Click Here for Turkey Picadillo

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.