Granny Feelgood's Founder Irving Fields Passes Away At 77
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- The man who is said to have brought tofu to Miami - Irving Fields - passed away this week.
His daughters - Marci Fields Kolondra and CBSMiami's Lisa Fields Cilli - believe he did and that he also changed the health food habits of many South Floridians.
Back in 1971, Fields founded the original Granny Feelgood's eatery in Coconut Grove.
The health foods spot with its brown rice dishes, whole-wheat pasta and tofu Reuben turned into a franchise with locations opening up across South Florida including Lincoln Road Mall, the Fontainebleau spa and two spots in downtown Miami. A spot even opened in Breckenridge, Colorado.
Years later, in 2004 to be exact, he sold Granny's but never stopped presenting his clean eating concepts to those wanting to try it.
"I worked for him for 20 years at Granny's and it was a special relationship," Fields Kolondra told CBS4 news partners the Miami Herald.
"I'm one lucky daughter to have had Irving as my father," said Fields Cilli. "He taught me to be the person that I am today. People always told me how he always said he was so proud of me but actually I was always so proud of him."
Fields spent much of the last decade as a cafe manager at Books & Books in Coral Gables.
He died Wednesday from multiple health complications. He was 77.
Fields is survived by his wife, two daughters, and grandchildren.
