Led by a drive to be healthier and more sustainable, diners across the country are becoming increasingly more conscious of the origins and treatment of their food. Customers looking for locally grown, organic and minimally processed meals used to have a bit of a tough time finding restaurants that catered to those needs. But that�s no longer the case for students at the University of Houston.

Bare Bowls Kitchen serves up delicious grain bowls packed with meat and veggies sourced from local farmers and sustainably grown. With items like the Jamaican bowl that features organic jerk chicken, carrots, steamed spinach and smoked basmati rice or the Veracruz with shredded grass-fed beef, black plum tomatoes, goat�s feta cheese and heirloom scarlet runner beans, it�s hard to not find something that makes your mouth water. To top it off, all of the entrees on Bare Bowls Kitchen�s UH menu are gluten-free.

Though he has only been operating Bare Bowls Kitchen since January 2012, owner James Ashley is no stranger to the culinary scene. He has been a chef for 12 years and operated Pure Catering for two years with his business partner before leaving those operations to his partner and branching out into the food truck world.

His passion for the food that he serves plays a big part in his success to date, and it�s easy to see when talking to him.

�As a chef, you challenge yourself to learn about food in depth,� says Ashley. �Culinary knowledge is vast but follows one golden rule � the purity of the ingredients can be controlled from the start. There is no escaping the fact that I have the ability to help.�

Ashley has big plans in store for the UH campus as well, with a second truck almost ready to take the first�s place on campus, complete with all kinds of new bells and whistles.

�It has so many new toys,� said Ashley. �The fall menu is going to be ridiculously good!�

So stop by the food truck court in front of the University Center and enjoy a healthy, locally grown meal. Both your stomach and your conscience will be glad you did.

For more information about UH Dining Services visit www.uh.edu/dining.