ABOUT US
We help improve communities in Houston by using food as a tool for health
Our Vision
To change the food environment in Houston. Focusing on integrating the medical and culinary resources to create healthier communities
Bite of HOPE was created to improve the future of communities that struggles with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease in Houston. By demonstrating the power that food has over health and by teaching communities how to make simple, cost-effective, and tasty meals, people can manage disease or conditions and will live healthier and happier lives.
Bite of HOPE’s mission is to build healthier communities focusing on integrating medical and culinary resources specifically in the neighborhoods that lack adequate access to healthy food.
Outcomes 2021
Our Values
We proudly serve our community under the same core values of our parent organization, the Hope Clinic.
Our Team
Chef Chris Lott
Chef Lott is a native of Kansas City, Mo and a military veteran. He has lived in Houston
for the past 6 years and his culinary style reflects that of Houston’s diverse food culture- with ethnic flavors and influences, and high-quality fresh and local ingredients…
He spent thirteen years in the United States Army. As a sergeant, he mentored and provided essential healthcare administration training to junior soldiers. While in the Army, he had the opportunity to live in many countries, experience diverse food culture and ethnic cuisine first-hand. Upon leaving the Army, inspired by the people he met around the globe and the pride they have in their food, he decided to pursue a culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Austin, Texas.
Lott has earned his stripes both in the Army and in the culinary field with enthusiasm and strong work ethics. The Sergeant, now Chef, brings new energy to Bite of HOPE. He is committed to reducing diet-related health inequities and disease outcomes in Houston. Lott’s vision of helping the community starts with his powerful mantra of “Know what you’re eating and where it came from”. He understands the importance of preserving the integrity of the ingredients and working with what you have. He believes that nutritious meals are what allows Soldiers, children, and everyone to do their job well and accomplish their mission.
Chef Johana Garcia
Johana is a Habit Change Coach with a certification in Functional Nutrition, specializing in Intestinal Microbiome, and Plant-Based Chef.
Her mission is to inspire people to live a healthy lifestyle through her workshops and coaching…
Johana is a Habit Change Coach with a certification in Functional Nutrition, specializing in Intestinal Microbiome, and Plant-Based Chef.
Her mission is to inspire people to live a healthy lifestyle through her workshops and coaching. She loves sharing her recipes and meal planning tools to inspire people to cook more at home with high nutritional value ingredients.
Her goal is to spread her message of wellness to empower people to take control of their diet by making informed choices. She enjoys teaching the art of choosing whole foods and avoiding highly processed foods.
Johana always recommends that we become informed consumers and learn how to read nutrition labels. This will help us prevent diet-related diseases.
Chef Joseph Brozovich
Joe brings a vast range of world experiences to the table. He started his career in Copenhagen, Denmark where he staged in kitchens, observed other professionals, sharpened his skills and developed his own ways and styles.
Joe brings a vast range of world experiences to the table. He started his career in Copenhagen, Denmark where he staged in kitchens, observed other professionals, sharpened his skills and developed his own ways and styles. He returned to his home country Bolivia to work as the head chef of the Peruvian Embassy and later co-founded the restaurant Aji Gustro – the first upscale bistro whose goal was to elevate Bolivian cuisine. This restaurant spearheaded the current Bolivian gastronomic revolution which is transforming colonial cuisine into national pride and is redefining the perception of what indigenous cuisine can bring to the table. He is constantly recognized for being an intrical part of the transformative development of Bolivian cuisine in the last decade.
Joe is a firm believer that food is the best medicine of all. Following his interest for sustainable food and healthy diets, he moved to the U.S. to work for Temple Kitchen, a restaurant that offers food as preventive medicine. While here, he got invited to join the Coral Reef II, a non-profit research vessel owned by the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago that operates in the Bahamas. As part of his work, he became an avid diver and explored the Bahamas National Park and the different islands, and participated in numerous studies, including conch research and shark studies.
This experience changed his life and is what led him to pursue his masters in gastronomic tourism at the Basque Culinary Center. Here he was paired with Luciana Bianchi, a Brazilian scientist, journalist and chef, with whom he spent time at the Galapagos Island in Ecuador with the Galapagos Foundation – a non-for profit organization that trains young local and at-risk persons from the islands into sustainable culinary practices.
With this knowledge pack and passion, Joe is excited to be in Houston – the next culinary capital – and to be part of the movement that will reshape the image of the city through its unique flavors.
Andrea Caracostis
Dr. Caracostis is a physician and the CEO of the Asian American Health Coalition dba HOPE Clinic, a non-profit organization that provides health care services to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.
For the last 10 years, she has worked with HOPE Clinic’s Board of Directors developing a strategy to address the need for culturally appropriate care for the multicultural community living in southwest Houston. Under her leadership HOPE Clinic has expanded to a corporation with an $18 million budget with four locations in southwest Houston, handling over 120,000 patient visits annually.
During her tenure, HOPE Clinic has received several awards for its quality of care and innovation including: 2014 Impact Award from the Susan G. Komen Foundation; 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018: named National Clinical Quality Improver by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); 2017 Patient Centered Medical Home Level 3 (highest level) from The National Committee for Quality Assurance; and 2018 Access Enhancer by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Dr. Caracostis has served as a board member of the Texas Association of Community Health Centers, Susan G. Komen Medical Board, and the MD Anderson Institutional Review Board. She is currently a board member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community Health Centers Organization.
Dr. Caracostis’s career has centered on quality healthcare access and passion for eliminating disparities and improving the health status of minorities and other underserved communities. She has made tremendous contributions to HOPE Clinic’s success, and her important wo
Tabbie Saenz
Tabbie Saenz is the Bite of HOPE program lead. Bite of HOPE is the first healthy eating culinary institute whose objective is to provide a long-term solution to the burden of chronic disease. The program is training the next generation of chefs and food entrepreneurs….
Tabbie Saenz is the Bite of HOPE program lead. Bite of HOPE is the first healthy eating culinary institute whose objective is to provide a long-term solution to the burden of chronic disease. The program is training the next generation of chefs and food entrepreneurs, and working to create the new American diet – a new food culture with key emphasis health and gastronomy.
Tabbie has an economic and business background and has been working with small businesses and startups for over 15 years. She has worked with economic development agencies throughout Latin America and Europe, was a consultant for numerous multilateral agencies and has served as the commercial advisor to the U.S. Embassy in Bolivia.
She has extensive experience with structuring import and export activities, development of export compliance strategies, foreign-trade zones and representation relationships. With Alice (HelloAlice.com), the African Entrepreneurship Awards Program and the Founder Institute, she has helped entrepreneurs from around the world scale their businesses by connecting them to mentors, strategic partners and funding opportunities. Following her passion to support minority entrepreneurs, she joined BakerRipley’s Entrepreneurship Program where she worked hand in hand with Hispanic founders. She developed the first Spanish speaking pitch competition in Houston and is currently working on creating the first Latin Angel Houston Fund.
Tabbie is a believer that great connections can make or break an idea or a company and she is all about sharing her powerful network with everyone she encounters!
Yoshira Cuellar
Yoshira envisions a world where every individual is empowered to embrace a healthier lifestyle. Through her role in Marketing and Bilingual Communications, she strives to create meaningful connections within communities, fostering awareness and inspiring positive change…..
Yoshira envisions a world where every individual is empowered to embrace a healthier lifestyle. Through her role in Marketing and Bilingual Communications, she strives to create meaningful connections within communities, fostering awareness and inspiring positive change. Yoshira’s mission is to amplify the reach of Bite of HOPE, promoting health and well-being through innovative and clear communication strategies across diverse channels.
Our Advisors
Yoshira Cuellar
Yoshira envisions a world where every individual is empowered to embrace a healthier lifestyle. Through her role in Marketing and Bilingual Communications, she strives to create meaningful connections within communities, fostering awareness and inspiring positive change…
Yoshira envisions a world where every individual is empowered to embrace a healthier lifestyle. Through her role in Marketing and Bilingual Communications, she strives to create meaningful connections within communities, fostering awareness and inspiring positive change. Yoshira’s mission is to amplify the reach of Bite of HOPE, promoting health and well-being through innovative and clear communication strategies across diverse channels.
Our Story
HOPE Clinic’s mission is to provide quality healthcare to all people of greater Houston, regardless of their ability to pay. HOPE is committed to ending health disparities within the communities it serves by providing comprehensive health care through education and awareness programs that support healthy lifestyles and prompt access to quality healthcare.
Bite of HOPE was created to improve the future of communities that struggles with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease in Houston. By demonstrating the power that food has over health and by teaching communities how to make simple, cost-effective, and tasty meals, people can manage disease or conditions and will live healthier and happier lives.
Our Mission
The mission of Bite of HOPE is to empower and teach communities and medical professionals to make healthy lifestyle and healthy food choices.
Our Vision
Our vision is to create healthier communities in Houston, specifically in the
neighborhoods that lack adequate access to healthy food, by using food as a tool for health.
