Growing up in Guatemala, healthy eating came naturally for cook Norma Thomson. As a youngster, she spent summers with her grandmother in a rural part of the country and would often go shopping at the local markets for fresh produce.In those days, ten cents would buy her all the basic ingredients for a soup stock, like beef bones, cabbage, carrots, onion and cilantro, and she would come back from those trips to the market feeling proud of herself. Her first soup attempt “came out delicious” and surprised many who tasted it, she said.Ms Thomson uses that same philosophy — that fresh is best — when creating her restaurant’s lunch menu at Nonna’s Kitchen. Her soups and chillies, as well as her pumpkin, corn and banana breads are all made gluten free and with hearty ingredients.She told The Royal Gazette: “I took a liking to food when I was really young and after those trips to the market I would bake and became the family cook.“It was kind of a passion to cook and I never really got into the unhealthy cooking with too many cheeses, creams and flour.“I kept to the Guatemalan form of cooking, which is gluten free, and unbeknown to me, it’s a big deal now because so many people are suffering from gluten allergies.”Throughout her many years in the kitchen, she has learned that healthy food doesn’t have to be void of good flavours. Her lentil soup, for instance, utilises spices like coriander, cumin and celery stalk “to make it taste good”.The soup starts with sautéed vegetables like tomatoes, onions and garlic, before lentils and the other flavourings are added to the mix.Her chilli, one of the more popular dishes at the restaurant, is made with ground beef, beans and tomatoes. She described the dish as being “super healthy” and “filling”.When it comes to her breads, Ms Thomson uses rice flour, which is known for being gluten free, as well as low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.She said the corn bread was based on a secret recipe she got from an ex-boyfriend, more than 25 years ago.After attending one of the former flame’s family brunches, she became hooked on his grandmother’s corn bread. It’s fair to say it was love at first bite.Ms Thomson was so eager to get the recipe she visited the grandmother on her death bed to get it.“What she gave me wasn’t the real recipe, but I started tweaking it until I got it right,” she said. “We don’t tell anyone what the special ingredient is, but people are raving about the corn bread.”One tip she suggests to help people get through that midday energy crash is to have healthy snack alternatives on hand at their desk. Something like home-made hummus, which contains chick peas, garlic, olive oil, lime juice and a little salt, can be used as a dip for celery and carrot sticks.The restaurant owner said her goal is serve customers good things that bring nourishment to their bodies. She also wants to do her part to help the environment by reducing waste and incorporating in reusable plates whenever possible.As a result, she believes many customers could feel the difference when they step into the doors of the Bermudiana Road eatery.“The people notice it when they walk into the kitchen, they are like ‘Wow, there’s a fun atmosphere here. There’s a kind of spiritual atmosphere,” she said.“I have two beautiful Bermudian staff members and we work really well together. It’s just been this beautiful environment to work in.”Ms Thomson described the restaurant, open since April, as the “hardest, most rewarding job I have ever had in my life”.She said her working hours during the week are typically long; she also has to insist on high standards of cleanliness and friendliness to keep customers coming back.“It’s easy to start a business and then if the reviews are bad you don’t last long. But I have had nothing but good reviews and I just want to reiterate to people there are healthy alternatives to food.”