EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A disabled veteran recently opened up a food spot in Northwest El Paso that caters to people who are looking for a healthier option.
Leonard Daye, 39, a disabled veteran and owner of the Toastique franchise location in Northwest El Paso, completed 13 years in the military and was stationed at Fort Bliss 10 years ago, where he finished his military career.
Daye’s family is from Jamaica. However, he was born at a military base in Fort Bragg in North Carolina and was the first person in his family lineage to be born in the United States.
Daye says his father completed 21 years in the military, which inspired him to pursue his own military career.
Daye says he was a platoon sergeant in the communications section of the military and was deployed to four locations.
Daye was deployed to Iraq in 2007-2008, Korea in 2008-2009, Afghanistan in 2009-2010, Korea again in 2011-2012, and was then sent to Fort Bliss in 2013. During his deployment, he monitored radios, satellites, and computers.
Daye says he got injured overseas during his deployment in Afghanistan after he was hit by a rocket that knocked him unconscious and led to him undergoing brain surgery.
“In Afghanistan, the terrain is very mountainous. So the ‘bad guys’ they just like to throw rockets over and hope that they land. It’s kind of like Battleship if you’ve played that game, and one of them landed in the camp that we were at, so I was running away from it, and it hit danger close, but it didn’t hit me specifically. So, because of that, I got knocked unconscious and I had brain surgery from it,” Daye said.
Even though Daye became a disabled veteran and his military career was finished, he says he’s grateful for what he experienced in Afghanistan.
“I wanted to take this experience and use it as fuel, because there’s a lot of other people that these types of things weigh on them and takes them to a dark place and they’re just not able to come out of, but I’m so appreciative and glad that it helped me propell exactly what I wanted to do out of life. I honed in on my energy and figured out where I want to be and how I want to do it. So I’m 100 percent grateful for the experience because it helped me to be exactly where I’m at today,” Daye said.
Daye also says that the military has helped with everyday things in life.
“It honed in my discipline and helped me grow it a lot more. It showed me a lot of structure. It helped me carry out orders. It helped me to regulate my emotions. When I’m doing things, I might be upset and frustrated, but the mission needs to happen, things need to get done, goals need to get hit, and it just helped me push straight to my goals,” Daye said.
After retiring from the military, Daye invested in Hot Worx, which is another franchise and has opened four locations in El Paso with 2,000 members.
Daye says the members kept searching for healthy places to eat in El Paso, which led him to invest in Toastique.
Toastique is a franchise that started in Washington, D.C., that offers fresh food made in-house.
Toastique offers a unique menu of gourmet toasts, cold-press juices, smoothies, smoothie bowls, specialty coffee, espresso, and more.
Daye says Toastique is different from other healthy spots in El Paso, as everything is made from scratch, and they use organic ingredients.
“Nothing is processed. Everything is organic, even down to the farms that we use. We specifically look for certain farmers who have guidelines that are within our parameters, so we can use their products. They can’t have pesticides, they can’t be close to any roads. We have a lot of different requirements because we want to make sure that we’re providing the kind of product that’s going to be the best for our customers,” Daye said.
Daye says Toastique caters to people who are searching for healthier food options in El Paso. However, everyone is welcome.
Toastique also offers a green, modern, and lively decor that’s different from your average healthy food spot in El Paso.
Daye says he also hired local artists to help with the decor to give Toastique an “El Paso” feel.
Daye says he loves El Paso as it offers a lot of opportunities in terms of starting a business and has gotten a positive response from the community on Toastique’s opening.
Daye says he’s planning on opening four locations in El Paso, with the next location being in the Fountains.
Toastique is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday and is located at 7470 Cimarron Plaza, Building 14, Suite 100.
To learn more about Toastique, click here.
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