Just Call Her an Aficionado
Elaine Pearlman considers herself a granola connoisseur.
(ABOVE – FROM LEFT: Elaine Pearman and Tiffany Lustig launched Park Lane Pantry in April. Photo by Jenna Vanzant)
The Preston Hollow mom has been cooking up granola for the last 30 years and has tried it in every country she’s traveled.
(Photos by Clint Brewer)
“But two years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer, so after that, I had to become even more discerning in how I ate,” Pearlman said. Ingredients such as dairy, gluten, soy, and unrefined sugars were stricken from her diet. She also limited sodium and other sugars.
At her Park Lane home, Pearlman and her daughter played around with ingredients that fit her dietary needs.
“My daughter was like, we’re gonna figure this out, you know, we’re going to do something fun together, make something you could eat, and so we started making it,” Pearlman said. “And soon my daughter’s friends were eating it, my neighbors were eating it, and my friends were eating, and everyone in my life was eating it.”
Late April, Pearlman and SMU student Tiffany Lustig launched Park Lane Pantry.The duo has marketed the new granola as a snack food that can be enjoyed “anywhere or everywhere” like on yogurt, in a smoothie, or on-the-go.
The owners met through a family connection, while Lustig was looking to write a business plan for a startup company for her executive MBA program. After a blind taste test at SMU featuring several types of granola, Park Lane Pantry’s scored the highest in taste and texture, and the owners decided to launch the business.
Pearlman describes the vegan granola as having the perfect ratio of protein, snack, and healthy fat, just like a hardboiled egg. It is made with gluten-free oats, nuts, and fruits and sweetened with monk fruit, which has a low glycemic index.
The granola is also approved by the Cooper clinic which is a massive endorsement because of its standard for health, Pearlman said.
Lustig added that there’s also a special part to the story and the name, Park Lane Pantry, “because it’s rooted in the home, it’s rooted in family, it’s something that would be in your pantry because it serves your family.”
