Hello friends and neighbors!

My name is Thanou (tuh-nu), most of my friends simply call me T and so can you!

This project began as a crowdfunding effort in the fall of 2021. We wanted to gather the community to help us create something incredible for our very own community in NW Peoria, AZ, and they showed up, enough to help us get the started we needed!

After fully testing our local market and developing our concept through pop-ups and events around NW Peoria in 2022, our base grew quickly and exceeded our expectations… So much that after 2.5 years of doing pop-ups… We’ve opened our much-anticipated storefront!

Westy’s is a gathering place to offer real, organic, locally sourced, nourishing food including toasts, smoothies, salads, and healing juice for our community, all the while, educating along the way on why food affects everything in our everyday life.

About me

Originally from Paris, France, my unique upbringing graciously allowed me to live in multiple states in my early years, followed by Europe during my college years where I met my amazing wife, Alison, a West Valley native. I’ve been a small business owner for over 10 years, a designer for over 16, and a husband to Alison, for 18. I’m also a proud dad of two incredible little foodies Benaiah (11) and Josephine (9).

I’ve been designing and consulting for local business owners and non-profit organizations large and small over the last decade. All of the branding and marketing is done in house, which is a huge savings for Westy’s! Prior to that, I was a young chef who helped open a small, privately-owned restaurant in the West Valley. I loved the adrenaline, the creativity, the people, and the experience. But being newly married and wanting to start a family took precedence over the crazy hours and lifestyle of the restaurant world, resulting in us putting a pin in that career path.

All in for Northwest Peoria:

We love this community dearly. From the small business owners, we interface with, to the good folks at our local grocery store we see almost daily and our local farmers. I’ve watched NW Peoria grow, expand, and develop into one of Arizona’s best places to live. I would love to contribute something unique with this effort and I plan for Westy’s to become not just one of the best businesses in our community, but one of the best for our community.

Strengthening our Community — We would like you to know that our mission is to support those who support the community we live in. Indespensible community members like teachers, nurses, police officers, firefighters, caregivers, small business owners, and of course families who would love to get good, real, healthy organic food into their homes.

When we get our storefront, you can expect a place that values real, honest food, supporting our local farmers and artisans bakers, a place that will truly gather the community around the concept of REAL food.

Why this project?

Isn’t it true that no one “eats normal” anymore? Between all the fads and diets out there hitting the market ever so often… there’s hardly any clarity as to what is good or bad for us these days. We’re on information overload and it’s rendering us incapable of making great decisions when it comes to food.

By providing real, simple-to-understand, healthy offerings, I hope to help our community regain confidence with food. Eating well is not far from reach! Food to nourish our bodies as opposed to breaking them down. It’s simpler than it seems and it’s truly available to anyone who simply wants to prioritize healthy eating habits in their day!

We’re not looking to introduce a diet, or an impossible lifestyle to uphold. Instead, we look to rally this part of our city to re-think the way we eat, we want to encourage you and give you guidance on foods that will make you feel better than yesterday. I personally value flexibility and grace when we aren’t able to eat as well as we should, especially during any given “busy” season in our home, or on vacations. With this grace comes hope. Mix that in with daily-renewed intentionality and you may be better off than you think!

Life is fast, it’s hectic and ever so demanding of us. Food shouldn’t be something to constantly stress out about. It shouldn’t be making us sick either but should be fuel to our mind and body. Life is also so precious and exciting, and giving it our best by keeping a healthy body will bring true richness as it is the foundation that allows us to do amazing things with our time on earth!

Northwest Peoria, together, I propose we be for real relationships, real community, real change, and real food.

Maybe then, will we nourish ourselves back to health in more ways than one and be our very best when others need us.

T.