Three Marion restaurants get Blue Zone designations

Marion is making strides at becoming a healthier community. Now a Blue Zone Site, the city has been recruiting area businesses to jump on board with the initiative.

Ramsey's Metro Market, the Hy-Vee Kitchen, and Christopher Ryan Bakery and Café have all received Blue Zone designations.

Christopher Oetker, owner of Christopher Ryan, started out baking cakes in his home, then moved to Newbo Market where he sold sweet treats. It wasn't until he opened his shop off Twixt Town Road, however, that Oetker expanded to serve lunch and dinner and decided to balance out the sugar with healthy options.

”The biggest thing is we do is as much locally sourced as we can and we're about 97 percent from scratch which makes a big difference. You can tell in the bread there's no preservative and you can tell in the meat it makes a difference,” Oetker said.

Blue Zone gives restaurants a checklist with about 30 requirements to meet before receiving the designation. The list includes the requirement that the restaurant serve smaller portion sizes and not include salt and pepper shakers in their table setup. Marion officials are aiming for at least 25 percent of locally-owned restaurants be designated.