Lemon Tree Café owners, Brendan Huttick and Craig Smith are turning back time becoming the first restaurant in Bermuda to offer Paleo (caveman) meals.The Paleo Diet (short for Paleolithic, also known as the Caveman Diet) has grown in popularity over the past couple of years. The concept is a throwback — 10,000 years to be exact — to the way our hunter-gatherer caveman ancestors ate.Paleo-friendly dishes consist mostly of fish, meats, vegetables, roots, nuts, and fruits and cut out anything refined or processed like sugars, grains and dairy.The high-protein, back-to-basics diet, which some call a fad, has become increasingly popular thanks to CrossFit fans who have adopted it along with their bare-bones, no-fancy-equipment-required fitness regime.Mr Huttick and Mr Smith say they decided to start offering Paleo-friendly meals after Derek Hurdle, one of the owners of CrossFit BDA approached them with the idea.Mr Hurdle says a few times a year, CrossFit BDA holds a “30-day Paleo Challenge” encouraging members to adopt the diet.“We challenge our members to eat Paleo for 30 days. We weigh and measure them before the challenge and at the end, we give prizes out to the members who have lost the most weight and inches,” Mr Hurdle said.“Craig was telling me about how they offer a healthy plate option at the Lemon Tree and he was wondering if that was something our members would be interested in. It just so happened that was around the time we were looking to start a new 30-day Paleo Challenge,” Mr Hurdle added.“So, Craig, Brennan and I sat down, I showed them what the diet was and asked them if this was something they could provide for and they said yes.”“It started as sort of just an experiment to see if there was a demand for something like this and it turned into a great deal for us and everyone that came in,” Mr Huttick said.The experiment worked so well, the Lemon Tree is now preparing breakfast, lunch, dinner and even snacks — all Paleo-friendly and gluten-free as well.But it’s not just a plate of nuts and berries you’ll get.Menu options include everything from coconut-crusted tilapia with broccoli and honeydew melon salad to fresh, homemade Paleo Buffalo chicken nuggets with a celery and carrot salad and mixes fruit. Wait, healthy chicken nuggets?Mr Huttick says it’s one of his many healthy experiments.“Yeah! The Paleo chicken nuggets are awesome. We grind all of our own meat now, so it’s ground chicken, coconut flour, egg, and then they’re crusted in ground flax seeds,” Mr Huttick said.“I’ve been having a ball experimenting with different cooking “I’ve been having a ball experimenting with different cookingmethods,” he added. “One of the most popular things, which was surprising to me, is our Paleo seed and nut bars.“They’ve got coconut, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, dried cranberries, a little agave syrup and then they’re pressed into a bar and baked.“When I first made them, I thought, these are going to be horrible. But they’re awesome! We can’t keep them in stock. If people don’t get their nut bars, they’re pissed at me,” he jokes.“He’s really hit it out of the ballpark with these dishes,” Mr Smith said.Mr Hurdle says his CrossFit BDA members have been giving the Lemon Tree’s Paleo meals rave reviews.“It worked out really well. Members were really happy with not only the size portions but the quality of the meals as well — not to mention the convenience,” Mr Hurdle said. “They [Lemon Tree] don’t open for dinner but they stayed open a bit later for us so people could pick up dinners before 5:30. It was great — members love it.”Mr Smith and Mr Huttick say the convenience is a big draw for busy working types just trying to keep their diets on track.“This is so convenient for the people who have just jumped into the CrossFit programme,” Mr Smith said.“All the CrossFit programs obviously want people to make the food at home because it’s a lifestyle change and we get that and we encourage that as well, but for convenience and for just starting off, it’s ideal.“It’s a big change trying to change your buying patterns for food — trying to figure out exactly what to buy and how to cook it. We do all the hard work for you. We buy the food, we cook the food, we package the food, it’s here ready for you to pick up — all you do come in and pay and go,” Mr Smith said.“You know, everybody’s busy,” Mr Huttick said. “It’s a convenience for people — otherwise, you’re gonna grab that slice of pizza and blow the whole thing. We’re trying to make it easier for them.”It’s not just open to CrossFit members. Anyone can order off the special Paleo menu.To sign up, customers just e-mail the Lemon Tree to get on their mailing list. They’ll then receive a weekly e-mail with menu options on it.All customers have to do then is select what meals they would like for the week, e-mail it back and show up during the pickup hours.“They come in, we know who they are, we’ve got their name, we’ve got their meal ready, they don’t have to wait, they come right to the cash register, and they’re cruising through our line,” Mr Huttick said.The Lemon Tree also offers other healthy plate options.“We do Nutrifit meals, we do Paleo meals, we do diabetic-friendly meals — beyond that, if anyone has any special dietary needs, we can actually accommodate them pretty easily — just let us know,” Mr Smith said.January and February are typically the slowest months for the Island’s restaurants, but the duo says while they’ve been helping CrossFit members eat clean and keep trim, the new concept has helped their business stay strong in the leaner months.“It’s just been awesome for us. It made our January,” Mr Huttick said.“Normally, coming into the New Year it’s a struggle to survive until season, but this has given us another revenue stream that’s really helped us survive.”“Not only are there fewer people on the Island, there’s less budget for the people that are here, so it’s a shrinking market.“So, when we can diversify and offer different programs like this, it’s huge for us,” Mr Smith said.“We’re trying everything. And this has worked. People are happy, the feedback’s great, we’re happy to do it.”To sign up for the Lemon Tree Café’s Paleo meal programme, e-mail lemontree@transact.bm.For more information, visit their Facebook pages at www.facebook.com/pages/Lemon-Tree-Cafe.