After 12 years in the meal delivery business, initially in New York City and more recently in Southern California, Marianna Rossano decided to establish a higher standard of quality by launching her new venture—Z.E.N. Foods.

Her mission was simple; “to improve the product by finding new recipes, insisting on the freshest ingredients, and taking customer service to a higher level, in order to offer delicious food that allows people to be healthy, lose weight and still eat real food.” And to do all of this “without raising prices!” It’s worth mentioning that Z.E.N. Foods also provides a “convenience factor, “by saving clients over an hour each day, which is truly “the icing on the cake.”

Z.E.N., which stands for “Zero Effort Nutrition” delivers clean, healthy and tasty meals, tailored to clients’ specific dietary needs, right to their door. “Clients can just open the insulated bag, enjoy delicious food and lose weight, with Zero Effort,” Rossano says.

Benefits include:

• Weight loss
• Weight maintenance
• Sharper mental focus
• Stabilized blood sugar
• Increased energy
• Decreased cholesterol levels
• Saving over an hour each day

Every day, clients receive a cooler bag with a freshly prepared breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, and dessert. A sample day could include blueberry yogurt pancakes with blueberry compote and ricotta cream, a lunch of grilled chicken, strawberries, walnuts and shaved jicama on baby greens, a snack of crab cakes, dinner of honey-glazed salmon with whole-wheat couscous and brocollini, along with a petite blueberry cream pie for dessert.

The food’s incredible freshness requires daily deliveries from vendors which coincide with deliveries to clients each evening. “Even though we provide the highest level of quality, we’re a little less expensive than most of the other services,” Rossano says. “The few services that are cheaper are just not in the same league, and some of those are actually delivering frozen products.”

“And we are not just a diet program,” Rossano says, “we have people who sign up for the convenience of not having to shop, wash, slice, chop, cook or clean.” Z.E.N. is also the first meal-delivery service to offer a family plan for parties of two to twelve. “For example, a family of four can have a very healthy dinner for as little as $49.95, with side dishes and desserts, delivered daily,” Rossano says. “It makes everything so convenient for moms and dads who don’t have time to cook and clean up — Z.E.N. takes care of all your dinner chores.”

Another advantage is that clients get their own Z.E.N. counselor from day one who stays with them through the entire program, “They can call on a daily or weekly basis to make sure their needs are taken care of.” People can also be very particular; and we have to be able to handle that,” Rossano adds. Proprietary software allows the company to keep track of everyone’s plan preferences, and counselors will double check and confirm with calls “to make sure clients are getting everything they’ve requested.”

Z.E.N. foods works with A-list celebrities, athletes and “anyone who would like to improve their nutrition,” Rossano said. “We balance all of our clients’ meals, making sure they’re healthy; so our clients don’t have to think about that.”

Menus are designed by top dietitians and nutritionists with anti-aging superfoods and antioxidants, free of trans-fats, artificial sweeteners and preservatives, and calorie controlled. Meals are based on a 40-30-30 philosophy: 40 percent complex carbohydrates, 30 percent lean protein and 30 percent healthy fats.

Portion control combined with the proper balance of healthy carbohydrates, mono-unsaturated fats and lean proteins is the perfect prescription for weight loss.

Z.E.N. employs it’s own nutritionists, which have helped many celebrities reach their goals. David Allen, who has worked with Rossano for six years, has facilitated transformations such as Janet Jackson’s well-publicized weight loss. Allen has been recognized as the guru of weight loss.

Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical is a fan of the program, along with Holly Robinson Pete and her husband Rodney, a vegetarian, who also loves the program. Jazz guitarist and composer Kevin Eubanks, former leader of The Tonight Show band with host Jay Leno named his new album Z.E.N. Food, and in his dedication wrote, “Z.E.N. Food is the best food in the world.”

There is also the Z.E.N. Cleanse for those who want to loose a substantial amount of weight in six weeks. “People eat along with the cleanse, not just cleanse and starve themselves; which is not the way to loose weight,” Rossano said.

Those who visit www.ZENFoods.-com or call 818-764-9368 and mention The Beverly Hills Courier will receive a special trial week offer with two of the seven days free.