At a time when protein dominates the conversation, The Butcher’s Daughter Functional-Forward Menu shifts the focus back to what often gets overlooked—micronutrients, plant diversity, and how food actually makes you feel over time. The new collaboration with performance nutrition specialist Mary Shenouda and ZOE’s Head Nutritionist Dr. Federica Amati reframes plant-forward dining as something more precise: a system designed for energy, recovery, and long-term health.
I spoke with Heather Tierney, founder of The Butcher’s Daughter, alongside Shenouda and Amati, to understand how this menu moves beyond trends and into something more grounded—food designed with intention, backed by research, and built for everyday life.
A Restaurant Built on Plants, Now Driven by Performance
For Tierney, the collaboration reflects a return to the restaurant’s core philosophy.
“We’ve always believed that eating and drinking well should feel rewarding,” Tierney said. “Mary brings a level of precision that aligns with how we’ve always approached ingredients—thoughtfully sourced and rooted in how people actually live.”
That thinking shapes the menu. Each dish is built with a clear function, but still carries the visual and sensory identity The Butcher’s Daughter is known for—color, texture, and balance across the plate.
The Shift: From Protein-Fist to Performance-First
Shenouda’s work with elite athletes—across the NBA, NFL, MLB, and Olympic track and field—centers on how small changes in nutrition translate into measurable performance outcomes.
“For over a decade, I’ve built performance systems for athletes whose careers depend on how they fuel,” Shenouda said. “Most people already have their protein covered. What’s missing is micronutrient depth.”
Her approach is built around a broader idea: every body performs. The same principles used at the highest level of sport can apply to daily life—whether that’s training, working, or recovering.
That philosophy translates directly into the menu:
- diversity grain bowl, built for sustained energy through fiber and plant diversity
- restore & recover smoothie, designed for recovery and muscle repair
- performance pancake, formulated to support focus and cognitive function
Where Science Meets the Plate
The collaboration extends beyond the kitchen through ZOE’s Daily30+, a plant-based supplement integrated into select dishes. For Dr. Federica Amati, the partnership works because it addresses a consistent gap in how people eat.
“Over 95 percent of people aren’t getting enough fiber or plant diversity,” Amati said. “Daily30+ was designed to address that, and we tested it in a randomized controlled trial to ensure it delivers meaningful benefits.”
Her work in public health and nutrition is rooted in prevention—understanding how consistent dietary patterns shape long-term outcomes. That perspective started early as during her training, Amati described a moment studying the link between diet and disease that shifted her direction entirely, reinforcing the role food plays as a modifiable factor in health.
Inside the menu, that research becomes practical. Instead of relying on short-term fixes, the approach focuses on consistency—building plant diversity, fiber intake, and gut health over time. “It’s not about doing something extreme for a few days,” Amati said. “It’s what you do consistently that matters.”
Rewriting What “Healthy” Feels Like
Tierney described the menu as a balance—something that needed to meet performance goals without losing the restaurant’s identity.
That balance shows up in small decisions. A pancake that delivers function without feeling restrictive. A smoothie that replaces an existing favorite because it works and tastes better. A menu that doesn’t separate “healthy” from “enjoyable.”
Shenouda’s framework supports that direction by focusing on the fundamentals first—fiber, diverse plant intake, and whole ingredients—before layering in anything more complex.
“Macronutrients get you into the playoffs,” she said. “Micronutrients win championships.”
The The Butcher’s Daughter Functional-Forward Menu is now available across Los Angeles, together, they’ve created a menu that connects how food looks, tastes, and performs—without overcomplicating the experience.
For more information about the The Butcher’s Daughter and specific locations, visit thebutchersdaughter.com
Check out the collaboration here, instagram.com
Photo credits: Photo courtesy of business/venue
