MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Miami Heat fans may know Ray Allen for one of the most famous shots in franchise history.
Now, the Hall of Famer and his wife, Shannon Allen, are focused on changing how people think about fast food.
Inside their South Florida restaurant, customers can find organic bowls, smoothies, burgers and fries.
“Basically reinventing the fast food experience -- providing real food for busy people, making it accessible and affordable,” Shannon Allen said.
For the couple, the mission is personal.
Their son Walker was 17 months old when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes during a medical emergency.
“Walker’s blood sugar is 639. He has Type 1 diabetes. He’s entered a phase called ketoacidosis, which means his blood sugar is poisoning him to death,” Shannon Allen said.
She said she didn’t know anything about insulin or the disease at the time but was determined to help her child.
“Overnight, we became activists and advocates for Type 1 diabetes, for research, for a cure, and our whole life changed,” she said.
“We were really blessed that we had this incredible stage. Ray won an NBA championship two days later, and we could tell people about the warning signs of Type 1,” she said.
The experience changed how they looked at food.
“As an athlete, I’ve always tried to figure out cutting-edge eating,” Ray Allen said. “So when it came to Walker being diagnosed, that was like, it compounded our mad science experiment for us and how we moved through paying attention to food.”
Shannon Allen said the idea for their restaurant came during a real-life emergency.
“If nobody has big enough balls to reinvent fast food, I’m going to have to do it,” she said. “And that was the moment Grown was born.”
What started as a family mission has grown into a business focused on offering convenient food without compromise.
“Shannon is the muscle, the brains,” Ray Allen said.
“I’m the Grown woman, but he and Walker, our kids and our grandkids are the inspiration behind it,” Shannon Allen added.
The restaurant continues to expand its menu, recreating fast food favorites with organic ingredients, including grass-fed burgers.
For Ray Allen, nutrition has long been part of the game.
“There are only three ways that professional athletes get a competitive advantage: it’s sleep, hydration and nutrition,” Shannon Allen said. “It’s not about your strength and conditioning feature, or your sleep coach, or your acupuncturist, or cupping.”
Now, it’s the foundation of their business.
“Professional athletes, weekend warriors, busy families trust what we are providing every single day,” she said. “I mean, a big part of it, I think, is that people know that Ray lives in each year, and obviously, he’s a specimen at 50 years old.”
At the center of it all is their son.
“Walker’s 19 years old right now by the grace of God. He’s our why,” Shannon Allen said. “You would never guess that this boy has a life-threatening medical condition.”
She said they plan to continue growing the business and recently launched a podcast aimed at uplifting women.
Grown is located at 8211 S. Dixie Hwy. near South Miami. For more information on the restaurant, click here.
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