Liza's of Troy
Walking into Liza’s, even during these strange pandemic times, visitors are greeted with effusive warmth, a riot of plants, carefully crafted local retail items and a holistic approach to hospitality in every sense.
Liza Morgan, owner of Liza’s, sees food as fuel, and she aims to provide customers with the highest grade, while at the same time showing them that clean, whole, nutritious eating doesn’t have to be boring, bland or unfulfilling. She points to her “Cacao Me Crazy” smoothie, which tastes like a peppermint patty but is made with raw cacao, carob, plant-derived chocolate protein, coconut butter, almond butter, peppermint extract and organic almond milk.
“Health is first an individual practice, which I ultimately developed into a holistic lifestyle and eventually, a business,” says Morgan likening her process of becoming a successful entrepreneur to her health journey. “For me, health isn’t a disconnected or distinctive piece. It is whole. Health is a circle, not a slice of the pie. It is my experiences that triggered a chain of events that brought me on my journey.
To say nutrition is a passion of mine is an understatement. But if I can help one person make a better decision about what’s going into their body once a day, I know I’m doing something right.”
A seemingly natural health enthusiast, Morgan took a circuitous route to understanding the relationship between food and health.
“I was recruited to play field jockey for the University of Albany in 2012, and during my freshman year, I had an unfortunate back injury outside of practice. The back injury left me in pain, unquestionably frustrated, physically and mentally. I was unfamiliar with the Albany area, I have no family here and, naturally, I just went by what my superiors told me would be best in regard to physical therapy and recovering. Nothing seemed to be working, though. It wasn’t until I went back home to Pennsylvania that I was referred to Dr. Lee Lausch. We worked on retraining the neurological pathways so my brain could tell my body what to do better. When you start to work on rehabilitating the body (for me, it was strength), you need to have the resources, which was food.”
In retrospect, she thanks her body’s “failings” for opening the doors to explore the manner in which nutrition can help propel the body to live its most active and sustainable life. Not that she eliminates pure pleasure in the process. “I want to provide dishes for my customers so when they’re finished consuming, they feel fueled and energized,” Morgan says. “Sure, do we go a little overboard with brunch items on the weekend (pancakes and waffles especially)— but we never stray away from one of our many values of using quality and minimal ingredients.”
In 2013, Morgan was diagnosed with celiac disease, which prevents the body from breaking down gluten and causes inflammation and the inability to absorb nutrients. She dedicated her college years to learning more about the relationship between food and wellness, and became a frequent customer at Honest Weight Food Co-op and at farmers’ markets in the region.
She managed to balanced her newfound love of locally sourced farm-fresh food with school, work and being a Division I student athlete, using the funds she earned at school to backpack around Europe and Asia, which only underlined her love of agriculture and authentic flavor.
“Armed with what I embodied about food, those trips were an incredible opportunity for me to expand my palate and knowledge base,” she says. “I loved the different traditional growing and cooking techniques of Southeast Asia, the array of spices and flavors, the unparalleled experience of wine tasting in Italy, and I brought all of that home with me.”
When she graduated from Albany, she moved to Troy, sensing that the city would offer her a wealth of opportunities to flex her foodie and creative muscles. Morgan worked at a who’s who of progressive, engaged organizations, from Capital Roots to Copper Fox to Lucas Confectionary.
“I was incredibly encouraged by the work experiences I had while also being mentored by other business owners in Troy,” she says.
But Morgan wanted to share her own distinct vision and ethos with fellow food-lovers.
“I’ve worked in food service since I was 15. I knew after I had experienced a desk job after college; the chaos of the restaurant industry was just second nature to me and the hospitality industry is just where I belong, whether that be front of the house or back of the house. The experience, connections and interpersonal skills you learn in this industry go unmatched to any other industry. I wholly believe that human connection is best made through sharing a good meal, and at the moment there’s nothing I’d rather be doing in my career than just that. I had something to share, and Troy spoke to me.”
It’s safe to say that the community was here for it.
“When we opened our doors in June 2017, we had a line out our door, across the street and into the alleyway,” Morgan recalls. “It was amazing. It became clear almost immediately that we’d have to expand, so that same year, just 5 months later, we moved to our current location at 53 3rd Street, with an expanded space and menu. Troy has been so welcoming to my business but also to a diverse range of other small businesses. To be a part of a community that encourages young entrepreneurs like myself to make dreams a reality is sentimental,” Morgan says.
Her vision and ethos is reflected in her menu.
“Our entire menu is gluten free and thoughtfully sourced,” Morgan explains. “It’s important to me that while using minimal ingredients to make all of our in-house condiments, pesto, dips, dressings, etc. that we’re also sourcing high-quality goods, and that also goes for our coffee and tea. I do believe the food we eat is only as good as the source it comes from.”
While Liza’s in Troy has been a wild success, Morgan has had her share of trials and tribulations.
“We closed our second location in Schenectady shortly after the pandemic set in,” she says. “It was emotional, especially only having been open for 15 months. That’s really when a business truly starts to become established, at least in my opinion. But after the reality sunk in of ‘numbers don’t lie,’ I could no longer ride business on emotion. Unfortunately, we had construction outside of our establishment a few short months after opening. It lasted far too long and was truly devastating. I mean, you’d open our door and within arm’s reach was the construction fence. For anyone who has owned a business in a construction zone, they’ll attest to its effect.”
In addition to the noise and logistical chaos of launching a business in a construction zone, there was suddenly no parking and a constant question from customers if the business was even open.
“People would call and say they had hopes to come in, but they couldn’t find parking,” she says. “It was so awful, and frustrating, but my staff at the time were incredibly patient, creative and never gave up hope. I can recall a Tuesday in March 2020 when my manager of Schenectady called me to tell me we had one customer all day. We were already financially playing catch-up due to the construction, so receiving that call was like the straw that broke the camel’s back. What some would perceive as failure, was the greatest lessoned learned for me. No reason to dwell on what was or what wasn’t, I just know all the decisions made in the past that didn’t benefit the business or myself will never be made again!”
But that experience hasn’t scared her off of expansion.
“I can’t get into specifics, but I have people that believe in me and what I do,” she says. “I’m actively looking for spaces in Saratoga Springs, and they are too. It’s always been on my radar, and I undoubtedly know it would be a perfect place for a second Liza’s.” Spa City, indeed, seems like an ideal host for healthy indulgence.
For now, find Liza’s at 53 3rd Street in Troy.
Liza Morgan’s Current Go-to Menu Items
Smoothie: Royal Berry X-Rated or Raspberry Coconut (it’s new!)
Hot Beverage: Fat for Fuel
Iced: Saratoga Tea & Honey Matcha + housemade cashew milk
Food: Breakfast hash, or anything with eggs and kale pesto!
Superfoods: Bee Pollen, Hemp Seeds and Maca
This trio appears in several dishes at Liza, which offers a seasonal and rotating menu, with perennial favorites and an expanded brunch menu on the weekends. The ingredients reflect her focus on uncompromising deliciousness.
Liza’s | @lizasoftroy
Capital Roots | @capitalrootsny
Lucas Confectionary | @lucasconfectionary
