Moms Serving Moms

Baby food from scratch? This Dallas company just made it easier for busy moms.

Life just became easier for North Texas moms with the desire to make baby food from scratch. The recently launched Lilly & Bella delivers fresh, organic produce and easy-to-follow recipes weekly to subscribers.

It’s similar to companies like Blue Apron, but this one, founded by local moms, provides healthful meal options for babies and toddlers.

“I was a new mom struggling with finding the time to cook or even grocery shop for my infant daughter while working a demanding full-time job as the director of charter schools in south Dallas,” says Lilly & Bella CEO Karen Salerno in a release. “After speaking with several mothers in similar situations, I decided I wanted to alleviate the stress of meal planning and grocery shopping as well as the guilt working parents have when they don’t have time to shop or prepare nutritious meals for their children.”

Subscribers choose from four stages depending on their child’s age:

Stage one (4-6 months) introduces babies to solid foods for the first time. Cost is $24.99/week for ingredients and two recipes.
Stage two (6-8 months) blends fruits and veggies together to introduce new flavors. Cost is $29/week for ingredients and two recipes.
Stage three (8+ months) moves away from pureed foods to chunkier foods and textures. Cost is $29/week for ingredients and three recipes.
Stage four is for young families who have graduated from baby food but still want weekly deliveries of fresh, organic produce. Cost is $34.99/week for ingredients and three recipes.

The company claims that by the time they reach the last stage, children will have tasted more than 30 different fruits and vegetables in more than 64 recipes. Those range from something simple like a puree of butternut squash (stage one) to chunks of eggplant, carrots, and pears (stage three).

As for delivery, they truly mean North Texas, as in all of the counties: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise.

Lilly & Bella enlisted a couple of key ambassadors. Sarah Penrod, Dallas celebrity chef, cookbook author, Food Network star, and mother of two, is assisting with the menu development. Dr. Melissa Waters serves as pediatric advisor.

The company also has a commitment to community. It hopes to create a network of mothers who share stories, ideas, inspiration, fears, and accomplishments. Lilly & Bella also donates boxes of produce to underserved communities in Dallas and recently partnered with Mosaic Family Services, which supports, educates, and empowers the multicultural individuals and families of North Texas.

Recipes are included with the produce.

Lilly & Bella baby food delivery service

Lilly & Bella/Facebook

Recipes are included with the produce.

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Money News

E.Sun Bank from Taiwan opens first location in buzzy Dallas market

Courtesy

E. SUN Bank

There's a new bank in town: E.Sun Bank, a financial institution from Taiwan, has opened a representative office in Dallas, at 2323 Ross Ave #730 — becoming the first Taiwanese bank in the city.

Founded in 1992, E.Sun Bank is one of Taiwan’s leading financial institutions, known for its customer-centric approach, digital innovation, and commitment to sustainability, with a growing international footprint in 35 locations across 11 countries.

The Dallas office is the second E.Sun location in the U.S. following Los Angeles, expanding its footprint to serve Taiwanese, Asian, and U.S. enterprises.

It marks Phase 1 of E.Sun’s Dallas expansion, with plans to offer full banking services — including corporate and commercial lending, trade finance, real estate project loans, and cross-border advisory support — after they receive regulatory approval to operate as a U.S. branch. In the interim, clients will be referred to E.Sun’s Los Angeles branch, ensuring seamless service continuity and responsive support for businesses navigating international growth.

A press release notes that Dallas is riding "unprecedented momentum," leading the nation in corporate headquarters relocations and business expansions in recent years. (The release even credits CultureMap Dallas for this declaration, making this absolutely one of the best press releases ever sent out in the history of PR.)

Fueled by a pro-business climate, a surge in tech sector investment, and the launch of the Texas Stock Exchange, the region has become a magnet for international capital — including major commitments from Taiwanese companies such as GlobalWafers, Foxconn, Wistron, and Inventec.

To celebrate the opening of its Dallas office, E.Sun hosted a gala event on October 30 which was attended by Chairman Huang, Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno, Director General Yvonne Hsiao of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston, members of the Greater Dallas Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce, and representatives from both U.S. and Taiwanese enterprises. The evening culminated in a cultural performance by the E.Sun choir, symbolizing the bank’s commitment to bridging cultures as well as economies.

The Dallas office complements the recently launched Taiwan Trade and Investment Center and reflects the deepening partnership between Taiwan and Texas, a relationship further reinforced by record-setting bilateral trade — totalling $25.6 billion in 2024 — and the launch of a direct Taipei-Dallas flight, which underscore the growing ties between the two economies. And let's not forget Taiwan concepts like Chicha San Chen, the Taiwanese tea chain that recently opened a location in Carrollton, where it's drawing lines around the block.

“Our new Dallas office is more than geographic expansion—it’s a commitment to powering the economic synergy between Taiwan and Texas,” says E.SUN Financial Holding Company chairman Joseph Huang. “As the region attracts global capital and innovative industries, we are proud to serve as both catalyst and cornerstone for the next era of U.S.-Asia partnership, supporting Taiwanese enterprises and facilitating mutually beneficial investments.”

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