VEGAN FOOD FOR ALL

JUICE PHARM OWNERS SAY THEY DIDN’T MEAN TO SNEAK UP ON PEOPLE

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATHLEEN MURPHY

The owners of Duluth’s Juice Pharm, Giselle Hernandez and Desiree Jenkins, didn’t intend to take their customers by surprise.

ut when the Twin orts first percent vegan restaurant comes to town and is not advertised as such, a few people are bound to get hooked by accident.

e ve discovered over the years that some people are turned off by the word vegan, enkins said. hich is a shame, because you don t have to be vegan to en oy a delicious plant-based meal.

Many of the food items on the menu at the Juice Pharm are obviously plant-based, such as the uices, smoothies and salads. But it is not uncommon for customers to order something like a gyro plate or tacos and find out after they finished that the meal contained no meat. They both told the story about one customer in particular who came in for lunch multiple times before it dawned on him that there was no meat in his favorite taco plate. e almost didn t believe us when we told him, ernande said. hen they first opened their ast nd location, they joked about opening a second store. “We were just so busy, the idea seemed ridiculous,” Hernandez said. A year later, the joke turned into reality, and their second location opened downtown in the skywalk. In their year at the East End location, they discovered they missed their downtown customers who had grown to rely on them for their morning smoothies and lunch breaks. The downtown location opened in June 2018 and is located across from Minnesota Power in the skywalk. or a first-timer trying out freshly-pressed raw uice, go to either location and try the old Tonic. ernande calls it a good opener for a person who is new to uicing, because it tastes like an elevated orange uice. It has extra ingredients, like carrots and turmeric, but they don t overwhelm the flavor. If a fresh smoothie seems more your style, try the Al reen, a green smoothie named after the American singer and

Hernandez started the Juice Pharm out of her home in uluth in by supplying customers with freshlypressed, raw uices. riginally, she focused on selling uice as a preventative type of food, a way to help people fight disease and remain healthy. As business grew, she moved into the Endion Station in Canal Park, then downtown to the ed erring, where she began experimenting with smoothies and smoothie bowls in addition to the uices.

Smoothie bowls are similar to a smoothie that one would drink with a straw, but are thicker and usually include toppings such as fresh fruit slices, granola and honey.

Jenkins joined Hernandez in the business in 2016, and in early 2017, they moved into their present location under Anytime Fitness on East Superior Street. Business immediately boomed, and they were able to branch off from uices and smoothies into real, plant-based meals such as soups, salads and taco plates.

The downtown location doesn’t serve the same hot dishes that the East End location serves, instead focusing on their signature juices, smoothies and smoothie bowls. The downtown location also has a cooler filled with “grab-and-go” items, some items made by the Juice Pharm, such as ready-to-go raw juices, some made by Ellen Vaagen, a vegan chef from Duluth. Customers can grab lunch-size servings of Vaagen’s Fleetwood Macaroni Salad or Spring Rolls with Thai Chili. Everything in the downtown location is priced under $10, with most items hitting the $4-$7 range.

They try to stay active in other areas of the community as well. They like to support businesses that fit their health model, such as donating a growler of juice to the weekly Jessica Rossing Fitness run club. “After a run, your body can feel dehydrated,” Jenkins said. “A watermelon-cucumber juice can really replenish and fuel the body after a workout.” The Juice Pharm is often found serving food and juice at events around the area, such as the recent Femn Fest in downtown Duluth.

If there is one thing both woman want people to know about their business, it’s that vegan foods don’t have to be scary. “We’re just being creative with healthy, plant-based foods,” Jenkins said. She encouraged people who are curious about plant-based foods to go to the East End location and try the Mexicali tacos, which are packed with flavor and feature a walnut-based meat substitute.

If You Go

JUICE PHARM — EAST END songwriter known as The ast of the reat oul ingers. hen asked if they have faced any obstacles as a woman and minorityowned business in uluth, ernande and enkins had different reactions to the uestion, but similarly positive answers. I never even thought about it that way, enkins said. or me, I think it was ust about having the confidence to move forward that was important. e ve never encountered a negative reaction, ernande said. uluth loves a woman-owned business. I feel so supported here. ❖

12 S. 15th Ave. E.

If you re new to green things, ernande said, you ll be shocked at how you can t even taste the greens in this smoothie. It s a good introduction to healthier foods.

Serves raw juices, smoothies, hot meals and salads.

Open Tuesday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

JUICE PHARM — DOWNTOWN

31 W. Superior St. – in the Skywalk

Serves raw juices, smoothies and grab-and-go lunches

Open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday