Fruits & Roots Juice Bar’s new location is open and owner Heidi Jackson says she and her staff could not be happier with the reception they have received at Town Centre Mall.
"It's been really great; everyone has been open to the concept," says Jackson. "We're very happy to be here. It's definitely the move we should have made."
Jackson, who has made a career in the food service industry, has lived in Powell River for the past seven years and worked as general manager in some of Powell River’s best restaurants. After years of experience helping people open restaurants, she decided to go out on her own.
Jackson describes the juice bar’s new location in the mall across from CIBC as “very accessible” for not only seniors and other mall patrons, but anyone to drop in and grab lunch to go.
Fruits & Roots specializes in providing quick service, cold-pressed juices and superfood smoothies along with healthy, alternative cuisine to busy people who care about eating right.
“As lifestyles get busier and more chaotic, people are reaching for things that are quick and easy, so providing them with a healthy, quick and easy option is what I wanted to do and have been doing for the past couple years,” says Jackson.
The juice bar offers a menu that emphasizes healthy eating and offers a diversity of wraps, bowls and salads to satisfy vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters alike.
Popular menu items include the Falafel Wrap, which can be ordered as a salad, and a Beet and Kale Quinoa Bowl. Fruits & Roots’ Cobb Salad is made with chicken and eggs, and includes coconut bacon prepared in-house.
“It adds this lovely crunch to the salad,” says Jackson.
For those who cannot get enough of the bacon, Fruits & Roots now sells packages of it at the store. The business also sells its in-house-made savory, vegan, gluten-free waffles, which are also used with some of the sandwiches as a bread substitute.
Customers can find savory waffles along with a sweet waffle, and herb and cheese waffles in Fruits & Roots’ brightly decorated freezer, which is part of Jackson’s side gig called Wiffo Waffle.
According to Jackson, as the public becomes more health conscious of its eating, people are choosing healthier lunches to avoid feeling sluggish in the mid-afternoon.
Customers looking for a healthy lunch on the go are not the only ones Fruits & Roots is aiming to help. The juice bar is also promoting its plant-based meal-prep service as assistance for those who wish to embark on eating a plant-based diet but may not know exactly how to get started.
“We’re that outlet for people who might be struggling with an instant change in their diet,” says Jackson. “The staff is quite knowledgeable and we're open to making their experience with us as comfortable as possible during their difficult time.”
Several local doctors have been promoting the idea of residents eating more plant-based food for its health benefits, which can include weight-loss, reversing type-2 diabetes, and help with recovering from cancer, she adds.
"Getting rid of diabetes through food is amazing," says Jackson. "We get a lot of customers who are cancer patients that go towards our juices and smoothies to help with their process.”
The kickstart plant-based meal-prep plan offers customers a selection of breakfasts, lunches and dinners to choose from. They have a choice of ordering six, 12 or 18 meals online through the store’s website, in person at the juice bar or over the phone.
The plan requires customers to buy at least six meals and they must give three days notice for orders to be filled. Prices range from $69 to $190 plus tax. Delivery can be arranged for a small fee.
Fruits & Roots will have a booth at Powell River VegFest on Saturday, May 12, at Brooks Secondary School outside of Max Cameron Theatre. The event runs from 10 am to 4 pm.
For more information:
• 604.485.2346
• fruitsandrootsjuicebar.ca
• [email protected]
• Follow Fruits & Roots Juice Bar on Facebook and Instagram
