I have been a fan of the healthy lifestyle food truck, Raw & Juicy, located in Seaside, Florida since its inception, as the food and cleanses offered have served me well through my binges on assignment as food and travel writer, and as a lover of great cuisine and libations in general.
For many, when the New Year rings in so do resolutions. The most popular goals are typically to improve physical well being, eat healthy food, lose weight, exercise more, change dietary lifestyle, drink less alcohol, improve mental well-being, to think positive, laugh more, and to enjoy life to name a few.
Fortunately, visiting or residing on 30-A near the waters edge can help with some of the above, but when seeking quality sources to meet dietary needs, your best bet is to head to the Raw & Juicy Airstream located directly on 30-A in the town center.
Jenifer Kuntz is the owner of Raw & Juicy and knows a thing or two about the search for tasty and healthy raw food selections, as when she moved to 30-A over ten years ago, she made it her mission to source out the best. She found that fresh, light, raw, vegetarian, and vegan offerings were slim, and explained, “In searching for whole foods and in trying to find my place on 30-A, I felt like a cat trying to get out of a bag!”
On a whim she bought an Airstream and had to retro fit the trailer, find equipment, and get organic distributors, something difficult to do in the South. Jenifer spent months looking for a place to locate the trailer along 30-A with no luck, until she had a sit down with Daryl Davis to discuss the idea of a juice bar and the opportunity was born.
To gain more community support and to share the knowledge of what she was trying to accomplish (educating the community on living a healthier lifestyle), she began the Seaside Farmers Market in 2008. Now, eating a high quality, locally sourced diet of organic foods is at every local and visitors fingertips, and Jenifer also adapts her real-food cleansing program to meet her customer’s needs. “A raw and juicy lifestyle is not a single meal, but a choice that looks good on everyone,” said Jenifer.
Raw & Juicy makes eating clean a breeze with a daily chalkboard menu filled with delectable green juices, smoothies, and live whole food options. Everything is made by scratch, from hand, and all selections are delicious. Popular choices include the veggie-hummus wrap, kale salad, raw yogurt parfait with strawberries and the Costa Rican bowl, perfect for those on the run or needing to get back to the beach. It is nourishing, satisfying, and is filled with brown rice, black beans, salsa, avocado, and a squeeze of lime.
In June 2014 Raw & Juicy was named one of USA Today’s 10Best: Juice bars across the country. As a raw food chef from Matthew Kenney Academy and an Ayurvedic Consultant from Maharishi University, Jenifer also makes guest chef appearances and teaches classes in raw food preparation, yoga and hosts raw food retreats. Take care of yourself and choose clean food that revitalizes your body by visiting Raw & Juicy and your local farmers market. If seeking a lasting change, Jenifer says, “Choose a New Year’s resolution that nourishes your mind, body and spirit, like a 10 minute meditation, daily gratitude practice, or incorporating a green juice into your diet and you will see a real transformation in your entire being!”
Raw & Juicy is located at 2255 East County Highway 30-A in Seaside, Florida. They can be reached by phone at (850) 231-0043. For more information on Raw & Juicy, the classes, appearances and retreats, visit their website at www.rawandjuicylife.com.
Susan Benton is a food and travel journalist, blogger, and the owner of 30AEATS.com where she shares her passion and her commitment to promoting local farmers, fishermen, chefs, artisans and restaurants along the Gulf Coast. Look for the 30A Eats cookbook on shelves near you in 2015.