1 of 5
Antwan Bradley, Sarah Robbins and Deborah Newkirk get juiced at JuiceFix in New Town.
2 of 5
At JuiceFix, juices and smoothies are made by hand from whole fruits and vegetables, some of which are locally sourced.
3 of 5
Louise Wood and husband, Chef Scott Hoyland, teamed up with Chef David Everett to open the eclectic Culture Café.
4 of 5
Culture Café strives to unite cultures and food by serving small plates, a uniquely communal dining experience.
5 of 5
Lokal is a vegetarian and vegan café owned by Eric Christenson.
Deborah Newkirk grew up plucking fruits and vegetables from her father’s garden in Grenada, where she learned the value of eating from the earth. “The soil was rich and every tree on the island was fruit-bearing,” said Newkirk, co-founder of JuiceFix Juicery, with locations in New Town and Fort Eustis.
At JuiceFix, her juices and smoothies are made by hand from whole fruits and vegetables, some of which are locally sourced. Newkirk said customers consume these healthy cocktails forincreased energy, cleansing, controlling inflammation and fighting colds.
“Eating healthy foods can be a great preventative medicine,” she said.
She recommends retail juicing for people who don’t have time to juice at home or for those who don’t like fruits and veggies in their natural forms. She said it’s even a great way to introduce kids to vegetables in a fun way.
“Kids come in and don’t realize they’re drinking fruits and vegetables,” Newkirk said.
Howard Hopkins, owner of Food for Thought, also knows a thing or two about encouraging healthy eating in kids. After realizing that few restaurants provided healthy options for children, he created one.
“Our kid’s menu features wild-caught salmon, vegetarian options,organic chicken strips and antibiotic-free burgers,” said Hopkins.
Food for Thought was the first restaurant in Williamsburg to embrace gluten-free eating.
“As I was coming up with the menu 12 years ago, an employee suggested adding gluten-free foods. I didn’t know what gluten-free was then, but now it’s a huge draw,” said Hopkins.
Chicken, seafood and beef are organic, wild caught or grass fed. Hopkins said that customers are sometimes surprised by the texture of proteins that haven’t been fattened up with additives and hormones.
“Consumers are not used to eating healthy animals,” he said, “But without a doubt, the consumers are looking for healthy foods.”
For vegan and vegetarian patrons, the restaurant offers Gardein Vegan Chicken (Cilantro-Lime or Jerk marinated), Beyond Burger, Gardein Veggie Burger, Homemade Quinoa-Lentil Burger, Tofu and Vegetarian Chili with Boca Burger.
Louise Wood also appreciates healthy fare that challenges the taste buds. She and her husband, Chef Scott Hoyland, teamed up with Chef David Everett to open the eclectic Culture Café on Scotland Street.
“Culture Café is simple, not pretentious; small, with good food and a really cool ambiance,” shares Wood.
On the café’s menu, a festive carnival of vegetarian and vegan dishes, there’s a cauliflower burger, avocado smash —crushed avocado with pepper flakes on toasted “everything” bread—tofu bowls and cocktails made with freshly squeezed juice.
“People shouldn’t be intimidated by healthy food,” said Wood. “Eating should be more adventurous.”
A stone’s throw from Culture Café is Lokal, a vegetarian and vegan café owned by Eric Christenson who loves to whip up healthy, whole food delights from scratch with produce sourced from local farms.
“Anything you eat here, we’ve made,” he said. “And we come up with all of our own recipes.”
At Lokal, you can enjoy chickpea tofu, black bean burgers, smoothies, organic bread and kombucha. Lokal also teaches classes on how to make kombucha and sourdough bread.
Christenson believes more people will adopt plant-based diets and he’s happy to help lead the way.
“We have a lot of people looking for healthy foods. It’s a direction we see the world going,” he said. “And our focus is giving them that healthy option.”