Paul Bass Photo
Alexis Evans at work at Raw Juicescape.
Alexis Evans was ready for the start of flu season with a natural weapon. Four natural weapons.
She assembled the weapons — fresh beets and ginger and carrots and green apples — on a cutting board.
It was Monday afternoon inside Raw Juicescape, the aromatic juice and smoothie shop Evans opened six months ago in a storefront at 770 Chapel St. The flu season had officially started. Evans was in the process of preparing one of her shop’s signature offerings. Dubbed the Fatigue Fighter, it’s packed with vitamins and minerals and immune-boosting antioxidants. Not to mention fresh flavor. And no junk.
Evans started by peeling carrots and beets and chopping the beets and a green apple. She then squeezed the juice from a lemon.
Evans bought the ingredients fresh that morning. She starts her days picking through the produce at a farmer’s market and an Indian market in Orange as well as on Long Wharf. All her ingredients are plant-based; no sweetened syrups or chemically enhanced mixes. The only ingredient in her shop that’s not a fresh fruit or veggie is an all-plant-packed protein powder.
“This is not Herbalife. This is life,” she quipped.
On to the Waring juicer. After pouring the lemon juice into a cup, Evans inserted the beets (“good for circulation”) into the machine. She starts with the beets in case the next customer wants a green drink — the subsequent ingredients wash away the root vegetable’s reddish-purple residue in the machine.
Then came the apples (“There are a lot of antioxidants in apples”); she chooses the less-sugary green over red varieties. Carrots followed.
Evans, who is 37 and lives in West Haven, researched “all fruits and vegetables” when she set out to open this shop to devise both the most healthful and tastiest juice combinations.
She previously worked as a nurse for Yale New Haven Hospital and the state. She was working at home as a care coordinator for the HUSKY program when, she said, an inner voice sent her a clear message.
“Open up a juice bar,” the voice told her.
She began researching the idea. She prayed on it. She prayed on it some more.
The voice returned weeks later. “Do it,” the voice said.
So she dipped into her savings and took the risk. She had no business experience. She had plenty of health experience. She considered that crucial. She views Raw Juicescape as a new stop on both her spiritual journey and her healthcare career.
“You can find fast food anywhere. We need more juice bars,” she said. “It’s still nursing, but in a different way.”
Evans topped off the Fatigue Fighter by running a thumb of ginger (“Vitamin A”) through the juicer. The cup was now filled with the juice. The shop was filled with an intoxicating burst of fresh ginger aroma.
Customers comment to Evans about the quick lift they get from the beverage. “When you have juice, it immediately goes to your bloodstream,” Evans noted. “Vitamins and minerals and antioxidants disperse. It will give you a pick-up pretty quickly.”
Evans placed a lid on the cup. She gave it a shake.
And there it was: A delicious, caffeine-free boost to restart the afternoon motor and fortify the body’s defenses.
Raw Juicescape, at 770 Chapel St., is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn more here.