Vegan Juice Bar Brings Fresh Options To Dallas Food Desert – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

When entrepreneur Tisha Crear first bought the land for her vegan juice bar in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, people regularly asked her who would buy fresh juices there.

“My thought has always been that people want fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. It’s just a question of access. “

That was about five years ago. Recipe Oak Cliff has since garnered hundreds of rave reviews from customers across all walks of life.

“There are aunts and grandmas who are looking for something healthy. You have teachers and other business owners and workers. You have young brothers with complete gold fronts. “

Born and raised in Dallas, Crear embraced vegetarianism at a young age after a theater friend introduced her to the concept. In a state known for barbecue and brisket, that meant “lots of peanut butter and jelly and lots of grilled cheese sandwiches.”

Over the years, she experimented and eventually settled on the fresh, nutrient-dense foods she serves in her cafe today. Menu items like barbecue jackfruit and taco salad have a southern flavor with healthy ingredients. Hibiscus tea, their top seller, is rooted in cultural traditions around the world.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crear was selling gallons and gallons of juice as customers searched for immune-boosting food. At the same time, their already small workforce had shrunk for security reasons. So she decided to open her kitchen space to vegan chefs who were forced to close their pop-ups at the local farmers market.

The ethos behind this arrangement, which became common space for about a year, is nothing new to Crear. Her career has long been focused on strengthening her community, from starting a local poetry ad in her twenties to more than a decade in the city’s cultural affairs office to starting the Susu Cultural Business Incubator & Co-op.

In the midst of increasing gentrification, Crear is determined to “participate in this growth and not let it displace you”. As she works to beautify the exterior of Recipe and produce online cooking classes, Crear hopes to show what this can be like and how to go about it – in every community.

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