Ideas are the seeds that grow into a garden of reality…

CLE Juice Box seeds were planted long ago. I don’t recall a time when I wasn’t passionate about flavors, ingredients, and food.

Born in 1970 in the 63rd & St. Clair area of Cleveland, Ohio, I was surrounded by first and second generation Slovenian immigrants. Food was rich (both literally & figuratively) in tradition. Meals brought us together for both sustenance and conversation.

In 1974 we moved to Geneva, Ohio, an agriculturally rich area 50 miles East of Cleveland. There I grew up in a household with four generations. We always had a garden and everything was grown or made by the hands of my family.

Life was not perfect and we didn’t have much but one thing that brought me joy was food; not just the physical act of eating, but the entire experience of picking it from our garden or that of a local farmer. I would research delicately aged recipes from my family’s old wooden recipe box, which I still keep in my kitchen today, for dishes I could make. Our galley kitchen had saloon style shutters and I would close off the outside world to plan my menu. Once it was decided what I was serving, I would emerge from the kitchen pencil and scrap paper in hand to collect “orders” from my family.

Cooking was a way for me to express my creativity and with it I found that I could bring joy to others. Having very little money, I discovered early on that cooking was my way to show my love and appreciation.

Using and eating fresh ingredients was something I was extremely passionate about.

I had my first juice when I was 5 or 6, when my grandmother purchased a Jack LaLane juicer. I cannot say that I loved the taste, but I did appreciate the valiant effort by my grandmother to feed us healthy food.

I continued to cook and shared my passion for eating with my friends, most of whom were both baffled and intrigued by my obsession. We still laugh about how excited I would get over food. Even today the excitement has not faded.

With food being my first passion, my ying…it seems appropriate that exercise and fitness be my yang.  

Eating mindfully started to evolve naturally along with staying active through weight training and running. Eventually I earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Kent State in Nutrition and Dietetics and a Plant Based Nutrition Certificate from eCornell, a division of Cornell University.

Today eating for optimal health is even more critical. Our hectic schedules and the increase in consuming processed convenience foods leave us with nutrient deficient calories and foreign ingredients that prove to be taxing on our bodies manifesting into internal inflammation, allergies and diseases.  

Over the years my eating has evolved into eating more for function or fuel than for just taste. As far back as I can remember, I've had issues with my sinuses and clearing my throat, which, for a runner, is a real drag. It’s hard to run and breath when you feel like you’re choking!

I started paying close attention to the foods I ate and found that processed white flour, white sugar and white starch were the three big components of my diet that caused my body to react. I eliminated white flour, white sugar and white starch and the post nasal drip and throat clearing went away! Living my entire life with these, and other, issues, I feel like I had experienced a small miracle! I’m definitely not “cured.” If I am not diligent and mindful of what I eat, the issues return and are seemingly more violent.

Eating vegetables has never been an issue for me in that I love them, but like most, somedays, I too find it hard to get the amount that I feel I need. This led me to loving the idea of juicing. It’s such an efficient way to shake your body’s foundation to the core; in a good way. How else can one possibly consume POUNDS of fresh produce in a few big gulps?

A variety of concentrated deep greens (possibly some of which you would never think about eating by themselves) when combined in a juice, are a power packed influx of nutrients broken down and ready to be absorbed by your body, which upon consumption is saying “It’s rock and roll time.”

“It’s rock and roll time” indeed!! This is Cleveland, rock and roll capital of the world, which is why I chose to name my juices after rock bands, rock songs, and other genres of music.

Living healthfully should never be a fad. Eating mindfully will never go out of style. It’s time to rock that body.

x Erika