Archives for August 2017

TJS Events: Oh, The Places We’ll Go….

August 2, 2017 By Jen Chase

Worker bees can’t stay in the hives all the time, right? Gotta get out there and spread #NewsYouCanUse about what we’re doing behind the scenes. So since all cold-press and no cold-play makes our bees super dull, we’ve got some outside events that’ll bring us closer to our greatest commodity: You.

Aug. 17, 2017

On this day, TJS will provide juice tastings and vegucation to some 300-400 attendees of the Healthy Body, Mind and Soul event at Mountaintop Faith Ministries’ three-day Women’s Conference, “Activate Your Power.” (You can learn more about it by clicking here.)

July 12, 2017

And as we rearview mirror to last month real quick…there was some happy TJS news to share when The Juice Standard was honored to accept TMG Entertainment’s 2017 Silver State Award for “Best Juice Bar.”

How’d we do it? Thousands of juicers had cast their votes among some pretty heavy-hittin’ juiceries, and we were grateful to have been grouped along with Juice NV, Pressed Juicery, Fruits and Roots, and Elevated Juice. And while there could only be one winner, we were super proud it was us.

But there was more to the story than just #TJSForTheWin.

If you’re familiar with our Facebook page (and seriously, Bees, you are, right?), we shared this story last month but it bears repeating.

Sophia working her business face with style with mum, Marcella Williams.

The night of the awards, TJS Co-Founder and COO Marcella Williams took a super special guest to accept the award on the company’s beehalf: her daughter, Sophia. And while the schmooze and schpiel factor was in overdrive—participants from across Nevada’s wellness community excitedly sharing their products and success stories with all who’d listen—a night that could’ve overwhelmed Miss Sophia and her first award event (!) turned her into a prideful, seasoned pro by night’s end as Momma Marcella watched her little girl blossom with each new person she met. And like a bee to blossoms, Sophia navigated each booth, table and rep with the grace of TJS’s very best worker bee…making her momma proud to watch Sophia’s confidence unfurl.

So, Bee Parents: Don’t underestimate the hidden beeauty in gently nudging your littleton outside their comfort zone. Confidence can be cultivated in the darndest of places…even at a red-carpet awards events, dressed in pretty purple frocks on their birthday. (Wink.)

Congrats, Sophia, for helping TJS add even more meaning to an award we’re proud of!

(And if you didn’t click on that Coldplay link way up above, this is why you should always click on TJS links:)

Friends Who Juice: Malik Hansbrough

August 2, 2017 By Jen Chase

The numero uno compliment we hear from fanbees (after folks shine on our recipes, natch) is about our customer service…and if there’s a worker bee beehind the counter who takes his making-people-happy skillz cray serious, it’s this guy.

A Las Vegas native who chose to make the city his forever home (and yes, there’s a goodly lot), Malik Hansbrough has brought more than his youth and vibrancy to his post at The Juice Standard. Working both sides of the counter both making product and serving it, Hansbrough is a head-down hard worker… but this youngest of six sibs and longtime church volunteer really shines when his mission is working with customers…leading them (as he poetically puts it), “on a journey of delicious and organic fuel for the body.”

And the former green-juice face-maker now proselytizes more than just the morals he was raised with: Seeing juice as a path toward total wellness has helped Hansbrough change his old wicked dining ways. A jokester who doesn’t hide the things that make him happy (Walmart’s really your fave place, Dude?), we here at TJS are grateful to have such a mindful, wholehearted bee in our corner to preach the good word of good health…which we all know is available to anyone and erryone, one Singleton at a time.

Praise bee to Malik. Meet him.

All About Malik

I’ve lived in Las Vegas since… July 7, 1993, because I was born here.

I can remember when I decided I wanted to start my adult life here. It was…the year 2011, directly after I finished high school

…and what appealed to me about living in Vegas was…the fact that this place is my home, and home is where the heart is. I could never see myself living anywhere else but good old Vegas.

In my experience, the biggest misconception about living in Las Vegas is…that we only have the Strip to offer. Somehow, tourists have the idea that all the citizens of Las Vegas live in one of the many hotels on the Strip.

The thing I secretly (or not-so-secretly) love most about living here is...the size of this place: It is very small, which is great on gas: Nothing is out of reach since you don’t have to drive more than 30 minutes to get anywhere in the city.

If I had to pick a daily mantra or a quote I try to live by, it would be...“Fear God and keep his commands.”

A favorite Vegas spot that never gets old is…Walmart. It has everything I could ever want in life and more.

If I had to pick a theme song for my life it would be…the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers theme song, without a moment’s hesitation.

Malik and his wife, heading toward some quality time with family. Sabbath is sacred to the Hansbroughs, and in today’s busy lifecycle, it’s an admirable time-out tradition they protect so they can focus on themselves, their family and their spirits. (Naturally they *must* drink juice on Sabbath, too, right? Say we’re right, Malik!)

A person who inspires me every day is…my wife. She is my best friend and she inspires me to be a better a version of myself each and every day.

The way she inspires me is…by not letting me make excuses. She holds me to my word on everything which has molded me into the person I am today.

Something people would be surprised to know about me is…I keep the Sabbath day every single week.

This is how I like to spend my free time: Preaching God’s word to any and all who give me the opportunity. I also like to play basketball with my brothers, and spend quality time with my immediate family and my wife.

The worst hack-job pronunciation of my name I’ve ever heard is…“Moo-Lake.” (I know, it’s terrible right?)

Malik On Work

I work for The Juice Standard. When people ask me what I do, this is how I explain my job: My job is to introduce people to the unknown side of eating healthy and living a healthy lifestyle. I take them on a journey of delicious organic and beautiful fuel for the body.

What appealed to me about working for TJS was...that I could be a vessel through which the extremely important knowledge of how to treat your body could be conveyed, and that I’d be able to create bonds with others through nutrition.

Since working for TJS, the most surprising thing I’ve learned about myself doing the job that I do is…how terrible my eating habits were. It was truly embarrassing.

The most exciting part about my job is…seeing people walk away happily educated and newly motivated to start a new journey in life…after experiencing just a few tastes of our product.

Best thing I’ve heard a customer say about TJS juice is…“You guys are lifesavers.”

Most awesome thing I’ve witnessed on the back-of-house staff side of working at TJS is…seeing 10 to 15 smoothies be made with love (and the same time) and presented to our guests quickly and efficiently.

When I’m not working at TJS there are other creative endeavors I love dabbling in, like…singing, writing and drawing.

The advice I’d give my younger work self is…to be the hardest worker in your establishment at all times, no matter what the circumstance.

Malik On Health In LV

Ever the volunteer, Malik (far right) is pictured with his church brothers James and Ronnie at a cleanup for Las Vegas’ City Hall Community Cleanup in 2015.

In my opinion, the biggest change in Las Vegas’ healthy-living scene in the last few years has been…the presence of organic juicing. Everyone, all of a sudden, now has taken a big interest in the juice life.

No matter how busy I get at work, this is what I do to make sure I eat well during the week: Prep my meals at home, and only eat what comes from my own living space. This is a great way for me to avoid eating fast food and sugary snacks to suppress my hunger.

The fruit(s) or vegetable(s) you’ll always find in my kitchen are...bananas, asparagus and broccoli.

My don’t-even-think-about-judging-me-guilty-pleasure food is…macaroni and cheese, straight from Mom’s kitchen.

The health habit that gets me teased the most is…exercising.

Malik On Juice

The person who introduced me to cold-pressed juice was…my best friend James Dixon.

The first time I drank green juice, I thought it was…mortifying. It was like nothing I had ever tasted before.

The reason I started drinking cold-pressed juice was because…I wanted my body to perform to the best of its ability.

The reason I kept drinking cold-pressed juice was because…I saw the results in a shockingly short amount of time and I started to find cold-pressed juice delicious.

True or False: “Making juice at home is a royal pain in the tail.” True

True or False: “A ginormous perk of my job is free juice.” True

The reason I like TJS’s cold-pressed juice is…because I know exactly what’s in it, as well as all of the health benefits. There is no fine print. We are up front about it all and promote it proudly.

My advice to a newbee juicer is…make sure to properly cleanse your body first. It’s important to get as much of the bad stuff out of there as possible and then begin the process of putting healthy juice into your body.

Bee Wanderlusty: Coastin’

August 2, 2017 By Jen Chase

We’re continuing our annual recs for desert-leaving trips between now and Labor Day (beecause though it bee August, there’s still.so.much.time. to get your vacay drive on!)

This feature? Shares the gorge coasts of Oregon and Cali from a bee in our hive who knows ’em well: TJS District Manager Amber Cariker.

What kind of traveler would be down with these choices? “These places connect me to the Earth, and to a community of people who are present and open-minded,” says Cariker, who’s managed the beejesus out of TJS’s three locations for the better part of a year. “I am very interested in cultivating growth in my life, and I feel an overwhelming sense of connectedness to spiritual environments. Now, I think these places run slower than the average vacation, but for the right vacationer or family, I feel these places will also help people slow down, oberve more, appreciate the stillness, and explore the unknown without fear.”

(What she said.)

Wanna slow down? In her words, here’s Cariker’s turn-by-turn account. And since, around here, if Cariker says it we beelieve it, we’re going out on a limb to say we think you should, too.

California

Avila Beach=Slice of Amber Cariker’s Heaven.

Avila Beach

Take Avila Beach Drive to San Luis Bay Drive and then take the street for See Canyon. You should have an off-road vehicle, but let’s just say it’s been done in a Honda civic.

“You’ll drive through windy roads of rich color—trees and lush tall golden grasses—until you come out into Los Osos Road where you’ll find a treat….

Montana De Oro

The Spanish translates to “Mountain of Gold.” And from Los Osos Road, you’ll drive all the way to the end and exit at Montana De Oro. Quite a long drive, but there is an area that becomes very wooded. You’ll park and use the man-made wooden stairs to begin a trek through the trees into the forest. Staying on the trail, you will come across a rich, dark brown sand that will then lead you to a slivered opening of ocean rocks and a beautiful quiet state beach. Bring a blanket and a picnic. You won’t want to leave.

Shell Beach.

Shell Beach

A beach…with cliffs? This is THE place to watch a sunset. But you should also visit in the morning when the tide is down, and collect some pebble-like beach sand to build your at-home terrarium. The post-vacay high you feel from seeing that sand will take you back to Shell Beach with every glance. #NaturesGiftShop

Joshua Tree

Pappy and Harriets in Pioneer Town (Insider intel? Take Pipes Canyon road to get here).

So, nostalgia. I grew up dancing next to my parents on the planked hardwood floors, and the walls are cement with colored bottles in them like an old biker cantina! Harriet used to make all the food and desserts from scratch and when Pappy passed on, she sold the business to a Power Woman couple. They have gone on to turn it into an amazing music venue where Paul McCartney played last year, and they are about to have some amazing upcoming concerts: Bonobo, Iron & Wine, City & Colour.

Pioneer Town was a product of the early Western movie genre. Gene Autry helped the making of it, but it never really made amazing movies. Pappy and Harriet’s is the landmark of the Pioneer Town, but go and you’ll also be able to “walk the town” and soak in the western buildings. To think they’re now having contemporary concerts under the stars….

The Art Queen

Green enough forya? Photo courtesy of Tumblr.

Want some kitch in Cali? Head to “The Art Queen” and walk to the back of the Museum of Crochet, a sprite little building shaped like a lime-green viewfinder. When you see a key in the door, turn it. Go inside. You’ll find it filled with vintage crochet animals and sundries that’ll surely make you smile.

Sam’s Spa in Desert Hot Springs

In the heavenly place, mineral pools and soaking tubs are surrounded by grass and a man-made lake with fish and birds. Plus, there are peacocks that roam around the pools while you’re hanging out.

Peacocks, people. Peacocks. Need I say more?

Portland Oregon

Sauvies Island. Beeauty just beeyond Portland.

Sauvie Island

This slice of heaven is great for two reasons. First: berry picking! (Entire pick-your-own flats for only $12-$15…in a place like this.) Second? Walk the aisles of lush fruit trees before heading to your next (and last) stop: The river. A river, you ask? Yes: Sauvie Island is the largest island that runs along the Columbia River…which, you can get to from the main road. If you choose to drive to the river (and I absolutely think you should), take a blanket and lay beside it. And don’t forget your parking pass for the day. I doubt you’ll want to leave.

The Overlook Park

Second on your Portland Nature Itinerary? Overlook Park. (“Skidmore Bluffs” is also what I’ve heard it called). Many years ago, a family allowed its back yard to be turned into a park. It is now open to the public, and at first glance you feel like you’re entering a grassy field where an umbrella of a tree drapes over a bench overlooking the city, a forest park, bridges, and train tracks. But really, it’s so much more. #SeeingIsBelieving.

Where to eat, you ask? Dove Vivi features cornmeal-crusted pizza with toppings like sautéed red onions

#CouldItBeMagic? At Dovi, we say yes.

and corn and roasted poblano peppers. And Por Que No?—which, mind you, you’ll never find without at least a 30 minute wait—is beyond colorful and layered with art and lanterns and serves luscious agua frescas (cantaloupe, papaya+coconut, mango+lime, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera)…among other delicious bits. Definitely get the chips and salsa and sample the eclectic menu…especially veggie options like the seasonal taco. (Last one I had was beet, turnip, pumpkin seed, and rutabaga. A-m-a-z-i-n-g!)

Want some shoppin’? Hit Paxton’s Gate. There’s one in San Francisco, too (the original location), and no joke: #FavoriteStoreInTheWorld. It’s like the Natural History Museum…but a shop: taxidermy; bones; gardening supplies; dehyrdrated seeds and pods; books on making your own products; science; and odd collections of amazing things.