Today we’d like to introduce you to Nastasha McKeon.
Nastasha, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always had a passion for health and wellness. I lost a loved one early in life due to an autoimmune disease, which is really what planted the seed for me. With a tough childhood I never really had the opportunity to cultivate the seed early in life, but as a young adult, I detonated a lot of my free time to learning about nutrition and the idea of food as medicine.
I had a well-established career in banking but found the joy in my job took place in the break room talking about food and educating my coworkers as they always had plenty of questions about what I was eating and why. When I realized this was what I most enjoyed about my day, I quickly realized it was time for a career change. I left banking and study holistic nutrition at a local school and also became certified in plant-based nutrition through Cornell’s online program. Soon after I began teaching plant-based nutrition and cooking classes.
This lead to consulting, helping to add healthy menu items to local restaurants. I realized I loved creating healthy food that tasted good, I also realized there were a huge lack in convenient and healthy food choices. Sure, there were places that were convenient and had a healthy option or two. But my dream was to create a place that literally everything on the menu was good for you.
Everything was a good choice. We opened our first location in Carlsbad CA in 2014. Since then we’ve opened an additional 3 locations. Solana Beach, Del Sur community and Little Italy.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m not really sure I would describe it as smooth. There have been a lot of bumps in the road. So many learning lessons jumping into the restaurant world with very limited experience in an industry where 1 out of every 2 fails within the first year.
There were some real struggles getting this model figured out and surviving our first two years. I’m so grateful for all of the challenges we faced because we’ve grown so much stronger as a company and a team through all of those struggles and learning lessons.
Please tell us about Choice Juicery.
We are an organic cafe and cold pressed juicery. We specialize in Super Food smoothies, smoothie bowls, cold-pressed juice and healthy eats. We are all organic, GF, Dairy Free and plant-based. I’m most proud of the culture we have as a company. I’m so blessed to work with so many talented and passionate people. The compliment I get the most is that we have the most incredible team members and I have to agree. We believe in choosing happiness and being loving & kind. We truly embody that at Choice.
I think what really sets us apart is the level of education. We believe that food is medicine and we know how to prescribe food. Go into any of our locations, tell us what you’re struggling with and we’ll tell you what on the menu will help you best. For example, if someone is struggling with inflammation, we’ll recommend Dawn Patrol. It’s one of the highest anti-inflammatory items on the menu. Its filled with Carrot, orange, turmeric and ginger. Turmeric being one of the highest anti-inflammatories on the planet.
Lastly, the fact that we don’t pasteurize or dilute our juice, our juice is raw, organic and served in a glass bottle. We also offer a bottle redemption program encouraging reusing, reducing and recycling. We are passionate about environmental sustainability. Our menus are printed on recycled paper and even our Togo packaging is compostable and made from plants. We believe our choices can make a positive impact on future generations and we strive in every area to do just that.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I had a very difficult childhood. I grew up with a mostly absent father and a mother who struggled with a severe drug addiction and bounced in and out of very abusive relationships. It’s honestly tough for me to recall a fond childhood memory. But what I do find positive about my childhood, outside of surviving it, is how strong it made me and the incredible lessons I learned about life that have contributed in a huge way to who I am today.
Part of my drive to be successful and make something of myself is to show other people in the world who may have had similar childhoods, they are not defined by their past, that like me, they have a choice to create anything they want in their life. I like being an example of just that. I hope to inspire a lot of people along the way.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1425 India St San Diego CA (newest location)
17135 Camino Del Sur San Diego CA
437 S coast Hwy 101 Solana Beach
430 Carlsbad Village D.r Carlsbad CA - Website: Www.choicejuicery.com
- Email: nastasha@choicejuicery.com
- Instagram: @Choice juicery
- Facebook: @choicesuperfoodbar&juicery
- Yelp: Choice Juicery
Image Credit:
Lauren Van Wenchel
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