ITHACA, N.Y. — A duo who has spent about 20 years working as nurses, opened a fresh juice bar in Center Ithaca this weekend.
“We had been planning this for about, I want to say going on a year, and saved our money — did it all out of pocket. Our soft open was actually Halloween so we took advantage of (the) wizard weekend,” owner Gretta Dickerman said.
Concord’s Maine Squeeze — located in between Bella Pizza and Sangam Indian Curry & Spice — offers fresh squeezed veggies, fruit and herbs.
Some of their specialty juice blends include the Green Orchard (apples, pear, kale, spinach, lemon) and Awake and Alert (apple, orange, celery, beets, carrots).
Dickerman said that while some juices at the bar are pre-made for people on the go, others can be made fresh and take about 5 to 7 minutes to prepare and squeeze.
“Several pounds of produce go into one 16 ounce drink,” she said. “You’re really getting a lot of nutrients in a 16 ounce cup.”
She said she and Emanuel Glicos, her husband and business partner, opened the juice bar because they want to offer something to the community that’s a healthy alternative or addition to people’s daily lives.
“We just really want to get out in the community and take a preventative (perspective) on health care,” she said. “There’s a lot you can to for yourself at home — you don’t always have to go to the doctor — and one of those steps is taking care of yourself.”
Dickerman said that while people likely relate a juice bar to summer recipes, the menu at her establishment will change seasonally.
She said that as cold weather sets in, the juice bar will offer warm drinks with fresh herbs, spices and teas.
“We did do the cider on Halloween,” she said. “That went pretty well.”