Downtown | Economic Development | Food & Drink | Arts & Culture | Food Business | Culinary Arts
Top: The Green Machine. Bottom: Owner Alexis Evans. “There’s a juice for everything,” she said during the interview. Amelia Dilworth Photos.
Sunlight poured through the street-facing windows of Raw Juicescape. Ivy hung around a neon avocado sign behind a juicer, where Alexis Evans squeezed a fresh lemon for another “Green Machine.” She worked through a list of ingredients: spinach, kale, celery, parsley, cucumber, green apple. Around her, barstools sat tucked under a marble countertop. A small table overlooked Chapel Street, inviting customers to work or chat while enjoying a juice, smoothie, or acai bowl.
A sign on the storefront window read, “Let Juice be Thy Medicine and Wellness.” Inside Raw Juicescape, the atmosphere and individual attention were proving just as nourishing as the juice itself.
Evans opened Raw Juicescape at 770 Chapel Street in March of this year, and has been growing it ever since. The lifelong New Havener, who was a nurse for more than ten years, aims to bring health and wellness to the community through her business.
“I’ve seen how people struggled with nutrition, and some people don't really like their fruits and vegetables,” she said. “So I know juicing is another way to get them in.”
Four years ago, Evans heard God telling her, “learn your fruits and vegetables,” she recalled. She had studied nutrition as part of her training to be a nurse, and began researching the health benefits of various fruits and vegetables. Then in June of 2021, she said, she heard God calling her to open a juice bar.
The timing was right. She had already done her nutritional homework. Evans got the keys to the 1770 Chapel St. location on Christmas Eve of last year and opened her business only three months later.
Amelia Dilworth Photos.
Thanks to her nutritional research and nursing experience, Evans blends scientific health advice into every drink she makes. The Fatigue Fighter, for example, doesn’t just look and taste energizing; it’s a handcrafted combination of ingredients (apple, beet, carrot, ginger and lemon) known to restore energy levels. A chalkboard advertises juices for conditions ranging from depression to constipation, and posters along the counter explain the benefits of ingredients like turmeric and sea moss.
“There’s a juice for everything,” Evans said.
As Evans began to cut a new ingredient she slipped off her latex gloves and put on a new pair, changing gloves with the dexterity of a nurse every patient hopes to have. Her nursing experience prepares her for owning a juice bar in bigger ways, she said.
She has the medical knowledge to consult with customers and advise them on what juice their body needs. She steers diabetic customers towards drinks that won’t spike their blood sugar, for example.
“It’s still nursing, but in a different way,” she said.
Amelia Dilworth Photos.
Evans believes that nutrition could prevent many of the conditions she treated as a nurse. “If people were to have the proper diet, maybe down the road they wouldn't need blood pressure medication, or a gastric bypass or cholesterol medications,” she said. And even though fresh food is expensive, “the fact is, you either pay now or pay later.”
The store’s warm interior gives her the opportunity to educate customers on nutrition. She often discusses customers’ personal wellness or explains the health benefits of fresh produce. It takes her only a few minutes to make a drink, but the atmosphere encourages customers to relax the way they do in a well-loved coffee shop. Evans isn’t just selling juice, she is creating an opportunity for customers to savor a healthy lifestyle.
“I'm not a doctor,” Evans said. “I'm not trying to cure anybody. I'm just here to help.”
Amelia Dilworth Photos.
For example, Evans is committed to bringing organic fruit and produce from local farmers’ markets to downtown New Haven through her juices and smoothies. To make the “Green Machine” during this interview, she reached for a whole green apple, which she chopped and then added to the juicer.
Nothing canned, frozen, or processed— just an apple. She cut a cucumber and juiced a lemon before adding it to her concoction, then reached for a handful of fresh kale.
“Part of my day is going to the farmers’ market,” Evans said.
When needed, Raw Juicescape uses honey (or agave, for vegan customers) to sweeten drinks. For most drinks, Evans said, ”the only sugar you’re getting is from the fruits.”
Evans has developed flavor combinations that make it easy to consume foods that are nutrient dense, but less appealing on their own. Sea Moss, for example, contains 92 of the 102 vitamins the human body needs, she said—but its oceany taste makes it an unlikely choice for most people.
Amelia Dilworth Photos.
When mixed into the Island Girl, however, the Sea Moss still offers all its health benefits, but disappears beneath the sweet, tropical flavors of orange, lemon, and coconut.
As a group of friends came into Raw Juicescape on their way to Union Station, they began to discuss the wide array of juices and variety of health benefits.
“I chose this smoothie because it sounded refreshing,” Jamie said, holding up the Keep It Simple–strawberry, banana, and blueberry.
Derek, who settled on the Breakfast Punch, agreed that refreshing was a good way to describe the drink. “And I like the blueberry,” he said. “The color is cool, and it’s not too thick– it reminds me of the smoothie I always get in New York City.”
Raw Juicescape is located at 770 Chapel St.