Cafe Gratitude is Closing its Northern California Locations – A Punch in the Stomach to Organic Restaurant Fans

Written by Max Goldberg on December 3, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

While the title of this blog post may seem overly dramatic to most people, it isn’t to me nor to the countless number of Cafe Gratitude die-hard fans.

Because of an impending lawsuit by former employees that is too costly to fight, owners Matthew and Terces Engelhart have made the tragic decision to close all of Cafe Gratitude’s locations in Northern California.

Why would a restaurant’s closing elicit such a response from me and so many other individuals?

If you’ve been there, you know.

If you haven’t been there and are not an organic food lover, you probably don’t know but let me try to explain.

Aside from the fact that Cafe Gratitude is one of the most well-known organic restaurants in the country, it is just a very, very special place. Read More »

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My Recent Dinner at Gingersnap’s Organic in NYC

Written by Max Goldberg on November 21, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

There’s a very welcome and new entrant to the raw food scene in New York City called Gingersnap’s Organic.

Founded by Jamie Graber, who previously worked at Juliano’s Planet Raw in Los Angeles and Live Live here in New York City, Gingersnap’s Organic is located in Manhattan’s East Village and serves organic, gluten-free, raw food.

During two recent visits to Gingersnap’s Organic, here were a few things that I ate. Read More »

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My Analysis of Starbucks’ $30M Acquisition of Evolution Fresh, Getting into the Organic Juice Business

Written by Max Goldberg on November 11, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

Yesterday, Starbucks announced that it had purchased Evolution Fresh for $30 million in cash and held a conference call formally disclosing its plans to enter the $50 billion health and wellness industry.

Started by Jimmy Rosenberg, the original founder of Naked Juice, Evolution Fresh is a California-based company that sells a line of organic and non-organic pressed juices in retail locations on the West Coast.

This acquisition by Starbucks is just the first step of a large strategic initiative to tap into the growing health and wellness sector. Read More »

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Organic Avenue Founder Denise Mari Talks About Her New Midtown Manhattan Location

Written by Max Goldberg on November 7, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.


Last week, I spoke with Denise Mari, founder of Organic Avenue, about her brand new location that just opened up in Midtown Manhattan.

Organic Avenue offers pressed organic juices, juice cleanses, and raw vegan food. It is a concept that is absolutely exploding in NYC and shows no slowdown in sight.

Aside from its strong commitment to organic, Organic Avenue offers its pressed juices in glass bottles, something very important and incredibly rare. Read More »

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My Recent Organic Dinner at Josie’s in NYC

Written by Max Goldberg on October 3, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

Last week, I was on the Upper West Side of Manhattan (which doesn’t happen too much since I spend a majority of my time downtown) and went to eat at Josie’s, a great organic restaurant.

I like Josie’s a lot since the food is fresh, the service is excellent, and the menu is extensive. Here is what I had.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP


This vegetarian and dairy-free soup was made from butternut squash and ginger with a pumpkin seed-basil pesto swirl on the top. Read More »

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