Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Slawson.
Richard, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The Meraki Juice Kitchen story begins with one word – Passion. Passion is not just our most popular organic cold-pressed juice, it is the driving force behind the Slawson family’s commitment to provide the community with healthy food choice alternatives, the foundation for which is organic, plant-based cuisine. It’s all about a healthier lifestyle choice. Our team truly believes in the famous advice of Hippocrates: “Let food be thy medicine”.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Sure, there have been some challenges. In West Palm, there were long delays due to building construction projects and road closings. So parking became a real challenge. The City has assisted in that regard and the location of the new park is an asset. People are now finding it to be a fun gathering place for healthy food choices.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Meraki Juice Kitchen – what should we know?
It’s true that for 30 years I have been representing folks in Florida as a civil trial attorney against insurance companies that broke the law and acted in bad faith toward people. As a managing partner at my law firms over the years, and as a real estate investor and entrepreneur, my business skills naturally evolved; thus the running of a restaurant business came easily to me.
However, to the Slawson family and our team, Meraki Juice Kitchen and it’s sister restaurant, Christopher’s Kitchen, are more than businesses. They represent the enactment of our mission to provide healthier lifestyle eating choices for our loyal customers and our community.
The Slawson’s have been blessed with my mom’s (Millie Murphy Slawson’s) talent for cooking, and her creative, distinctive palette. (She was a cookbook author but not vegan). Eight years ago, after my vegan nephew Chris and I had undertaken a 7-day juice fast at Tree of Life in Arizona, we were frustrated that we couldn’t locate any restaurant in Palm Beach County that served really great tasting, organic and true plant-based cuisine. Thus I decided to open a restaurant and found the right location. It was, of course, a financial risk to me, but I had enough confidence in the trend, the concept, and of course the timing that I believed it would be successful.
Chris had on the job experience at a vegan restaurant in LA, and at another one in NYC. Chris had also just spent 8 months in my home kitchen preparing plant-based food for the Slawson family and their friends, and as a result, quite popular recipes were developed. So, I named the restaurant Christopher’s Kitchen, and Chris became our executive chef and a co-owner. We hired a nationally recognized restaurateur as a consultant to assist in the kitchen layout and provide general operations advice. In addition, we retained the best known vegan chef in America, Matthew Kenney, to assist in recipe and menu development and help with our grand opening.
Over the last seven years, the team adjusted to our customers’ needs and preferences and expanded it into a full scale, plant-based restaurant and wine room known for its great tasting food and generous portions. The takeout aspect of the restaurant became so popular that Chris and I opened a CK To Go Market next door.
Three years ago, the trend was obvious: People had very busy schedules and they needed to get clean, healthy food and juices without time-intensive home preparation or waiting in a busy restaurant. Thus I began the creation of a new satellite model of smaller smoothie and juice bar cafes with ready to go daily prepared plant-based cuisine that is dairy free, gluten free and soy free with nut-free options. I first purchased an existing 5,000 square foot commissary kitchen to become the center of the food and juice production. We added a state of the art produce washer and juice bottling and capping machine. We then acquired refrigerated delivery trucks.
It is in the large commissary kitchen and the small juice and smoothie kitchens that the team carries out the meaning of the word “Meraki” – to do something with soul, creativity or love, to put something of yourself into your work. The Meraki team creates amazing soups, salads, wraps, smoothies, açaí bowls cold-pressed juices and tonics, kale chips and other popular retail items, as well as ice cream, desserts, baked goods and coffees. We deliver daily to CK and our two Meraki locations. The team also makes grain bowls, burritos, avocado toast, bagels and waffles, based on the popularity of the items at CK.
Many customers, as well as The Mayor and some of the commissioners of the City of West Palm Beach, requested we open downtown. So in 2016, we opened the first Meraki Juice Kitchen at Fern and Dixie. In 2017, we opened our second location at Donald Ross and Military in Palm Beach Gardens. We are considering opening in Wellington and Jupiter.
This year, the Winter Equestrian Festival at the International Equestrian Center in Wellington requested we do a Meraki food truck and pop up operation there for the entire festival, which is the first three months of 2018. Our food and juice has become really popular there as well.
What would you say makes your business unique?
Having a large commissary kitchen and juice room and refrigerated delivery trucks enables our very creative team to prepare and deliver on a daily basis great tasting plant-based cuisine and cold pressed juices and tonics for our customers at all our locations. Also, we are a family owned business and my partners in Meraki Juice Kitchen are my nephew Chris, my daughter Alex and my son Scott.
What makes you most proud about the business?
We have a true passion for and take pride in providing for our community the opportunity to choose and experience great tasting plant-based cuisine and smoothies and cold-pressed juices that are as organic and fresh and locally sourced as possible and that are also dairy and gluten free.
In addition throughout my legal career, I have worked on behalf of needy, neglected and abused children, and in the past three years have dedicated time and money to help stop the trafficking of children for sex and labor in Florida. Florida is number three in human trafficking in this country. I am currently working with Florida’s Children First, Place of Hope and the Florida Justice Association and a coalition of partners to pass legislation designed to hold accountable not just the traffickers, but also the facilitators of child trafficking in Florida.
Because of the success of our businesses, we continue to donate money to organizations that are dedicated to stopping the trafficking of children such as Florida’s Children First, Place of Hope and Polaris, the national hot line against human trafficking.
It is my understanding that Place of Hope has chosen you as its 2018 Hero of Hope Award, how important is an award like this to you? It is a real honor, but at the same, it is very humbling as well because we have to do so much more as there are so many needy children to help, to feed, to clothe to shelter and to rescue. You are correct, there is so much that needs to be done for children. It is an obligation of all of us. In conclusion, in regard to the health food industry over the next decade do you foresee many changes?
Based upon our experience at Christopher’s Kitchen and the Meraki Juice Kitchens and the recognizable trends, I expect the demand for healthier food choices will continue to markedly expand among all age groups, genders and ethnicities. Non-athletes and just regular folks of all ages and physical condition are becoming more focused on healthier lifestyles and the nutritional needs of themselves and their families.
Contact Info:
- Website: merakijuicekitchen.com
- Phone: 561-508-6640 // 561-318-6191
- Email: Hello@Merakijuicekitchen.com // Hello@Christopherskitchenfl.com
- Instagram: #MerakiJuiceKitchen
- Facebook: #MerakiJuiceKitchen
- Twitter: #MerakiJuiceKitchen
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