BRADLEY — While Kankakee County has a variety of fast-food and dine-in restaurants, there is little option in the way of clean and/or vegan eating.
Denise Smith is looking to change that with her plant-based food business.
As the owner of Essential Smoothies, she said she “built the menu off of health.”
What started as a food truck in 2021 has now become a storefront in Northfield Square mall’s food court. While the food court itself doesn’t receive much foot traffic these days, Smith’s stand is always busy.
“I’ve built some good relationships across this counter,” she said.
Though the mall doesn’t open until 11 a.m., Smith is able to open at 8:30 a.m. to allow for people on their way to work to stop in for a healthy breakfast. She said that many of her customers include health care workers and first responders.
Because her menu is heavy on smoothies, teas and juices, meals are easy to grab and go.
She’s open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and her dream is to one day be able to open at 4 a.m.
The most unique aspect of her business, Smith says, is that everything on the menu is vegan — something that doesn’t exist elsewhere in the area.
“I think the area needed an all natural, whole fruit smoothie place,” she said, adding that her smoothies and juices contain no ice and only frozen fruits so customers are getting the most ingredients possible packed into their drink.
In addition to the smoothies, teas and juices, there also are several plant-based burger options on the menu which are ideal for lunch and dinner time.
PASSION FOR HEALTH
Smith, who worked at Shapiro Developmental Center for 20 years, began her healthy-eating journey a decade ago. She said that 90% of her diet is plant-based, something that is heavily implemented into her menu.
“Food can kill you or heal you,” she explained, saying that she didn’t grow up with the healthiest options and took it upon herself to learn.
“I’ve always lived a healthy lifestyle only because I come from a family that did not. I’ve watched a lot of my family members die at an early age from diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol; and it was really from the food,” Smith said, saying education is needed for healthy food choices.
“For me, about 17, 18, 19, I knew I wanted to travel down a different path and I wanted to give my kids — before I even had kids — a future. [Food] should fuel your body. It shouldn’t slow you down. It shouldn’t make you feel sleepy, it shouldn’t tire you out.
“It’s hard for us African Americans, it’s really hard for us. And I don’t know if it’s just because we weren’t educated or we grew up eating just bad. And a lot of people say, ‘Well, diabetes runs in my family or high blood pressure runs in the family.’ Not really, it’s the food patterns that run in the family. … So if we change that, then we can change the disease.”
HELPING CUSTOMERS
When serving a new customer or someone looking to begin their health journey, Smith begins by asking several questions to get an idea of what their body is craving. She’s careful not to recommend certain options to diabetic customers and advises anyone on certain medications to stay away from grapefruit.
“There’s plenty of things that anybody that’s dealing with any health illness will be able to come here and be able to eat something,” Smith said.
Different menu items are made for different reasons — there’s options for immunity health, gut health and energy. Smith said she’s served many customers going through cancer treatments that are looking for healthy options.
Formerly attending school for law, Smith obtained a degree in criminal justice with a minor in forensic psychology. She planned to go into law enforcement after leaving Shapiro, but ultimately decided she wanted to be close to home with her daughters and have the ability to share her passion for health with the community.
“For me, it’s all about love and it’s all about healing and it’s all about helping. It’s not so much about the dollar for me,” she said.
For more information on Essential Smoothies and the evolving menu, go to facebook.com/LivingHealthy815.
