In honor of Women's History Month, we're highlighting a handful of fiercely driven women restaurant owners in Richmond who are advocating for a vision beyond the business, plate or, in this case, acai bowl. Stay tuned for more next week.
Owner Saadia Yasmin celebrated two years of business at her juice bar and yoga studio at the end of January.
Saadia Yasmin, 35, recently celebrated the second anniversary of her namesake juice bar and yoga studio at 402 1/2 N. Second St. in Jackson Ward, Saadia’s Juicebox. Since its opening, Yasmin has remained focused on her strongly rooted mission of promoting wellness in the community, while also planning for the future with multiple projects on the horizon, including a second storefront, healthy lifestyle podcasts and a revamped menu, which should debut by the end of the month. Yasmin's inviting, airy space emanates a positive energy, embraces the belief that food is medicine, and strives to connect what we eat to how we live our lives.
The cozy sitting area near the front window of Saadia's Juicebox
Richmond magazine: Where did the idea for Saadia’s Juicebox come from?
Saadia Yasmin: I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. That’s the story of this place; it came out of a need, but I’ve always had a dream and passion to be in food and health and wellness industry. If there's three things I've always been passionate about it's people, food and the community.
RM: Where are you from originally?
Yasmin: I grew up in D.C. but was raised all over the world. When I moved to Richmond in 2013 with my husband, I started thinking about a coffee shop. My husband kept pushing me. I thought, is it even possible for me to work on a dream I’ve always had? I decided to work in a coffee shop to see if it was an industry I wanted to work in. I worked at Starbucks, Ellwood Thompson’s and 10 Italian.
The back section of Saadia's Juicebox serves as a yoga studio and event space.
RM: How has your business grown?
Yasmin: We have a bigger vision for this space, and we’ve partnered with Vegan Action and host cooking demos and educational workshops. Our goal is to create a one-stop health shop. We have an in-store health coach [Yasmin is currently working toward becoming a certified health coach], and I'll send customers to her if they have a lot of questions. Every first Friday, we do a lunchtime meditation for 15 minutes, and every Sunday we offer a whole day of donation-based yoga classes. We want to encourage people to connect those two aspects together. Growth is important, but quality is even more important. We also started doing more local sourcing; 90 percent of our products are locally sourced.
RM: How has the transition been since moving to Richmond?
Yasmin: I genuinely love Richmond and want to see it succeed. I feel like people who live in Richmond have pride in the city, and as far as what we do, I feel like Richmond is very holistic city — everyone who comes through the door, this is their lifestyle, they are on a wellness journey.
RM: What were your family lifestyle and eating habits like growing up?
Yasmin: My background, especially from my parents, was very meat- and dairy-driven, and I’ve come to realize how food can impact your life. I’m originally from the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. I remember visiting my uncles that lived up in the mountains, and they used a stick called miswak, a special bark that is antifungal and you brush [it] against your teeth. Last year it started blowing up in the U.S. Things our ancestors have used for centuries, like turmeric, and cilantro and parsley and ginger, which my mom’s kitchen always smelled like, are all things just now a lot of people in the West are beginning to understand, along with herbal medicine or remedies. Food is a preventative medicine.
Mackenzie Goff, a one-year employee at Saadia's Juicebox, reaches for an energy ball, a protein- and nutrient-packed snack available at the juice bar. Yasmin plans to debut new menu items at the end of the month.
RM: How has being a business owner affected you?
Yasmin: Owning a business is the most difficult thing I’ve done in my life. If I wasn’t passionate about what I was doing and it wasn’t something I lived for every single day, I would’ve closed a year ago. I wake up every day ... thinking of how to improve the business. I love it, though, and want to say we play a small part in the lives of people who come here, and we take the time out to talk to them and educate them. I tell people, there’s no better feeling in the world than to be healthy.
RM: What are some of the menu changes you will be rolling out?
Yasmin: We will introduce moringa, a superfood with the same consistency of matcha. It’s actually a leaf that grows off a bush and is native to Nepal and Pakistan. Tahini, which I grew up with, is making a huge comeback, along with Middle Eastern spices and sea moss. We want to introduce those things to the menu and bulk up our options to give it more mineral and vitamin content. Also bulking up the salads and offering superfood lattes. We have a brand and long-term plan to connect wellness, health and education.
In honor of International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8, Saadia’s Juicebox will host a screening of the film "Girl Rising," featuring the stories of nine girls from nine different countries, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. There will be a happy hour with drink specials. Admission is $5.
