I’m pretty excited about today’s Stripe Talk (with Marucs Antebi, founder of Juice Press) as I am a huuuuuge fan of Juice Press. I drink a lot of juice (especially green juice) and Juice Press is hands down my absolute favorite place in the city to grab a juice or healthy snack (the strawberry chia seed pudding is my favorite!)
If you’re new to Juice Press… Mother Earth is my absolute favorite. It’s an earthy green juice that detoxes the body and makes you feel like a million bucks. For a treat, I love Black Label (it’s almond milk… made with coconut water and a splash of sea salt.) And during cold season, nothing is better than a Ginger Fireball or Juice Press’s “First Degree Burn” shot. They’ll cure you of all your woes. Read on to learn a little bit more about how Marcus got his start and what makes him tick. With 21+ locations across New York, Brooklyn, and the Hamptons, Juice Press is showing no signs of slowing down… it’s fun to learn a little bit about the brand’s driving force.
Grace: What gave you idea to start Juice Press?
Marcus: My story starts like so many of yours probably do… I grew up in the 1970’s where “tang” and “yahoo” were considered Healthy beverage options. Up until 15 years ago I was a processed carbohydrate addict. I slowly transitioned into the juice press type diet and I developed a desire to be in the industry about eight years ago. The deeper into quality pure foods I went, the more I felt the need to create a place like juice press for myself and my family to enjoy. I really felt a powerful calling into the profession and when I finally committed to it things started to roll very, very fast.
I began working with Dr. Fred Bisci, a proponent and follower of the raw food diet. Fred is like a second father to me, and helped me make the transition from a diet based on processed foods and other garbage to one that is healthy, raw and full of nutrients and vitamins.
Grace: Describe your typical day.
Marcus: I get up, drink a green juice and eat cucumbers or celery for the hydration and ridiculousness of it. I jump on my iPhone immediately check my emails to see if anything catastrophic occurred. Hour in the morning with my newborn daughter while my lovely fiancé gets some much needed sleep.
I head downstairs at 8:30 the morning with my dog and then pick two stores to start my rounds to work out the day’s problems – and remain creative and positive support for my team. It’s the same thing sort of – with a few stressful variations. I like it this way – I don’t like surprises either or good or a bad. I train 4 days a week- I have good mix up of training to keep sharp.
Grace: That’s fantastic…. tell me about your favorite ways to stay in shape!
Marcus: I train at Five Points in Soho every week. I do most training by myself I really been wanting to get into the cycling crazy cause I love cycling and the exercise of big believer in having power in the lower body more so than any other part which is probably physiologically not correct but I do feel but if I do a lot of squats and cycling or my legs are really strong I feel like I can pick up any sport really quickly and jump into things with ease. So I use kettle bells alone all the time. I do a lot of push up because I’m old school like that and I train Thai boxing.
Grace: What are your favorite Fall snacks?
Marcus: I’m craving almond butter cup and for some reason less fruit this season – I’m sure it’s just that I’m less active in the fall and I’m not as hungry. By winter I will be craving soup and salad. Strangely my craving for cold smoothies increases as it gets colder.
Grace: You’re a New Yorker. What are your favorite places to shop in the city?
Marcus: I love PAUL SMITH for casual wear and suits I don’t seem to do any wrong in that store. I also like the store audit for clothing and I’m always on the hunt for a good pair of Nike Air Max sneakers. If you have any suggestions for the best Air Max let me know. I know this sounds really kooky and eccentric but my favorite shopping experiences are going to industrial kitchen supply houses and buying stainless steel shelves, utensils, heavy duty industrial tables. Made of stainless and anything mechanical and it’s in season!
Grace: Juicing can be intimidating. What advice do you have for beginners?
Marcus: Jump right into a 1 day cleanse – make your own smoothies at home – drink at least one green juice a day
Grace: I’m a huge fan of your juices. I drink your green juices on a daily basis, live for the Ginger Fire Ball when I’m sick, and think Black Label is one of the most delicious things in the world (it tastes sinful!) What are you most proud of, and which juices are your favorites?
Marcus: I love all the juices equally – really. They’re like your kids and you never really have a favorite – you love them all differently for different reasons.
Grace: A lot of my readers aren’t based in New York and don’t have access to a local Juice Press. Could you recommend a simple juice recipe that they could make at home?
Marcus: Juice Press is available for order and shipping nationwide! Just go to our site www.juicepress.com to order. (Note from Grace: If you’d prefer making your juices at home this is my favorite detox juice, and Well & Good has some amazing juice recipes too.)
Grace: We’re talking nutrition today, but this blog’s heritage in style. What does personal style mean to you?
Marcus: Eating right, have a good reputation, and tell the truth!
Grace: What is next for Juice Press?
Marcus: Stay tuned…
Thank you so much to Marcus for participating in this series! Read more Stripe Talk features here!
I absolutely LOVE juice press. This was such a great interview. Thanks for sharing Grace!
So interesting, thanks for sharing!
Marcus, your personal style is admirable! Personally, my favorite place to shop is Costco…so I understand your love for shopping at kitchen supply houses. Happy Tuesday, Grace 🙂 I enjoyed this interview.