If you've clicked on the About tab at the top of my blog, you've read about one of my previous jobs in the last 10+ years was working for Jennifer Levison.... Souper Jenny as she is commonly known. When Jenn opened her beloved teeny tiny soup cafe in Buckhead, she completely turned upside down the typical business model to running a restaurant. From the get-go, she did everything her way, cooking the food she wanted, in a space she made feel like a cozy den, with photos of cherished family & dear friends covering the walls. Some of the lessons I learned after almost 3 years of working in the kitchen side by side include staying true to what you want in life, just be nice to people, and throw out the rule books & make up your own!
Jenn has continued to make her mark on the Atlanta culinary scene, opening up a second eatery, Cafe Jonah and the Magical Attic (named for her son), and most recently, opening Juicy Jenny: Community Juicebar + Superfoods Emporium, located a stone's throw from Souper Jenny's front door. I stopped in yesterday to check out the space & sample the menu.
Keeping in line with her known tradition, Jenn takes to labeling her juice bottles like she does her soups, with witty names and colorful descriptions -- Do I Have Kale In My Teeth, Beets Me Baby, and Bodacious Buzzzzz to name a few. She's also adding herbal immune boosters to her fruit & veggie juice recipes. Lisa Smith, a noted pastry chef and longtime friend of Jenn's (and mine) is handling Juicy Jenny's day to day operations and baking/creating the Vegan & Gluten Free baked goods offered. Pictures of the interior are included below followed by a video of Jenn, that pretty much sums up her passion in life - family, friends, and food. To be noted, Jenn is making her 9th appearance on the Today show this morning, sharing her recipes for fresh homemade juices & smoothies.
Images are mine