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Photograph by Paul Myers
Waiting for their orders to be filled are (from left) Breanne Barbella, Terran Barbella, Cameron Ceglia, Lauren Ceglia and Larry Barbella.
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Juice It! whips up fresh and healthy fruit drinks
By Suzanne Cristallo
The days are getting longer, and the extra light after work is attracting joggers and walkers getting in shape for spring to the Los Gatos Creek Trail. Their bodies flushed with renewed circulation after their exertion, it's unlikely they'll pass by Juice It! on nearby W. Main Street without thinking of quashing their thirst with a gulp of fresh citrus juice or wheat grass.
"The trail is a huge asset," asserts Larry Barbella, co-owner with his sister, Lauren Ceglia, of the Los Gatos juice shop. "So is the Farmers Market." Vitamin-conscious folks, whether they run or stroll, are fans of the store's varied fruit and vegetable blends. A large juicing machine will accept a basket of Valencia oranges, skins and all, slicing them, squeezing them and squishing out the juice, which can be spiked with protein additives. A smoothie made with yogurt--a favorite of the lunchtime high school crowd--can be a meal in itself or simply the capper for one.
The pair do big business during daylight and match the longer days with extended store hours. Cold days seem to make no difference to the faithful. "It must have been 40 degrees the other morning, and people still wanted juice," Larry marvels.
The menu has several drink categories that herald some of the ingredients. There are Mango Mania, Citrus Orchard, Berry Haven and Exotic Odyssey, which hint at their featured fruits. Protein Olympians are fruit drinks with protein and health additives that increase the nutritional value and serve as muscle aids or "catalysts." Prices range from $3.50 to $3.95 for 24 ounces.
The shop was previously owned for three years by Dave Allen and Tom Burwell, who opted to relieve themselves of the grinding commute to Los Gatos from their home in San Francisco, where they continue to run another store.
While they are enthusiastic new owners, Larry and Lauren are experienced hands in the health food business. For 30 years, the Barbella family has run Cupertino Natural Foods, a health food, natural cosmetics and organic produce store. Seventeen years ago, Larry bought it from his father. His former wife continues to operate it.
"We're both so local," Larry, 40, says of himself and Lauren, 36, Los Gatans who attended school in the area--he, part of the class of 1979 at Leland High in Almaden, and she with the class of 1984 at Los Gatos High. Their association with Juice It! stems back to 1994 when it was a smoothie shop called Nectar's. They would grab a juice there after their workouts at Move It, a gym down the street.
"We are very hands-on," says Larry about their management style. "One of us is pretty much here all of the time. We've had lots of good feedback on that." But arranging their schedules will be somewhat tricky, since Larry also is a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker in town, and Lauren sells payroll and tax-filing services. She's also juggling hours around her toddler, Cameron Rose, who will be a customer greeter on the mornings her mother is in the store.
While some "face-lifting" is planned for the store interior, the main emphasis now is on customer relations and service. Helping with all of that will be 9-year-old Breanne, Larry's daughter. Since she was 7, the youngster has delighted in spending weekends at her parents' store, stocking, running the cash register, pricing products and cleaning. "We make this a family affair," says Larry, who most likely has his eye on Terran, his 7-year-old son and the obvious successor to his sister.
Juice It! 81 W. Main St., Los Gatos. Open weekdays 7 a.m.-sunset, weekends 8 a.m.-sunset. Call 408.395-2333 for more information.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
