Plenty of Californians have been on the juicing party wave for years, so I was a little surprised to find that sunny San Diego was without a juice truck. At least, until Juice Wave recently opened up shop.
Owner, Chef Arleigh Rose, has worked in the food industry for over 1o years and has extensive farming and cooking experience from both US coastlines. While in Northern California, she worked at Quince, under Chef Michael Tusk, who opened her eyes to the abundance of beautiful food grown in Northern California, as well as how to properly navigate a farmers market. Now Arleigh is bringing the green from the Bay to just south of LA. Her bright blue, freshly-wrapped and converted ’91 Chevy offers seasonal selections of locally-sourced blended fruit and veggie juices using 100% unpasturized almond milk with Carlsbad alkalized water. Her intention is to “provide people with the best quality product using the freshest ingredients, and raise awareness for supporting the food grown right here in our backyard of Southern California.” And don’t worry, if you need a little more sustenance to go along with your juice after a hard workout, you can grab a gluten-free, vegan, and soy-free Rickaroons cookie too!
To prepare each morning, Arleigh likes to get her ingredients as locally as she can to represent true farm-to-table sustainable practices. She will even go so far as to drive out to actual farms to pick up their produce, if local farmers markets do not carry a particular product. And this girl knows her way around a farmers market. She described for me her past experience working for Chef Tusk where he would have her “try a strawberry from every single farm. Finally, [they] decided on the best one but he made sure [she] knew that the following week [they] would have to try them all again” in order to secure the very best product. Arleigh took this advice to heart, and after her time in the Bay, she worked with her Encinitas, CA WWOOFing mentor, Farmer Leo, under whom she notes she had “the absolute best experience [she had] ever asked for.” It was there that she was inspired to start a juice company using amazing, delicious fruits and vegetables. Arleigh has worked with a large variety of different produce and growing seasons but believes, “nothing compares to eating charentais melons from the Bay Area in the summertime versus delicata squash in San Diego in the wintertime.
Arleigh’s passion for Southern California’s fruits and vegetables and sustainable practices shows in her truck ethos and menu items. Juice Wave has a simple menu of drink options, but all, including the Beet It – beet, apple, carrot, ginger, lemon – are sure to be vibrant, fresh, and nutritious. And just in case what you’re craving isn’t listed, Arleigh welcomes special requests as well. Juice Wave is a great, convenient outlet to help those who want something quick and nutritious or don’t have the time or money to blend and press their own juices. Be sure to pick up one of Juice Wave’s customized 16oz. mason jars so you can bring it back every time you want a refill!
