Frutta Bowls officially opened this past Saturday, and it was nothing short of grand. They specialize in healthy açaí bowls and smoothies. You need to get your lazy butt downtown to pay them a visit, stat.
Frutta Bowls’ inception was in the great state of Dirty Jerz and have #blessed T-Town with their presence. That’s right, some more Jersey folks tryna make it in the dirty south have decided to keep me company.
Today I had the privilege of meeting and interviewing the owner, Josh Giambalvo. He gave me the skinny on what Frutta Bowls is all about:
Spoon Bama (SB): What exactly is açaí?
Josh Giambalvo (JG): It’s a berry from Brazil that is high in antioxidants, which give a lot of health benefits. It’s super important to process it fast because it’s similar to a banana; the slower you process it, the more antioxidants it will lose. It’s very dense and kept frozen (but still fresh). It’s blended with the base of a banana which gives it the fresh and fluffy texture. It tastes a lot like blueberry and blackberry. Everyone thinks there’s yogurt in it, but there isn’t.
SB: What made you want to open a Frutta Bowls branch?
JG: Family friends got us involved. My wife and I signed the lease on the building before we even knew what the franchise would be. We’re the first out of state branch and we’re gonna stay in Alabama.
SB: Why was Tuscaloosa, AL chosen to be the next location?
JG: This area’s market is so unique because it’s sustainable without students. I think even without UA we’d still stand.
SB: What is the plan for expansion?
JG: We’d like to open up another branch in Tuscaloosa and also four or five in Birmingham.
SB: Did you have any prior food industry experience before Frutta Bowls?
JG: Yeah—I worked at many restaurants and managed a few. Part time and full time.
SB: What makes Frutta Bowls different from other similar restaurants?
JG: It really is different, we’re not necessarily better… we’re just different. Our smoothies are ONLY comprised of fruit. No additional sweeteners. They’re sweet and good and very refreshing. The bowls are pretty filling, everything is fresh. Even just after a few days we can tell that our staff is bringing people back too. The staff, product and atmosphere is why people come back.
SB: What’s your favorite bowl?
JG: Muscle up.
What’s your favorite smoothie?
JG: Pink flamingo.
SB: What would you say is the healthiest item on the menu?
JG: They’re all really healthy, as far as lower calorie goes: Kale based and building your own with granola. It all depends though.
My personal favorite bowl is the Frutta Bowl.
My favorite smoothie is the Detox.
Just in case y’all were wondering.
Keep killin’ it, Frutta Bowls. We look forward to doing business with y’all in the near future!