Fruit Bowl Makers Riding A Wave

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By Cassie Galasetti. Photos by Don Brahn Jr.

 

RED BANK – After Abby Taylor finished college with a degree in graphic design, she spent the summers bartending at D’Jais in Belmar and the winters traveling with her surfboard all over Central America, Puerto Rico, California and Hawaii, inspired by art and adventure.

It was on those trips where she took note of a portable dish locals brought to the beach. They were called Açaí (pronounced “ahh-sigh-ee”) bowls.

 

Açaí is a small reddish-purple berry native to Central and South America. The berry was blended, like a fruit smoothie, in a bowl, and topped with sliced bananas, coconut, granola and kiwi. She learned how to make them herself and started whipping up the delicious and healthy treat for her own for her family and friends.

Her boyfriend, Rob Giuliani, was stoked. He lived above a pizza shop on Ocean Ave in Belmar. He asked the pizza shop owner if they could open a small stand outside to sell Taylor’s Açaí bowls, and the owner agreed.

“I was walking up and down the beach handing out samples and flyers all day, every day,” said Taylor, who, in those days, continued to work long nights as a bartender. “We kept pushing and pushing and then it started to catch on.” That’s when Taylor looked up long enough to realize she was working the stand with just a single blender and a line of more than 20 people waiting.

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In the summer of 2014, founding partners Taylor and Giuliani upgraded from that initial, small stand to their first official Playa Bowls location at 803 Ocean Ave in Belmar—right near that same pizza shop where it all started. (Playa means “beach” in Spanish.) Now with partner Desi Saran they are expanding their line with hip, beach-themed locations that play energizing music at 68 Bridge Ave in Bay Head, 191 Beach Front in Manasquan, and at Dunes Boardwalk Cafe at 4 North End Boardwalk in Ocean Grove and the newly opened store at 88 Ocean Ave. in Pier Village in Long Branch. A seasonal food truck is stationed on the boardwalk in Belmar.
Starting mid-September, Red Bank will become part of the #PlayaNation with the partners’ new 14 West Front Street location near Marine Park and there are plans to open near Rutgers University in early September. They are hiring year round part-time and full time workers for nearly all locations.

The Playa Bowls store on Ocean Avenue, in Belmar.
The Playa Bowls store on Ocean Avenue, in Belmar.

On their busiest day, the company sold 5,000 of their signature brightly-colored Açaí and Pitaya bowls. Pitaya, also known as dragon fruit, is the fruit of a cactus plant that was first discovered in Central America centuries ago and is now grown all over the world. It is known for its health benefits, as it’s a significant source of antioxidants and is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C and calcium.

The most popular Acai Bowls on the menu include the Nutella Bowl, the Pura Vida and the Power Bowl. The Nutella Bowl ($10) is composed of blended organic acai, banana, apple juice, topped with strawberry, banana, coconut flakes, granola and Nutella drizzle, The Pura Vida ($9) consists of blended organic Sambazon acai, banana, apple juice, a splash of coconut milk topped with strawberries, blueberries, organic granola and honey. The Power Bowl ($10) mixes organic Sambazon acai, banana, chocolate protein, coconut milk topped with banana, organic granola, natural peanut butter and honey. The stores also offer smoothies, hand-squeezed juices and infused lemonades.

They credit a good part of their growth to word of mouth and sharing on social media, especially their Instagram account, which has over 20,000 followers purchased from Buzzoid. “Instagram alone is so powerful for us,” Taylor says. Their Instagram posts get over 1,000 “likes” per photo and comments ranging from “Soooo addicted” and “I think I’m basing my decision on moving to NJ because of this place!”

Playa Bowls, a refreshing and guilt-free healthy place to eat with long lines but a happy vibe could become one of the iconic food stops along the Jersey Shore.

“We have a lot of pride in what we do,” said Taylor. “We’re just going to keep going until it runs out.”