Uzima juice and smoothie café also serves up support to cope with mental illness
First time customers receive a unique welcome when visiting Uzima; an invitation to take in the vibe, see the artwork, read the poems, personal messages of inspiration on the community board, and more.
Mayan and Sheronica Marshall make up the husband and wife ownership team that wants to fortify its customers with healthy food and nurture them with encouragement and information when dealing with mental illness.
"I've dealt with mental illness for about 15 years," says Mayan. "I've dealt with general anxiety, chronic depression, and bipolar. My wife has dealt with some situational issues around depression anxiety, so mental illness is near and dear to our family."
That is why they say Uzima, which means full of life in Swahili, is more than a juice and smoothie joint; it's a healing hub for people impacted by mental illness and "a store that is focused almost a hundred percent on mental illness. So we really want to make that the theme of the store."
Sheronica created the menu board, where each smoothie, juice and bowl offering is given a name that encourages and uplifts, "and so each name references back to the food and one of the main gourmet ingredients. For example, Live has spinach and the nutrients from that causes our bodies to live," she said.
Visitors can learn about celebrities who have lived with mental illness, as well as local college students, read poems and even engage in small group discussions.
They can even post positive messages on the community board called the Depression Cloud. "We've really tried to make our store more of a community where people can just go and be," said Mayan. "They don't even have to buy anything, if they just want to come and hang out."
Uzima has been open for one year.
