Vital Juice, a Web site that offers daily health and wellness tips, launched a Chicago edition in June. To celebrate, co-founder Amanda Freeman and fellow Vital Juice staffers hosted a luncheon on July 13. The concept of the event, Freeman said, "all came back to the vision of Vital Juice Chicago. We want to make wellness accessible and inspiring."
The midday event took place at Karyn's on Green, a new vegan restaurant that Freeman described as perfectly in line with the brand. "We're all about the new," she said. "And what's fun about the local edition [of Vital Juice] is that it's all very actionable. We can help weed through everything that's out there and point our subscribers in the direction of 'Here's what you need to know when it comes to nutrition, and here's something you need to try because it's new and it's local.'"
Along with a veggie-packed menu that included mock crab cakes made with carrot puree and white asparagus and pizza topped with white-bean-sage puree and broccoli, the afternoon involved a quick demo from the venue's head mixologist. The group learned how to make nonalcoholic drinks using seasonal ingredients like blueberries and fresh mint. At the end of the meal, Karyn's in-house holistic healer lead a quick breathing exercise intended to relieve stress.
"Originally, we were going to have more activities," said Freeman. "But we decided it was too much. We really wanted to leave time for networking." The 45 guests included members of the media and "people we see as wellness insiders and influencers," Freeman said. "We thought this would be a great opportunity for everybody to meet each other and take away connections, whether it's an editor learning about a new exercise class or a nutritionist meeting someone from a gym and finding a way to work together." To facilitate such interactions, planners assigned seating, staggering journalists with guests from other professions.
