May 10, 2013

Food can be a medium for love

Food can be a medium for love and a conduit through which to be in service to one’s community. Today was one of our employees last day with us at Roost for now. She has been with us almost since the beginning of our opened doors. She roosted with us through the dark, cold, and quiet days of the winter when we still had folks coming in for juice and warming up with all that dense nutrition. This evening after we finished closing, we all sat with a glass of wine and some donuts from the Holy Donut in Portland and it’s all we needed to begin an hour of chatting, laughing, and expressing gratitude. It was one of those times where I could pause and truly feel the joy and beauty of the present moment. And it feels good to be consuming homemade donuts that can be made vegan and gluten free, and to know that the owner, Leigh Kellis, makes these donuts with love, and she and her daughter love juice to boot!

One of the reasons we began Roost was to provide an option for people to enjoy organic juice filled with lots of local veggies. And we wanted people to be able to savor their juice in company or by oneself in an atmosphere that was relaxed and cozy. If you get quiet, you may even hear the walls whisper “there is plenty of time,” “you are supported,” “show up as you are,” “be light,” “you have everything you need.”

Adding in juice as part of your nutrition for the day is wonderful! Certainly filling up on food (juice, smoothies, vegan potato donuts) that nourishes us helps us be more alive and balanced in the physical body, enabling us to be able to show up for our lives in a more present and steady way. Food that supports us can help build up our primary food capacity, and by primary food, I am speaking of healthy relationships, respectful family connections, meaningful work, etc.

Food can be a conduit through which we can be in service to our community. As we fill up on more nourishing food, we may become clearer and more centered, and as a result free up some space for ourselves to be in service. When we love and respect ourselves, we are more able to love and respect others. When we feel fulfilled, we are more able to help others and inspire those around us. In addition, gathering around food builds community. As Henri Nouwen so eloquently writes:

“We all need to eat and drink to stay alive. But having a meal is more than eating and drinking. It is celebrating the gifts of life we share. A meal together is one of the most intimate and sacred human events. Around the table we become vulnerable, filling one another’s plates and cups and encouraging one another to eat and drink. Much more happens at a meal than satisfying hunger and quenching thirst. Around the table we become family, friends, community, yes, a body.”

Quench your thirst, satisfy your hunger, and roost yourself in solitude or community Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday 10am-3pm

11 Free St

Portland, ME

Love & Juice,

Jeanette

May 4, 2013

bal·ance

noun

An even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.

Let’s talk about BALANCE

Let’s talk about all the good things

And the bad things that may be

To be steady, to be fully standing

or upside down and steady

honor your whole-self

BALANCE

evenness

opportunity knocks not just once

Be Balanced

that’s your essence

that’s your presence

Kathleen and I started Roost House of Juice with an intention to cultivate balance for ourselves, and invite that for our customers, for our community. We developed our menu of juice, smoothies, vegan food, & wine with the hope of encouraging people to try on eating more fruits and veggies- to add in more plants, and to honor their specific needs and often the multiplicities and ambiguities that exist within all of us. We love that we can serve the raw gluten free vegan that is very limited when it comes to eating out; we love that we can serve up a collard wrap to a man who normally eats turkey sandwiches for lunch but is choosing to add in a plant based option once a week; we love that we can serve up a glass of organic bio-dynamic wine to someone after work while they roost and enjoy a side of savory crackers and dairy free cashew ricotta spread; we love that we can serve up a chocolate coconut macaroon to a young girl who has an egg allergy and normally cannot eat macaroons; we love that we get to make a hard core green juice for a young girl who requests fennel, kale, and ginger in her juice creation!  Everyone is welcome here, as you are, as you are, and we come as we are.

I was talking recently with a friend about relationships, and I was unloading about how I am feeling right now about the world around me and the suffering and violence that exists. I was like, on one hand knowing all this is happening makes me seize life more- life is fragile, so make a difference while you can, say what you need to say while you are here and do what you need to do… and as Mumford & Sons sing in their song, “love with urgency but not with haste” ..so all that is going on inside myself. On the other end, in leui of recent world happenings, there is a feeling of being broken down, unmotivated, fearful of the inevitable presence of suffering in this life and a forgetting of the magic, mystery, and miracles that also exist in this life. My friend said it sounds like you have one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake. STUCK, yes is how I feel. I am pressing the gas and pressing the brake so I am not going anywhere, no movement, no balance. My friend encouraged me not to press hard on the brake or the gas, but in order to move forward, there has to be some form of nuanced play with both the gas and the break-subtle, slight, always refining, go a mile, pause, reflect, be aware, and then maybe eventually go another mile. And maybe it is okay to be stuck sometimes,-what is there to learn here? how can I practice being present right now and be okay in all of it? How can I trust that all will balance out and no feeling is final?

I write this now as a person who in the beginning of the week, a few times, ate over some sadness and fear with some coconut ice cream and sweets and bread and chips, who later in the week, was like, I’m done eating over my feelings for now, so opted for some juice and raw foods instead to lift me up a bit.  Now, as I write this at the end of a busy week at Roost House of Juice, I recognize that I let myself ride the wave of my uncomfortable feelings, allowed myself to play with the brake and gas, and arrived at a place of equilibrium again on this fine sunny Saturday.

As I sit here now on Saturday night, I am grateful for an evening promenade and chat with a friend filled with a setting sun, lots of blooming cherry blossom trees, laughter, and spring dreams!

Need holiday gifts for your loved ones?

December 11th, 5-7pm! 

6 spots left!

5:20, 5:30, 6:10, 6:20, 6:30, 6:40 
$15 for your 10 minute reading and a juice, or glass of wine!

Heather Nichols from Portland’s own Stones and Stuff is back again at Roost for our 2nd round of Tarot Juice & Wine Night.

To reserve your time, please email jeanette@roosthouseofjuice.com or call Tuesday, 899.4275.

We invite you to join us at Roost House of Juice for delight-full events this December!

Dec 7th, 5-7pm

First Friday Art Walk at Roost!

We’re featuring new art on our walls for this month’s FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK. We’ll be open our regular hours, serving our full menu and from 5-7 offering 5 dollar wine specials.

Please join us for a showcase of Heidi Record’s (also known as Surf Gypsy) oceanic appreciation photographs. (All of which will be for sale and they make great holiday gifts!)

Dec 11th, 5-7pm
Juice, Wine & Tarot Night

Welcome back Heather Nichols from Portland’s own Stones and Stuff  to Roost House of Juice for our SECOND round of Tarot & Wine or Juice Night. The evening’s readings are 10 minutes and it’s only $15 for your first juice or glass of wine plus the reading. Feel free to call your friends and make an evening out of it – but don’t delay in making your reservation – our first tarot night was a sold-out success!!!
To reserve your time, please call Roost 899.4275. Limited Space, reservations required

This holiday season We’re offering Roost as a gathering spot for your holiday fetes as well. Call us if you’d like more info on our party rental options. A giant THANK YOU goes out to all of our already booked parties – we’re so proud and happy to have been your choice in providing cozy comfort & cheer this chilly season! Weekly Specials Continue Wednesdays: Half price on glasses of wine Fridays: Kids are free with purchase of an adult item Gifts We have some incredibly-made local gifts for sale and can joyfully provide you with gift certificates to Roost as tokens to your loved ones and for all those stockings that need stuffing! May your days be Merry & Bright, Kathleen & Jeanette

]]> http://roosthouseofjuice.com/roost-house-of-juice-december-events/feed/ 0 http://roosthouseofjuice.com/tarot-readings-with-wine-or-juice-at-roost-house-of-juice/ http://roosthouseofjuice.com/tarot-readings-with-wine-or-juice-at-roost-house-of-juice/#comments Tue, 30 Oct 2012 17:26:42 +0000 kathleen http://roosthouseofjuice.com/?p=710 Tarot Readings with Wine or Juice at Roost House of Juice~

The ancient art of a tarot card reading is not meant to tell your fortune or future or to answer yes or no, but instead is to be used as a guide to help you make decisions yourself.
Whether you bring a carefully constructed question, are seeking an open-ended reading, or are simply intrigued by the influences of the wands, cups, swords, and circles in your life, join us on
TONIGHT! TUESDAY, October 30 from 5-7pm for this special evening of readings with Heather Nichols.

Come prepared to hear anything that comes to Heather in your time together. She relays all the information she receives.

Your first glass of wine or *juice is included in the cost.
PLEASE call Roost (899.4275) to make a reservation for your tarot time, as there is limited space for readings.

First Friday Art Walk

October 5th, 6-8pm

Please join us for a revolving door open house and grand opening party. We will be celebrating with samples of juice, food, and wine! We will be featuring the beautiful canvas photographs of Annie Ritchie!

Co-owner

In years past, as Kathleen walked the busy streets of Manhattan, she imagined a more tranquil existence for herself – perhaps opening a café or bookstore on some version of “Main Street” in some Small City, USA. She envisioned living in a place where people walked joyfully down the block, nodding and waving hello to their fellow passers-by.

During her decade-long stint in New York City, Kathleen made her living working in restaurants and as a personal trainer while immersing herself in the acting and writing world.

And then she went to her first yoga class. It was there she found a sense of balance and an understanding of what it meant to be at peace – even in the midst of chaos. She soon began an in-depth study of yoga at Sonic Yoga in Manhattan and immediately following the completion of her 200-hour teacher certification, began her 500-hour teacher training in Prana Flow Yoga through Sonic with Shiva Rea.

Following a new-found sense of direction, Kathleen left NYC for Portland, Maine in the fall of 2010. She immediately felt a sense of anchoring that she had never known in New York. She began teaching yoga at a few studios around greater Portland and it was at Yogave Donation Yoga in Falmouth where she cultivated a true community and met her dear friend and now business partner, Jeanette Richelson. Kathleen continues to teach yoga around town in addition to co-teaching the Yoga Alliance-certified teacher training program at Bhava Yoga School in Portland.

Kathleen brings her knowledge and experience from years in the NYC service industry to Roost but also the appreciation of the sheer joy and freedom she has found in Maine thus far. To Kathleen, Maine supplies not only an abundance of local, organic foods but a sense of place and community that is uncommon in other regions. Through Roost, she seeks to offer a place where that community will be held and honored.

“I could never have done this by myself– I am eternally grateful for having met Jeanette and for learning that sometimes you don’t have to ‘go-it alone.’ Thank Heavens for my family – my given family who has supported me and encouraged me to move forward from a heart space and to my chosen family, who will NBO. To my growing family, Lucas and Amelia, you’re the reason I came and the reason I stay, all ways.”

Blessings,

Co-owner

An “Outside of Boston” native, Jeanette first lived in Maine where she received her B.A. in education and women’s studies at Colby College. Her interest in holistic health, plant-based eating and conscious living began during her study abroad program in Kingston, Jamaica in 2004.

Two years later, while working as a server at Berkeley, CA’s Café Gratitude, one of the most successful raw food restaurants in the country, she learned about raw and living foods, juicing and Sacred Commerce. Returning to her Northeast roots in 2007, Jeanette attended the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC, where she became a Certified Holistic Health Coach. She later coached people on how to make step-by-step changes to their diet and lifestyle through green smoothie workshops, e-newsletters, and individual coaching sessions.

In 2009, Jeanette completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training program with O₂ Yoga in Boston and a children’s yoga teacher training with Childlight Yoga. She moved back to Maine shortly thereafter and began teaching at Yogave, a yoga studio offering ‘by donation classes’ in Falmouth, which quickly became her second home. This is where she met Kathleen Flanagan. They quickly became friends and started discussing their shared ideas for ways to give back to their community.

Jeanette’s passion for healthy foods grew as she served green smoothies with her bike blender at the Falmouth Farmers’ Market, earning her the new nickname “Fender Blender Gal.”

Jeanette is incredibly excited to combine her passion for raw foods, plant-based eating and yogic philosophy in the Roost venture. She believes that the nutrient dense food grown in our Maine backyard can be a gateway for more mindful speech, thought and action. She and Kathleen hope to cultivate a space where people will experience the pleasure of healthy eating, a joyful atmosphere, and a service that will satisfy every appetite.

“I am so blessed to be opening Roost House of Juice with Kathleen Flanagan! There are many people to thank for inspiring me on this path of holistic health, wellness and ‘present moment’ living: Daisy Mom, Daddio, Eppy, JR, Adrienne Martin, Amy Wolfe, Shirley Campbell, Livity, Matthew & Terces Engelhart and the Café Gratitude Community, Troi Boulanger, Mimi Loureiro, David Clark, Lisa Maxwell and, of course, Kathleen Flanagan!”

Peace, Solidarity, and Livity,

We need your support!

We are excited! Roost House of Juice will be opening its doors soon to the Portland, Maine community. As an artisan juice and smoothie bar, Roost will be serving up fresh-pressed juices and smoothies with as much local organic Maine produce as possible. Roost will be entirely plant-based with no soy, no gluten, and no dairy.

Currently under construction, we need the help of the people in our community and beyond to help us finish that process and get us up-and-going.

We have put together a Kickstarter Video as a platform for people to help support the opening of Roost House of Juice. Please peruse this video for fun and have a giggle!

You will find that this video offers the potential for you to help uphold this vision. Please also share it with your friends, with strangers, with anyone who is interested in supporting this dream becoming a reality.

Join the movement to get Roost’s doors open and we will be so happy to invite you to rest and rejuvenate with organic fresh pressed juice, non dairy smoothies, plant-based food, and sustainable organic wines.

You will be served by our knowledgeable staff members and experience the bliss that inspired our mission to create this space.

For more information about our mission, philosophy and offerings, please visit our website: www.roosthouseofjuice.com