Village News

As the community manager at Village Juicery, Jessica plays many roles; she manages the 540 College St location, curates products for the store, provides nutritional advice as an in-house nutritionist and builds relationships with other health-minded people and businesses in Toronto. In this Be a Villager, we get to know the person behind the counter and learn more about her passion for holistic nutrition and what it’s like to call Toronto home. VJ: How did you get interested in holistic nutrition? JL: Nutrition is the way I found myself. I was working at a media distribution company right after I graduated university. The job was a wonderful learning experience, but it wasn’t my passion. At the time, I weighed 190 lbs and was was going through depression. I thought to myself, “I should either see a personal trainer or a therapist,” and I went with a personal trainer. Through my weight loss experience, I became very connected with food – and increasingly aware about what I put into my body and where it came from. That’s when I started to seriously look into nutrition. That summer, I enrolled at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition and I started school in the fall. I began taking courses part time and while continuing to work at the media company. But I soon realized that I wanted to find more meaningful work. I took a leap of faith, quit my job and went to school full-time to fast track. I haven’t looked back since. VJ: You moved around a lot growing up. How has that shaped who you are? JL: I did grow up in different places, and continents. My father owned a shoe company so he was involved in the import and export business. I was raised in Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Italy. In high school, we moved to Hong Kong for my mothers’s job. I’m very grateful to have become so culturally diverse, and it was great to have entrepreneurial parents exploring the world with me – they’ve definitely inspired me. However, moving around so much left me feeling pretty fragmented. I didn’t really know what home truly meant. I always had a connection to Toronto – I was born here – so I thought I would try my hand in living in this wonderful city and connecting to my roots. VJ: Would you say you found home? JL: I’d say so. I think you make the best out of every opportunity. Here, I’ve met a lot of inspiring people and made meaningful friendships. Toronto helped me find my passion and niche, and I’m thankful for that. VJ: Since we’re on the topic of the city. What are some of your favourite places to go? JL: That’s a hard question! I like Early Bird for coffee and to read; Trinity Bellwoods to walk Romeo, my roommate’s dog; Kensington Market, especially Hibiscus and Essence of Life for my essentials… and I’m addicted to Barreworks classes – they keep me sane. VJ: Switching back to nutrition, you started Food Conservateur. What does it stand for? JL: Conservateur translates to ‘preservatives’ in French. A food conservateur is term I created to describe someone who’s concerned with the tactics used by the food industry to remove food from its natural state. I’m a big advocate of whole foods, not over-processed, and finding a qualitarian approach to nourishing the body. Nutrition is the foundation of my transformation, and I hope to inspire other people through my career.VJ: There’s a lot of talk about whole foods and getting back to our roots, is this where you see the holistic nutrition industry heading? JL: I think there’s a definitely a revolution in terms of self-care. The health food industry is taking off and what I mean by that is there’s more accessibility to and awareness of healthier choices. I think people are turning to food as a method of healing – it’s playing a much bigger role than just consumption. VJ: Where do you see yourself in five years? JL: I want to keep helping people achieve optimal health and do so in a way that is genuine for me. Because I went through a weight loss experience, I want to guide others through healthy detoxification and weight loss programs. I also want to be able to practice what I preach and embody a healthy work-life balance as I see my career grow. VJ: What’s your favourite juice? JL: On any regular day, it’s a Be Clean, but I have days where I gravitate towards a Be Calm.

In this instalment of our #BeAVillager series, we go back to the beginning with our first hire, Karen Parucha, marketing manager, leader and most importantly, our voice to the outside world. VJ: How did you get involved with Village Juicery? KP: Sometime around the summer of 2014 I started to have an existential crisis. I was working a corporate job, travelling for work a lot and getting more serious about yoga, but it wasn’t adding up. I started to realize that I simply wasn’t happy and I needed to make a change. So I left the corporate world, shifted my focus to teaching more yoga and began searching for something I could be truly passionate about. When I met with the founders of Village Juicery, I found a common passion for entrepreneurship and was drawn to contributing to something positive from the start. It was a risk, but I wanted to see what it was all about. I wasn’t super into juicing at the time but my family always had a deeper connection with food and it felt like the right path for me. VJ: You mention your family’s connection with food, tell us more about that?   KP: I come from a long line of farmers in the Philippines. But they slowly sold land to pay for education and to create opportunity for the next generation. When I was five, my parents made the final move to Canada to give me and my brother a chance for a better life. We packed up our things, said goodbye to our pet goat and made the move. Growing up in Toronto, I was still raised with the idea that food is community and you always share what you have. It’s something that has stuck with me. VJ: You mention happiness a lot, what does happiness mean to you? KP: That’s a tough question. To me, happiness is a better understanding of your Self (emphasize: capital S). It’s when there is harmony between what you think, what you say and what you do, including what you put in your body and you who surround yourself with. I feel a little obliged to pursue this path of Self-discovery, given the sacrifice my family made to give me the chance to achieve it. I think that’s why I love yoga, it helps me keep my balance. VJ: Are you happy? KP: Absolutely. Every day I wake up and do the things I think are important and that I love. I connect with new and amazing people every day, and never leave the house without a purpose I believe in. It certainly comes with sacrifice, but yes, I am. VJ: So you teach, practice and study yoga, what’s the grand plan?   KP: Trying to keep a regular practice and work at a startup is hard, but it gives me focus and energy to continue my day. I teach about four times a week and I just started pursuing certification in yoga therapy. Ultimately, I think of yoga as my craft, something I use to communicate with others, that I will always be working on the side, trying to improve. VJ: Switching gears, tell us more about where we can find you on the weekend? KP: On the rare weekend day when I’m not working, I’m almost always found in the west end. Yoga studios, local shops or definitely in High Park with Clinton. VJ: Who is Clinton? KP: Clinton is a two-year-old Bernadoodle beast I got with my ex boyfriend. I have him whenever he’s not in town, which works fine for me; I get to be the fun parent. He’s about 100 pounds, but he thinks he’s a lap dog.  Yes I know, “who’s walking who,” I get it! He’s the most loveable dog and is the first to get other dogs to play. He only operates in two speeds: either go-go-go or passed out – just like me. VJ: What do you love most about your job? KP: For me it’s all about the people I connect with at Village Juicery – at our many amazing wholesalers, or for things like this #BeAVillager series, where I meet entrepreneurs who are so passionate about their craft. I also get to connect with like-minded people online and through social media who love our brand and are so excited to share their experiences with others. The passion and energy that comes from working at a startup fuels me. No two days are alike, working at a desk is seldom, and I’m constantly brainstorming the next set of ideas. VJ: How does your voice change when you’re speaking on behalf of Village Juicery? KP: It’s definitely still me behind the counter or at the keyboard, but I think the best way to describe it is it’s a really good, confident friend. Someone who has something to share with you, but won’t judge you for all the rest. It’s authentic, that’s what I think we’re trying to do – be helpful, add something positive, but always recognize that we all make our own choices and that it’s all good. VJ: What is your favourite juice? KP: Definitely Be Strong – it’s got it all, tastes great and the red cabbage reminds of me the old restaurants in Bloor West Village, my new hood. Village Juicery’s Be a Villager series takes a look at the men and women who have inspired us. They are members of our team, our partners and the larger community who, by honing in on their craft, are doing great things for the city in which we live.