Chef Anthony's Ambrosia
You would think after 20 years of making fresh-pressed juice, Chef Anthony Scaife of Chef Anthony’s Ambrosia would consider himself an expert. After all, his juice blends like Red Velvet (three types of grapefruit and pomelo) and Mr. Feelgood (prickly pear, muscadine grapes, coconut water, blueberries, starfruit, pineapple) are favorites at the Haile Farmers market. But:
“Good enough ain’t good enough,” said Chef Anthony.
The juice from Chef Anthony’s Ambrosia contains no sugar or preservatives, and unlike store-bought juices it’s not pasteurized. Pasteurization preserves juice by heating it, and in the process many of the living enzymes are destroyed. “Pasteurized juice is no longer living, it’s just liquid” Chef Anthony said. “Fresh pressed juices still have the living enzymes. It’s like still eating fresh fruit.”
The fresh fruit used for Chef Anthony’s juices all come from farmers in Florida. “Everything is Florida-grown, period,” Chef Anthony said. “There’s no point in being in business if you’re not empowering others. That’s why I use the hummingbird in my logo-- the flower and the bird reciprocate.”
Chef Anthony was introduced to fresh juice during his travels the Navy. When he returned to the States, he worked in Chicago as a chef. “I started making juice for myself making it for my kids," Anthony said. Then I started adding it to my menus for clients.” And we’re glad he did, because from there, Chef Anthony’s Ambrosia just took off.