Amy Waldman (’83) can now enjoy the fruits — and vegetables — of her labor, after opening downtown Bethesda’s latest addition, Purée, an artisan juice bar, today.

Waldman, who describes herself as a “juice junkie,” first got into juicing a few years ago to combat her own health issues. She discovered through reading and talking to friends the power of juice cleanses and fasts, and following a strict regimen, she lost 90 lbs. in less than six months. At the time, Waldman was using a home juicer because she couldn’t find anywhere to buy the juice that she wanted.

Ultimately, she decided to just open her own store, which is located at 4903 Elm St.

“I started wanting to find a place to go to have real juice,” she said. “I mean, this is not the same kind of juice that you get at Robek’s or Smoothie King. This is totally different. It’s 100% natural, organic and pressed.”

Once Waldman had the idea of opening a juice bar, she immediately settled on Bethesda as the ideal location because of the area’s foot traffic and health-conscious citizens, who she thought would be more attracted to her business. Waldman said she especially likes the location’s proximity to yoga studios and the Equinox gym.

“You don’t want to eat something that’s really heavy after you work out, so juice is a nice, light thing to have,” said junior Kayla Lorberbaum, who belongs to Equinox.

Waldman’s store offers organic, custom-made juices at its bar and also sells bottled juices out of a grab-and-go cooler at the front of the store. The bottled juices are all made in-house and have a shelf life of three days.

In addition to pure juices like carrot or apple juice, chef Steve Mekoski has designed several specialty concoctions, such as easy green, which is made of kale, cucumber, apple and lemon juices, and mean lemonade, which is composed of alkaline water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and coconut nectar. To satisfy those who want a smoothie, Purée also offers thicker, more filling beverages.

“We also have what we’re calling purees and shakes,” Waldman said. “Some people would call them smoothies, but I call them purees and shakes because there’s no yogurt. It’s not made with frozen yogurt or ice cream, and that’s what people think of when they think of smoothie.”

Instead, the purees are simply made with fruit and juice, while the shakes have a thicker consistency from ingredients like coconut fat.

Finally, Purée offers cleanses, which are essentially prix fixe lineups of juices that are meant to be consumed over the course of a day. Individuals on cleanses are only supposed to drink the prescribed juices, all of which are made of just fruits and vegetables. The cleanses are filling enough for an entire day because they’re  meant to replace meals, employee Matthew Ancarrow said.

All of the produce that goes into the drinks at Purée is from local growers, but that freshness doesn’t come cheap. It’ll cost you $9 for all juices or $10 for premium beverages like almond milk, purees and shakes. A one-day cleanse costs $65, while a three-day cleanse costs $180.

Although Purée’s menu is limited right now, Waldman said does plan on selling raw foods, such as trail mix and specialty chocolate, in the future.

“Our goal is to have the best juice, purees and shakes and the best customer service from the beginning,” she said. “We’re just starting with a simple menu, and then we’re going to add stuff.”

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