The owners of Radish, a new salad and juice bar within DeSoto Central Market, have a motto that they live by: “Eat Rad, Drink Rad, Be Rad.”
Radish will celebrate its grand opening Saturday, April 18, though it was present at DeSoto’s grand opening last weekend. The business’s menu will change as items become seasonal, and it aims for 100 percent local and organic produce and meat, said executive chef and co-owner Quentin Brown.
Salad options range from vegan choices to Southwestern to steak-and-potatoes. All of the juice is cold-pressed, which deviates from the normal juicing process, in which the heat eliminates some of the nutrients, Brown said.
“I am confident in all of our juice and salads,” co-owner Bryan Marscovetra said. “The prices are reasonable, and it all tastes great.”
While Radish specializes in salads and cold-pressed juice, Marscovetra stressed the healthy nature of the restaurant’s meats.
“I make sure that all of our meat is raised ethically, the chicken is free-range and everything is hormone-free,” Marscovetra said.
Radish’s food can serve as a healthy option for those who want to watch what they’re eating, Brown said. Brown, who was a chef at Fox Restaurant Concepts such as Arrogant Butcher and Bloom before starting Radish, used to weigh over 500 pounds. He has lost almost 250 pounds over the last couple years, he said.
“Radish is the perfect fit for me,” Brown said. “I have been eating right and exercising.”
Co-owners Brandon Harvey and Marscovetra met through a mutual colleague. Harvey quit his job at an insurance agency to work at Whole Foods for free as a juicer in order to learn about the business, while Marscovetra was a banker at JPMorgan Chase, Marscovetra said.
“I worked there for eight years,” Marscovetra said. “I am a musician. When I worked at Chase, I felt like I had to hide who I was.”
Marscovetra said that the lifestyle and message they want to spread at Radish is worth taking a pay cut for. Harvey agreed, adding that Radish will emphasize affordability.
“You don’t need a silver fork to eat healthy,” Harvey said. “We want to appeal to the masses, we want to help people make the healthy choice.”
During DeSoto Central Market’s grand opening on Saturday, Radish had guests name their own price for the juice. All proceeds went to a local charity called Title One, which helps feed students whose only meal of the day is the one their school provides, Marscovetra said.
Radish will be offering a student discount and rewards program for frequent customers, Brown said. The business is hoping to have a presence downtown outside the confines of DeSoto.
“We have a juice bike that we can sell juice from,” Marscovetra said. “We plan on it being at ball games downtown and around the ASU campus.”
Gia Anguiano, an employee at Desoto Cental Market, said the amount of companies within DeSoto will bring in a wide-array of people, and people are sure to find something they like.
“DeSoto will be a place where people like to spend their time and relax,” Anguiano said.
Radish will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays.
Contact the reporter at sidney.pearce@asu.edu
