Poke bowls, kale salads, smoothies and lots more superfoods are making their way all into one new-to-Homewood concept Kale Me Crazy, and Patrick Greene was sure to place it less than a mile from a dozen fitness studios, though he says their food is not just for fitness buffs. The restaurant opened July 12 next to Ashley Mac’s and Classic Wine in Soho. Stop by for a smoothie or superfood meal weekdays 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-8 p.m., or Sunday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. But first, hear what Patrick has to say about the concept.
How did you discover Kale Me Crazy?
My twin brother lives in Buckhead (in Atlanta) and goes about five days a week to Kale Me Crazy. He says the atmosphere and the food was the best he’d ever had. I saw they had a whole menu of super foods and organic whole food items on the menu. I made several trips to Atlanta and fell in love with the product and the process. It fits well into my lifestyle since I eat well and am into fitness.
How did the concept get started?
Roi Schlomo is an entrepreneur and the brain child of the product. He had about 30 units of Yogli Mogli (frozen yogurt shops) and sold that off, and saw a need for a concept like Kale Me Crazy in Atlanta with cold press juice and whole food smoothies. He started with the fitness market, but now it’s developed into healthy-minded market. Now they have 13 stores in Atlanta. It’s crazy how fast they have grown. There’s a store in the Raleigh area and another coming soon to North Carolina.
What should we order?
My favorite smoothie is the Recovery with banana, cherries, cashews, coconut yogurt, almond milk and vegan protein. The best food item is the Chicken Pesto Wrap with Pear and Apple Salad. The No. 1 seller is the Recovery Smoothie, and the No. 2 is the Tuna Poke Bowl (tuna dressed in house marinade, with avocado, cucumber, carrots, edamame, radish, toasted sesame seeds, spicy vegan mayonnaise, and furikake served on a bed of jasmine rice).
Our ingredients are all organic, and the produce is brought in every morning fresh. We cold press juice and make our own almond milk every morning from raw, unpasteurized ingredients.
What would you say to someone who thinks superfoods sound a bit weird?
Roi has done a really good job creating a product that is healthy and it tastes really good. I don’t like kale alone, but when you add peanut dressing and carrots and quinoa, it tastes really good. There is not one thing that tastes like a superfood. We are in the South, we are used to barbecue and meat and three. You can feel like (this concept) might not be for you, but my advice is to try it.
Have you always eaten this type of food?
When I got into my early 30s, I started paying attention to eating healthier. It’s been an evolution for me. I do have my cheat meals. And I have learned it costs a lot of money to go to Whole Foods and prepare and cook a healthy meal. With Kale Me Crazy though, I saw an opportunity to help Birmingham with a healthy lifestyle restaurant.
