Elite Event @ Evolution Fresh

Yay — seriously, Katy does an a m a z I n g job for our Seattle Unilocal community. The Evolution Fresh event was wonderful — we got to try a TON of stuff. They had their representative from both Starbucks and the originator of Evolution Fresh there, who walked us through how the concept came to be, how the partnership was formed, and their vision for the brand. Afterwards, goodie bag of teeshirt, more free Evolution Fresh items for later (sandwich, wrap, juice), a reusable bottle, coupons to come back and try their veggie burger … Very generous.
Thanks Katy, Unilocal,Evolution Fresh, and Starbucks!

The best Unilocal events are the big fancy ones and the tiny intimate ones. This was the latter and it did not disappoint. This is hands down one of my favorite Unilocal events of all time.
Before this event, I was a little skeptical of Evolution Fresh. It seemed like it was bringing a corporate feel to the healthy food places like Juicy Café that I love.
It was great to meet the creator, head and head chef to put that face to the brand that makes it feel so much more personal. You know how fancy food will be more expensive and everyone tells you its because of some fancy process? They throw a term out there nobody really understands and everyone nods knowingly… except not. Well thanks to the folks at Evolution Fresh, I actually know what cold pasteurization means now!
I was even able to chat one on one with Jimmy, the creator, about our diets.
Thanks Evolution Fresh and Unilocal for putting on an awesome event. Thanks for the awesome swag that provided lunch the next day, coupons to come back, an awesome water bottle and more. I’m a fan now!

This was a small and wonderful event. The only bad thing is that I was late, and missed part of the presentation!
I had visited Evolution Fresh a few times (before the event) because my boyfriend and I drink a lot of juice, but hadn’t tried any of the food and didn’t feel like a fan or loyal customer. It was just «a place I’ve purchased juice.»
This event changed that! The founder told a great story and I really enjoyed all the samples… especially the food samples! I didn’t know they offered food. I love that they talked about how they try to make simple, tasty, and healthy food that one can make at home. The goodie bags were also fantastic!
Can’t wait to visit again.

One of the best Unilocal events yet! It was incredible to hear the vision behind Evolution Fresh from the creators & developers. I had been to their Bellevue store before and wasn’t super impressed, but it looks like they’ve come a long way in developing their menu. All the food samples were tasty and really did come across as exceptionally fresh and flavorful and healthy.
It was really neat to hear from Mel about the development of the menu. Thanks Katy!

I love love love going to healthy places, so this was fabulous to check out Evolution Fresh. Although I’ve been to the one in Bellevue before, I hadn’t even known the one in U Village (which is actually closer to where I live) existed. I learned a lot from this Unilocal event. We listened to some really informative speakers, tasted loads of yummy foods, juices, & smoothies, and more!
Thanks to Katy H for coming up with such a fabulous & healthy event. And thanks to Evolution Fresh for hosting us & really going out of their way to let us sample most of the foods they offer & educating us. Incredible event!

What an educational event! I am going avoid heat pasteurized juice from now on and only go for the cold pressed juice!

I was so excited to get into this event, with only 20 people I was sure I wouldn’t make the cut. While I do experiment with juicing and raw food on occasion this stuff is so much more interesting than my own concoctions. It was great to hear how evolution fresh came into existence. I had no idea only 4 existed. I was aware that these had popped up around Seattle but had yet to make it in to try one in person, although I have had the juice at regular Starbucks. It was definetely a feast. I was so full when I left and I only had the juices. I’m glad to learn that so many vegetarian options exist. My favorite was the avocado smoothie which I am already dreaming about using my fancy new juice container and coupon to get again very shortly. I was also extremely happy to learn a veggie burger will soon be making an appearance and am looking forward to dragging my boyfriend in to use the coupon. Thanks a bunch for everything, this was a great time and very educational.

Wow wow wow, this Elite Event was beyond amazing!
First, let me say that I am a total space cadet and somehow had transcribed from the Unilocal website that this event was happening at 6pm instead of 7:30pm. When I arrived onsite 90 minutes early, Store Manager Lena was beyond understanding and despite my complete embarrassment she was super hospitable and offered me the juice I ordered on the house while I caught up on e-​mails (the store has free wifi!) and waited for the event to start.
Lena was the first point of contact and set a great tone for the rest of my evening, and the rest of the team lived up to that tone — EVERY single member of the Evolution team who came to help out at the event was super friendly and awesome. Jimmy Rosenberg (the founder), Melodie (the chef), and Kevin (director of operations) all took time out of their busy schedules to walk us through the Evolution Fresh story and some of their top current product offerings.
It was super interesting to learn about how Evolution Fresh was founded by Jimmy, the former founder of Naked Juices (after his non-​compete contract finished!), based on his desire to bring high quality, non-​heat pasturized juice to the public. We learned about how all Evolution juices use cold press technology, in which the juice from raw fruits and vegetables undergoes a high pressure processing similar to decompression chambers for scuba divers — killing the harmful bacteria that is normally removed through traditional heat pasteurization. This cold press method slows microbial growth and allows Evolution to extend the shelf life of their never-​heated juices from a few days to up to 30 days, while still maintaining that fresh taste and abundant natural nutrient content that comes with fresh juices. We did an orange juice taste test comparing a premium heat pasteurized grocery store brand to Evolution’s Organic Orange, and you could definitely taste the difference.
I also found it fascinating to hear Melodie, the chef who developed many of the recipes being used on the current Evolution menu, talk about her philosophy and the standards she applied to the products she developed. She mentioned several times only wanted to include products and recipes that you «would make at home» — meaning no weird ingredients like MSG, and maintaining the integrity of the high-​quality ingredients she did use. She also told us the best story about how Arthur Rubinfeld (President of Global Development at Starbucks and known in equal parts for his out-​there visionary mindset and his can-​do New York tenacity) demanded a chocolate mousse just days before the opening, resulting in her frenzied creation of a super decadent Chocolate Coconut Mousse offering.
We sampled so many things, I’m going to test my memory here and see how I do:
Grilled chicken breast sandwich — YUM! I wouldn’t have ever considered ordering a sandwich here, but this was totally delicious.
Smooth Berrybeet smoothie — This was a little too hardcore beet-​y for me – probably better for veteran juicers.
Smooth Super Avocado smoothie — My favorite of everything during the event!
Organic Orange bottled juice– Ok, but I liked their other juices more.
Vital Greens bottled juice — Yum!
Sweet Greens & Lemon bottled juice — Yum!
Field of Greens handcrafted juice — Super yum! Probably my second favorite thing.
Sweet Burn handcrafted juice — So delicious, and beautiful.
Smooth Blue smoothie — Yum!
Ramon’s Smooth Apple-​Paya smoothie — Tasted remarkably like apple pie. A little too sweet for me personally.
Southwest Scramble — Yum!
Melodie’s Avocado, Kale & Fire-​Roasted Corn Salad — Super yum!
Kevin’s Quinoa, Organic Kale & Butternut Squash simmer — Yum but man was I full by this point.
On top of all that, they sent us home with an awesome GOODY BAG (!) with a bottle, coupon to come back and fill it up, voucher to come back and try their new veggie burger, t-​shirt, and Unilocal goodies too! I also took the following to go:
Ancho Chile Chicken Wrap in Collard Greens — Awesome and great for eating later because no bread to get soggy!
Mel Bar — Can easily see this getting addictive.
The store itself is beautifully designed and vaguely resembles what I would imagine the inside of an iPod to look like — all shiny white and clean lines with occasionally interspersed pops of bright color. It’s quite small (the 20 of us just fit) with a few bar-​height tables and a long counter along the east side of the store. They also have additional umbrella-​shaded tables for outdoor seating.
I feel super lucky I had the opportunity to attend this event and learn so much about Evolution Fresh and their product line-​up. Definitely one of the best Elite Events I have been to!

I’m going to go ahead and say this is the best Elite Event I have attended since 2007. Here’s why:
— It started on time.
— The size of the participants was capped at around 20.
— 3 instrumental people from Evolution Fresh spoke at the event including the founder.
— Tastings were timed appropriately and went beyond just eating and trying their menu items. They spoke to each thing we tried and even did a side-​by-​side tasting of regular store bought orange juice versus their cold pressed version.
— The event was well staffed so things ran smoothly and seamlessly.
— There was a chance for question and answers from everyone that attended.
— I had the opportunity to better connect with fellow Unilocalers since the event was kept small.
— Swag bag was awesome. A little bit of everything to enjoy…
— and of course, Katy was there!
As someone with a BS in Nutritional Science and Food Science and currently in food marketing I was thorough impressed with the concept of Evolution Fresh, its roots and its mission. The drinks were all delightful and the food was surprisingly good as well. My favorites were the avocado smoothie and «steamer» quinoa soup.
I’m looking forward to returning and trying other menu options and to also see what happens for Evolution Fresh. I think they have a very bright and busy future ahead of them for sure.
Thank you for the opportunity Evolution Fresh Team & Katy H. for organizing and facilitating.

This event was one of my favorite so far. I really enjoyed the combination of hearing from the creators of the business whilst sampling the fruits (and veggies) of their labor. The small, intimate setting meant only a few Unilocalers could participate, but I think it also enhanced the experience. How amazing was it that the owner/​founder, Jimmy, and the chef, Melodie, flew in from California for our event? (Maybe they combined it with some other business here too, but I’m going to pretend it was just for us!) And Kevin, the Director of Operations, was delightfully enjoyable as well. The passion each of them carries for ensuring their products are the freshest, most nutritious available is truly remarkable and is clearly reflected in the taste of the juices and food. And the rest of the Evolution Fresh staff were equally pleasant and friendly. They did an outstanding job of preparing the food, serving us, clearing away dirty taste cups and plates between «courses,» and answering questions.
We tried more juices and smoothies than I could keep track of, but here are a few highlights for me:
–The orange juice taste test. I knew the juice isle could be sketchy, but I was surprise to learn even Naked Juice and Simply Orange juices aren’t fresh — the taste difference between Simply Orange and Evolution Fresh orange juices was phenomenal. It was like comparing Fox News to NPR: one was a soulless, thinly-​veiled attempt at the real thing while the other brings a well-​rounded, full-​bodied, new perspective that makes you wonder why you’ve ever settled for anything less.
–The Essential Field Greens with Lime juice. I much preferred this over the green versions sweetened with apple juice. I thought it was very refreshing without being overwhelming despite the number of veggies packed in. I thought the cucumber flavor stood out, which I quite enjoyed.
–The Sweet Burn juice. A small dash of cayenne makes my hot chocolate better, but who knew it could jazz up my juice? This packed just the right combination of sweetness (pineapple) and kick (ginger and cayenne).
–The Apple-​Paya smoothie. Oh. My. God. This is basically apple pie in a cup. But maybe even better. And a heck of a lot better for you. Plus, because it’s made with hemp granola, it’s very filling — even the little taste we got was quite hearty.
As for the food, it was all amazing. I’m fascinated by the salad/​simmer versatility. Essentially any salad on their menu can be turned into a delicious warm stew with the addition of their steamed veggie broth. It sounds a little odd at first, but it really works. We had Kevin’s Quinoa as a simmer and I’m not sure I could ever eat as a regular salad after that delicious experience. Now I’m wondering what salads I can turn into simmers at home! The southwest breakfast scramble had the perfect combination of flavors with just a hint of spice. And I don’t think you could ever go wrong with Mel’s Avocado Salad. You’re guaranteed a half an avocado in every salad — not just a few measly slices!
I can’t wait to eat the wrap I brought home for lunch tomorrow and I’m really excited to hopefully entice my husband into eating here with my coupon for a free veggie burger (available beginning October 7).

If all Unilocal events are like this, consider me RSVPed for all of them!
This was such a fun event, that I left feeling energized, excited and really passionate about the same things that the presenters were passionate about. It was so rejuvenating to meet and learn from people who are so passionate about food and health.
Not only was the food (sandwiches, soups, salads) delicious and genuinely tasty in an attainable way, but the juice was also so yummy. Some of them were so sweet and refreshing, I felt like I was having a dessert and cheating! But who knew it was so healthy for you! My favorite was called «Ramon’s apple-​paya» WOW! So delicious! It tastes just like apple pie but its all healthy fruit.
Awesome event. Period. Thanks, Katy!

Great event! Thanks Katy!
This is a very educational event about Evolution fresh. We got to know their passion about wellness and how they make fresh juice and healthy food. At the event, we have tasted several kinds of juice, couple different sandwich, salad, and soup.
My favorite sandwich was the chicken sandwich with sundry tomato and basil. The chicken was tender. I loved the combination of sundry tomato and basil. For juice, I enjoyed most of them. The green juice with a touch of apple juice and ginger was really special.
Kevin, Melodie, and Jim introduced Evolution Fresh to us and answered questions from Unilocalers! I loved the education session with menu tasting. At the end of the event, each of us got a goodie bag from them, a t-​shirt, a juice bottle, a food item, a bottle of juice, a piece of dessert, and a free veggie burger that will be on the menu on October 7^th.
I’ve tried to juice myself. My juice was not as good as theirs. I will definitely come back and try different juice and different food from their menu.