On Feb. 27, a new health food joint opened its doors in Santa Maria: Healthy Habit Nutrition. The owners of Healthy Habit Nutrition strive to appeal to a variety of different palates by creating tasty and healthy meals, while also offering customers many choices to choose from.
Andre Rodriguez, the owner, originally came from Camarillo and was raised by his mother, a respiratory therapist. His mother influenced him to become very interested in people’s health, and he decided to become a surgical technician. However, deep down, he knew if he could find a way to combine promoting healthy lifestyles with running his own business, he would jump at the opportunity.
During surgical training, Rodriguez met Ashley Long, who eventually became his partner and co-owner.
“He [Rodriguez] started it. We would go into health food shops in Camarillo after workouts, and we eventually realized we wanted to open up our own. We decided to leave our surgical technician jobs and jump right in,” Long said.
The two began experimenting in their kitchen to compose a menu of shakes that taste great but are also low in calories and carbohydrates and high in protein.
The partners settled on more than 50 different shake flavors, including some unconventional ones such as oreo cake, pineapple upside-down cake, and Cap’n Crunch.
The menu consists of three different types of teas—raspberry, peach, and lemon—and meal replacement shakes. When you order a shake, you get three items in return: a shot of aloe to hydrate and cleanse your body, a glass of tea to energize you, and a shake to eliminate your hunger and provide nutrition.
“I love it. It’s great and the smoothies are delicious. I have actually lost 2 pounds in one week just from drinking the smoothies,” said customer Aryaonna Ambrose.
Rodriguez and Long both agree that their goal is to inspire the community to help people choose to live healthier lifestyles.
“I opened this business to better the community by helping people become more aware of what they are putting into their bodies. Every morning I am excited to get up because of this product, and I feel like everyone should feel that way,” Rodriguez said.
By April, Healthy Habit Nutrition will be offering a membership for customers to create a wellness file and come in once a week to check and see how the shakes are contributing to their health. The wellness file will include an individual’s BMI (body mass index), muscle mass, and overall water percentage. Fitness camps are also coming soon, consisting of pre-and post-workout regimens.
In the coming months, the health food spot will also feature more coffee tables and couches, as well as wireless Internet.
“I want to create an environment where customers feel like they can come be healthy, but also hang out,” Rodriguez said.
Healthy Habit Nutrition is located at 540 East Betteravia, suite D. For more information, call 758-9247.
Biz Highlights
• Coastal Community Builders’ latest development, the Legacy at La Ventana, will have model homes open to the public on March 21 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Located on the corner of Main Street and Dressler Avenue in Santa Maria, one block past Panther Drive, La Ventana will be comprised of 120 homes. Floors plans vary from three to five bedrooms and two to three bathrooms and include three-car garages and optional en-suites and casitas. For more information, contact Cheryl Benzer, cheryl@ccb1.net, or Kim Volpe, kvolpe@ccb1.net.
• Lompoc businessmen Michael Carroll and Robert Klug were recently elected to serve on the Allan Hancock College Foundation Board of Directors. The board now includes 23 community members from the Santa Maria, Lompoc, and Santa Ynez valleys. A press release from Hancock said Klug will provide leadership on the foundation’s nominating committee. He is the chief operating officer and president of his family’s business, Master Repair Service Inc. In addition to general foundation business, Carroll will provide leadership to the foundation’s scholarship committee, according to the release. Carroll is currently the vice president and branch manager for Union Bank in Lompoc.
Intern Jamie Guista wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Mar 19-26, 2015.