By Doug Coats at Lake Norman Citizen – A Cornelius couple is bringing more healthy options to the West Catawba corridor.
Ted and Karine Flinter opened their Vitality Bowls franchise in late July in a space formerly occupied by Starbucks. They’re offering more than a dozen kinds of acaí bowls, along with smoothies, paninis, soups and salads. But customers can get more than just a boost of complex nutrients with a catchy name. They’ll have the opportunity to hear the stories of international travel the Flinters have experienced.
Ted was a major in the U.S. Marine Corps, and he landed a job training foreign militaries and police. After meeting Karine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they’ve also lived in Kosovo, Abu Dhabi and eastern Africa.
Owning a business locally means they can get to know the community where they’ve owned a home since 2013 better. They have plans on building two more stores in the Charlotte area.
“We have three young children, and every summer we come here for two months since it’s so hot in the Middle East,” Ted Flinter said. “We’ve gotten to know our neighbors a lot better since we opened the café. That’s been a great element of getting our café open.”
Vitality Bowls is offering dine-in service with their patio space, but also online ordering for pickup or delivery. Flinter said the store is filling a demand for healthy eating, and with gyms opening this month at 30 percent capacity, looks to capitalize on fellow health-driven businesses. They offer 10 percent off to customers who show proof of a gym membership.
“We picked this location because a lot of the gyms, Planet Fitness and other fitness studios are around us,” he said. “It was a little bit concerning when we were opening up, with them slowly opening up and seeing a lot of new faces of people coming in from gyms.”
Ted and Karine Flinter opened Vitality Bowls on One Norman Boulevard in July. /Courtesy of Ted Flinter
The bowls range from $7.49 for a small dessert or breakfast bowl, to most of the menu costing $12.49 for a medium and $13.99 for a large. Some of the most popular, Flinter said, are the Vitality Bowl (strawberries, banana, flax seed), Nutty Bowl (banana, strawberries, peanut butter) and Warrior Bowl (raspberries, broccoli, almond milk).
For a liquefied treat, there’s the Matcha Madness smoothie and paninis for the savory crowd.
“It’s looking at taking real foods, organic where we can, non-GMO, and taking a healthy approach to providing a menu that’s appealing to people looking to follow dietary guidelines that are going to give them a balanced diet and healthy foods,” Flinter said.
Though “Main Street Lake Norman” may not look anything like the streets of the Middle East or African jungles, Flinter said his former life can still be beneficial in the food business.
“My wife and I have traveled the world and love learning stories and sharing ours,” he said. “We’ve got a great audience, and when you travel the world and meet lots of people, we like to think our store is welcoming and have had a cross section of people coming in and out of the world.”
(KUTV) — Times have changed, and although there will not be an in-person fashion show this year, City Creek Center will still be featuring the latest in fall trends for 2020!
On Monday, September 14th, City Creek Center will be kicking off its Fall Fashion Launch on the Center’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Each day until the end of the month they will feature the latest in fall styles from your favorite stores at City Creek Center—and there is something for everyone! And while you are out shopping for the newest styles in fall fashion at City Creek Center, stop by Vitality Bowls to fuel up on an acai bowl, fresh juice, coffee, salads, panini, and more.
Will Tanguy is here to discuss what an açaí bowl is while demonstrating the preparation of the Vitality Bowl. An açaí bowl is a thick blend of the Amazon’s antioxidant-rich organic açaí berry, topped with organic granola and a selection of superfood ingredients. Vitality Bowls also offers the nutrient-packed superfruits pitaya, Graviola and acerola as a base for bowls. Açaí berries are high in antioxidants and can promote heart health. Strawberries and bananas contain high levels of vitamin C, vitamin B, and potassium, providing energy throughout the day. Flaxseed is loaded with fiber and high-quality protein to help keep you full.
Vitality Bowls is a nationwide franchise superfood café specializing in açaí bowls, smoothies, fresh juice, salads, and panini. A variety of superfood coffee and espresso drinks are also offered at Vitality Bowls. The café is health and wellness-focused, and the kitchen is designed to avoid cross-contact of ingredients, making it an allergy-friendly environment. Menu items contain no fillers (ice, frozen yogurt, or artificial preservatives), giving them the purest taste possible.
City Creek Center Hours of operation: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
From @rachaelburnett_ – “I CAN’T believe today was our first day trying a #pitayabowl seriously one of the most delicious things I’ve ever had!! They have tons of super healthy, all natural options! I’ll definitely be going back before the end of August to take advantage of the 50% off teacher discount!!
They are currently giving teachers, school support staff, or anyone who works for the school system 50% off for the month of August!! Just show your teacher ID!!”
From @seattlefoodgram – @vitalitybowlsseattle recently opened in Seattle and specializes in making delicious acai bowls. They have a large variety of superfood ingredients and most of their ingredients are organic. I love that everything is made fresh to order and is packed with nutrients while tasting amazing! Their bowls and smoothies contain NO ice, NO frozen yogurt, NO artificial preservatives, NO trans fats, or any other fillers! My favorite was the Dragonfruit Smoothie/Bowl.
By QSR Magazine – Vitality Bowls in San Jose has partnered with professional American football safety, Jaquiski Tartt, to give back to the East Side Union High School District in a tasty way.
The initiative will kick off on Friday, August 21 with a brand-new smoothie hitting the Vitality Bowls menu at the San Jose Almaden and Cottle Road locations. The limited-time “Smart Tartt” Smoothie was developed by Tartt himself, made with fresh juiced apple, mango juice, fresh juiced carrot, açaí, banana, pineapple and spinach.
“We are incredibly excited to partner with Jaquiski to create a menu item that will give back to the local community, and that customers will really love,” says Brian Hom, who owns the two Vitality Bowls locations in San Jose with his wife Kathy.
East Side Union High School District will receive 10 percent of all Smart Tartt smoothie proceeds. The district serves more than 22,000 students throughout San Jose, including a large population of underprivileged students that come from low income families.
To help students overcome the systemic barriers and challenges that prevent them from thriving in a global society, East Side Union High School District is using the donated proceeds to provide students with necessary school supplies. This will include offering students access to mobile hotspots and technology devices during a remote learning model in the fall, as well as providing them with clothing and transportation vouchers.
“The partnership with Vitality Bowls came naturally, as I was already finding myself stopping in for a smoothie about five times a week,” says Tartt. “The Smart Tartt is a healthy and fresh form of energy for me, and it’s definitely my go-to before and after I train. I think everyone will enjoy the smoothie we developed and it’s a great way to help local families with a portion of the proceeds.”
In addition, Vitality Bowls and Tartt will be hosting a social media contest for a chance to win an autographed Tartt jersey. To enter, participants must share a picture of their Smart Tartt smoothie on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #VBSmartTartt.
The Smart Tartt smoothie is available at San Jose Almaden and San Jose Cottle Road Vitality Bowls locations for a limited time only.
Originating in Northern California, Vitality Bowls has solidified itself as America’s superfood café – combining a dynamic café vibe with a unique collection of menu items containing high nutritional values and extraordinary tastes. The brand specializes in açaí bowls – a thick blend of the Amazon’s antioxidant-rich açaí berry, topped with a variety of superfoods. All items are made to order and prepared in a kitchen designed to avoid cross contact for customers with food allergies. All of the brand’s bowls and smoothies are free of ingredient fillers such as ice, frozen yogurt or artificial preservatives, giving the purest taste possible.
Recent Comments