Neighborhood Business Highlight: Living Foods Wellness Cafe and Juicery
James & Melody Sharp (owners) with their family
James and Melody Sharp opened Living Foods Wellness Café and Juicery in 2014 after their youngest (at the time) son suffered with gluten sensitivities. After realizing that eating out in Oxford was hard for people with food allergies and special preferences, they decided to take a chance on opening a restaurant that provided a safe place for people with allergies, sensitivities and just personal preferences. And we are so glad they did!
Located across from Pat Lamar Park, Living Foods Wellness Café and Juicery shares storefront space with Studio Whimzy. Living Foods offers an inviting space where customers know their food intolerances will be taken care of with great options. Melody recently shared, “We have become a safe place for people with allergies, sensitivities and just personal preferences. We love giving people peace of mind when they eat here, that they are getting fresh, organic, healthy, allergy-friendly food and drinks served with love.”
Their menu offers bowls, salads, sandwiches, veggie burgers, smoothie bowls, juices and teas and other drinks. We asked Melody about their best selling items and she shared, “Hands down our veggie burgers. They are unique and fun and people really love them! Second to those is probably our Mexican quinoa bowl or turkey melt sandwich, both of which we've had from the very beginning. Our acai smoothie bowls are popular, as well as our functional smoothies. Just everything. It's all good!”
It’s always evident when someone loves their job and Melody and her staff show that every day. Melody shared, “I love our customers and our employees. We have been blessed with the best of both. And I love creating things with food. It's really fun. I also love helping people find something they can eat or helping them feel a little more comfortable and confident with better food choices because changing habits can be pretty intimidating and hard to understand in the beginning. The health and wellness arena is like learning a new language at times, and I enjoy helping people learn and navigate this space.”
We ask our Neighborhood businesses how the Oxford and Lafayette county real estate market affects them. Melody shared, “Well, Oxford certainly keeps growing and is bringing new faces to town. That only helps our business to grow with Oxford!”
We are grateful to Melody and her team at Living Foods for helping us to navigate the world of wellness and for providing a safe space for those with food allergies and intolerances. Living Foods Wellness Café and Juicery is located at 809 College Hill Road and is open Monday-Saturday 10 AM – 3 PM. Follow them on Instagram/Facebook (@livingfoodsoxford) for specials. You can order online here.
Neighborhoods close by: 800 Park, Miller’s Landing, Country Club, Stone, Bill Tucker, Pinecrest, Phillip-Glen, Tatum, Turnberry Court
