“If it grows here, we’re juicing it,” says Lauren Tanchum, chief operations manager and head chef at Cafe Joust, an organic juice bar and plant-forward cafe she started with the support of her husband, Devin. After two years spent in Rhinebeck as a takeout window, in February, Cafe Joust moved from its original location to a new home in Catskill.
Raised in Brooklyn, Tanchum's love for wellness was sparked during her years spent living with her husband on the West Coast. “Living in a place like LA where everything grows year round, it is so easy to live off the land and hard to ignore the fruits and vegetables,” says Tanchum. Both her and her husband learned about nutrition and raw food, modifying their own diet, and taking care of their bodies in a new way. Tanchum became further connected to raw food and veganism when helping a friend open his own vegan bakery. This passion, coupled with her experience in yoga, built the foundation of wellness knowledge that she needed to start her own business. “I believe truly that if we are feeling good in our bodies, the outcome is a sort of reverberation,” explains Tanchum.
Upon moving to the Hudson Valley in March of 2020, the Tanchums were motivated to bring a healthy and diverse menu to their neighborhood, and leaned on the expertise they had gained in a warmer climate. The original Rhinebeck menu was full of tropical offerings that you might find on menus in LA or Hawaii. Gradually, however, they began pushing for a more region-focused menu. Imported ingredients on Cafe Joust’s menu, such as citrus or pineapple, are extremely limited. “We try to keep things as local as possible, showcase what's growing in the area, year round,” says Tanchum.
The intricacy and creativity of the menu reaffirms the abundance of the region’s produce. The juices are heavy with locally grown celery, ginger, kale, turmeric, carrots, and more. The G.B.O.M.B.S. Macrobiotic Salad ($14) embodies the original flavors featured at Café Joust, served with tenderized kale, stewed black beans, red onions, shiitake bacon, cherry tomatoes, superseed mix, roasted red beets, Woodland Pantry kraut, and miso-tahini. Other menu items include their fan-favorite brown rice bowl ($12) with black and red beans, pico de gallo, avocado, miso-tahini, kalamata olives, and shiitake bacon; and the avocado toast ($10) on focaccia from Catskill Bread Co. Café Joust also offers a wide selection of coffees and teas alongside their many juices.
Operating Cafe Joust is not a simple feat, as it requires the complex coordination of the many ingredients coming from a large number of local farms throughout the Hudson Valley, including Montgomery Place Orchards, Samescott’s Garden Market, Green Owl Farm, Mead Orchards, Plane Meadow Farm, and many more. The farms that Café Joust collaborates with provide what they can throughout the year, and the menu shifts accordingly based on what is growing in the area during each season. This provides an intimate view into the impact of shifting weather patterns in the area. Dramatic or irregular weather can have a direct impact on what is able to grow. “Going through a plant-forward menu, you really come to understand the climate crisis that we are in,” Tanchum explains.
For her part, Tanchum is doing what she can to incorporate sustainable practices into Joust’s operation. For instance, nearly all food waste is composted. Tanchum also subverts a huge source of waste production by avoiding the take-it-out, throw-it-out culture of casual dining and coffee-drinking in the US, encouraging customers to enjoy their meals on premises.
This dine-in culture also lends itself to Cafe Joust's intention to be a community space, which can host dates, friendly catch-ups, and even events. From yoga with Lea Bender every other Saturday to the live tunes from Music For Furniture every other Monday morning, Joust works to fuse wellness, music, and performance arts with food—creating a cultural and community throughline with the space’s previous tenant, HiLo.
Tanchum’s dedication to serving the community doesn’t end with the individuals who walk through her doors. “It's not cheap to run a business like this, and it definitely excludes people. As we grow, I would love to be in a better position to give a lot of this away, and to donate, and have free dinners,” Tanchum explains, “Everyone who comes in and pays for a meal is contributing to this desire and this intention.”
