Central Cafe and Juice Bar is serving up scratch-made healthy food items in the Central District. Located next to Garfield High School, owner and Garfield alumn Bridgette Johnson says it’s her mission to provide the community and especially students with healthy and delicious food options.

“When I was a student at Garfield, all we could do was in the lunchroom,” Johnson said. “I wanted to be able to give those choices to the students and the rest of the community.”

A Central District resident herself, Johnson makes it her mission to inspire and motivate others through her food and her positive attitude. During the Pandemic, she continued to serve the community through the store’s to-go window.

“People didn’t have that many choices that were open, so they had to give us a chance,” Johnson said. “They realized they loved us.”

Watch the video to hear about the cafe and Johnson’s commitment to supporting the community, plus catch a glimpse of some of her favorite menu items, including Jambalaya, bread pudding and signature smoothies.

Photos by Erik Kalligraphy