Bare Bowls is the brainchild of two college friends -- 23-year-old Menlo Park native Sarah Lipps and Bridget Corson, who's originally from Minnesota. The two, who met at Pepperdine University in Southern California, share a love of health and entrepreneurship.
Bare Bowls is currently serving up nine kinds of acai bowls, from a basic "Cardinal" bowl (a blend of acai and other berries) to ones blended with peanut or almond butter, greens and other fruits. Others are topped with cacoa nibs, roasted almonds, coconut or goji berries.
Here's the "Powerhouse" (blend of acai, blueberry, banana, chia seed and almond butter; topped with granola, banana, blueberry and honey):
View the full menu here. Small bowls go for $8; large for $12. Enjoy them at Bare Bowls or take them to go.
The health-centric bowls are made from frozen, pure acai (no added sweeteners or ingredients). Some ingredients, such as nut milks and the peanut and almond butter, Lipps and Corson are making themselves.
"We're just really focused on pure ingredients and people knowing what they're getting," Lipps told me this summer. "It's just a handcrafted bowl all together."
The shop will also rotate an oatmeal of the day ($6). This Tuesday's was "banana bread" ? oatmeal topped with bananas, walnuts and Bare's own cashew milk.
Lipps and Corson are selling their own blend of granola, plus some from San Francisco-based Worthy Granola and locally made Ladera Granola.
They'll also be fully caffeinated by the end of the week with coffee from Santa Cruz's Verve Coffee Roasters.
Other menu items will come soon, Lipps said Wednesday. There will be smoothies, health shots (like wheatgrass, ginger, turmeric) and other grab-and-go local products.
Bare Bowls is all about the local ? and not just in terms of the food. The shop has a community board that will feature a local fitness instructor and also provides information on InnVision Shelter Network, a local nonprofit that provides shelter and services to the homeless. When customers bring in their own bowl, mug or cup, Bare Bowls will donate 20 cents to InnVision.
Head over to Bare Bowls for a grand opening this Saturday, Nov. 15, from noon to 3 p.m. for live music, raffles and, of course, bowls.
Bare Bowls
530 Emerson St., Palo Alto
barebowls.com
Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
