Frutta Bowls adds fresh twist to fare at Summit

In 2016, New Jersey native Brooke Gagliano took a trip out west. When she came across the concept of an açaí fruit bowl, she couldn’t shake the thought that it could lead her to so much more.

When she returned home, Gagliano opened up the first ever Frutta Bowls in New Jersey, according to the company website. The store was a huge success and has since spread nationwide — all the way down to The Summit in Birmingham. 

Frutta Bowls, a health food restaurant that specializes in açaí, kale and pitaya bowls, opened its fourth location in Alabama in July, following the new Auburn location that opened in June.

As a franchise, the store strives to do one thing: provide customers with fresh, healthy food that is also delicious, said Daniel Crawford, operating partner of The Summit location.

The store offers a diverse menu, filled with colorful options such as açaí, pitaya, kale, oatmeal bowls, smoothies and kombucha. Crawford said the fresh, clean ingredients make it easy to eat clean.

Some of the best-sellers are the Frutella Bowl — with organic açaí and banana topped with granola, strawberries, bananas, Nutella, peanut butter and coconut — and the Fiji Bowl — which combines organic pitaya with banana, pineapple and sweetened almond milk and topped with granola, banana, strawberry, honey, peanut butter, coconut flakes and chia seeds.

The Summit location has been a success, Crawford said, even though the concept of açaí is still new to many.

“Even though a lot of people still don’t know how to pronounce it, we are doing our best to educate customers on the product in order to get the word out even more,” Crawford said.

The Summit was the perfect place for the Birmingham store to open, Crawford said, because it is a prime location in the city. 

“The Summit is one of the highlights of Birmingham,” Crawford said. “It’s become one of the main attractions. When people have friends or family come in from out of town, The Summit is the place they take them. It’s so centrally located, and it’s always done well.”

In the past, Crawford said most customers have been above the age of 30 because of the product and associated lifestyle. However, he hopes the new spot will allow for a more diverse, younger crowd as well because of nearby businesses such as Taco Mama and Urban Cookhouse. 

To learn more about Frutta Bowls, see its menu or browse other locations, visit its website, fruttabowls.com.