South Florida Sun Sentinel
Jul 13, 2021 9:50 PM
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A vanilla and chocolate oat milk swirl ice cream cone and a “You Blew My Mind” smoothie are seen in front of Joyfull, a vegan soft-serve ice cream and smoothie bar in Delray Beach. (Chris Day / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Leah Landon helped manage the careers of Lady Gaga, Eve, Fat Joe, Kelis, Jadakiss and Mario. Then she produced reality TV shows “Candy Girls” and “Bridging the Gap”.
But now she’s Joyfull to be chilling in Delray Beach.
Joyfull is the name of Landon’s vegan soft serve, organic smoothie/latte bar hidden among the nooks and crannies of the lush tropical space behind the Anuttara Yoga Shala.
“All my dreams came true,” Landon says, recalling those heady days from 2000 to 2010. “We’re talking success and power through my first career. I was very goal oriented. I was very focused and driven. And I was grateful to have all these once-in-a-lifetime experiences that I thought would fulfill me. I got to the top of that mountain … and I was unhappy. I sacrificed my own internal health and well-being for external success. So I shifted gears to healing myself and … made my mission to help others.”
Leah Landon poses for a portrait by her vegan soft-serve ice cream and smoothie bar, Joyfull, in Delray Beach. The bar is located behind Anuttara Yoga Shala with a space filled with hammocks, swings, colorful chairs, a koi pond and a fire pit. (Chris Day / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
- So she went into a new direction and got certifications in yoga, pilates and spin instruction (and is going to graduate school to become a therapist).
- Then, starting in 2013, she shifted her branding talents to growing Juice Press, taking the company from five locations to 100 over the next seven years.
- She also founded the Southampton Sweat Festival in 2014, a fitness event that drew hosts such as Christie Brinkley and her daughter Sailor Brinkley Cook until the COVID-19 shut down last year’s staging.
“During pandemic I was without the fitness festival and I left Juice Press and I wanted to get out of New York during the winter,” she explains. “I got down here in October. My mom introduced me to Anuttara Yoga. She a snowbird from Brooklyn. I said, ‘There’s no good yoga in Florida.’ I was so judgmental. Then the second I walked in … I saw how this is so unique.”
Leah Landon behind the counter of her vegan soft-serve ice cream and smoothie bar, Joyfull, in Delray Beach. (Chris Day / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Landon and Anuttara’s manager, Blake Krause, became friends. When he had the idea to expand the studio, he thought the ex-executive would be a good fit.
Owner Brad Noonan agreed and Landon packed up her New York City life and moved to South Florida, which she describes as “like a warm bath I don’t want to get out of. I’m truly at peace.”
She says Joyfull’s owners “wanted to create a café in the back yard and some kind of community, a yoga country club, if you will, meeting nutritional needs, spiritual needs, physical needs. All your needs can be fulfilled here.”
Joyfull quietly opened in May, quickly finding favor with what Landon calls the “built-in community” devoted to the hot yoga studio.
Most vegan soft serve is coconut- or cashew-based, which Landon says can be caloric and high in fat. “Our soft serve has an oatmeal base, which I believe we’re the only ones in South Florida who are offering that,” Landon says.
Joyfull, a vegan soft-serve ice cream and smoothie bar in Delray Beach, is located behind Anuttara Yoga Shala with a space filled with hammocks, swings, colorful chairs, a koi pond and a fire pit on Tuesday, July 13, 2021. (Chris Day / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
She also maintains that there are no gums, alcohol or corn syrup used and that she spent six months researching and sourcing the toppings.
Organic smoothies are made with a base of oat milk or coconut water and use sweeteners such as maple syrup, coconut nectar and dates.
- The Super Smoothies cost $9.90 for a petite (Super Boosts are $1.10) and $12.12 for a “handsome” size (with a free Super Boost)
- The Soft Serve is $5 for a cup, $6.60 for a waffle cone and $9.90 for a “snowbird” size. Toppings are $1 and $2. Sauce is $1.
- Lattes are $5.50 for a petite and $6.60 for a handsome.
- There are also Super Bowls with fruit and toppings for $10.10 and Super Shots for $5.
Landon adds that the concept was conceived during the pandemic when people were “looking for opportunities to experience joy. We hope people are full of joy with two ll’s.”
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It’s an experience they are already thinking of expanding throughout South Florida and then perhaps nationally.
“There is so much seriousness … with the health food businesses,” Landon says. “There’s this sterile, pharmaceutical vibe. I sort of wanted to create a playful and fun experience. So you leave and you’re wondering, what just happened? That goes beyond a $10 smoothie. How did that happen?”
Joyfull is at 2219 Seacrest Blvd., Delray Beach. Hours are 9 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.
Joyfull plans on adding events such as outdoor movie nights, live music, fire ceremonies, workshops and pop-up dining with local restaurants.
The outdoor space is also available for private parties and celebrations. Dogs, children, bikes and skateboards are welcome.
Joyfull, a vegan soft-serve ice cream and smoothie bar in Delray Beach, is located behind Anuttara Yoga Shala with a space filled with hammocks, swings, colorful chairs, a koi pond and a fire pit. (Chris Day / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Leah Landon pours a “You Blew My Mind” smoothie behind the counter of her vegan soft-serve ice cream and smoothie bar, Joyfull. The smoothie has banana, maca, cinnamon, blue spirulina, protein powder, coconut nectar, Butterly pea powder, housemate nut butter and oak milk. (Chris Day / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
