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A new superfood cafe opened Jan. 30 at 117 W. Howry Ave. in DeLand, on the ground floor of DaVinci Design Studios.

{{tncms-inline alignment=”right” content=”&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Location:&lt;/strong&gt; 117 W. Howry Ave., DeLand&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cuisine:&lt;/strong&gt; Superfood; fruit bowls and smoothies&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hours:&lt;/strong&gt; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Signature drink:&lt;/strong&gt; Dulce Davinci&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Signature dish:&lt;/strong&gt; The Buddha Bowl&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Price:&lt;/strong&gt; Bowls are priced from $6.50 to $11; smoothies cost $4 or $5; extra toppings range from 50 cents to $2.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kid-friendly:&lt;/strong&gt; Yes&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pet-friendly:&lt;/strong&gt; On patio&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Limited diets: Gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options abound&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Alcohol: No&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;My cost for one small Buddha Bowl:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;$9 plus tax and tip&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Contact: Manager Elizabeth Burns,&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;at 386-279-0451 or&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Buddhabowls@gmail.com&lt;/p&gt;” id=”6d2648b7-241d-4450-a46c-043848ba834b” style-type=”info” title=”FOODIE FILE: Buddha Bowls” type=”relcontent” width=”half”}}

It’s the second DeLand restaurant created by Jeoffrey Curtis, owner and executive chef of The Twisted Chopstick. The new restaurant, Buddha Bowls, is in Twisted Chopstick’s former location.

Curtis said he found a food niche that wasn’t showcased yet in DeLand: healthful superfoods in bowls and smoothies.

“We figured out a food niche DeLand didn’t have yet, and ran with it,” Curtis said.

The Design Studios location lends itself to healthful expression; it was also the first home of DeLand’s original cold-pressed juice bar, Beeatroot, which has since moved to nearby Artisan Alley. The Twisted Chopstick moved to 442 E. New York Ave.

Buddha Bowls delivers a mixture of healthful delights for those wanting a positive kick-start to their morning, a lean lunch or a late-afternoon snack.

A banner showing a smiling Buddha holding a Buddha bowl is strung across DaVinci Design Studios’ wooden porch, greeting visitors at the handicap-accessible walkway.

The ambience is homey and comfortable. An option board with pictures and descriptions of the menu items is on the left wall.

A couple of rooms with window views and a covered porch invite you to sit and enjoy your smoothies or bowls.

The sound of blenders running meets your ears as you order at the counter. Copious amounts of bananas line the back counter, where the magical bowls and smoothies are created.

{{tncms-inline alignment=”right” content=”&lt;p&gt;Buddha Bowl lingo&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SUPERFOODS:&lt;/strong&gt; A term widely applied to foods ranging from spinach to salmon and blueberries. Generally, foods that are high in valued nutritional elements, including antioxidants.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ANTIOXIDANTS:&lt;/strong&gt; Chemical compounds thought to protect cells against &amp;ldquo;free radicals,&amp;rdquo; which are molecules produced in reaction to pollutants or other unhealthful conditions&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A&amp;Ccedil;AI (pronounced ah-sigh-ee):&lt;/strong&gt; The grape-sized, dark purple fruit of a palm tree native to South America&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PITAYA:&lt;/strong&gt; Also called dragon fruit. The fruit of several varieties of cactus native to the Americas&lt;/p&gt;” id=”17ac9b82-8756-4d4f-b756-f824a6477233″ style-type=”info” title=”Buddha Bowl lingo” type=”relcontent” width=”half”}}

Buddha Bowls offers five bowls, three smoothies, and three power-up options for those wanting to add an after-workout protein punch, or extra ingredients.

It’s a small and specialized menu.

There are two bowl sizes, small and large, except for The Coconut Chaos, which is served in a coconut.

“We called the cafe Buddha Bowls, to represent the healthy and peaceful life that Buddha represented,” Curtis said.

I chose the Buddha Bowl, the staple dish with either açai (the dark purple berries of a South American palm tree) or pitaya (a cactus fruit also called dragon fruit), along with banana, strawberry, mango, coconut milk and pineapple juice blended into a smoothie and then topped with granola, coconut shavings, banana, strawberry, kiwi, pineapple, raspberries, bee pollen and honey.

The base is the blended smoothie of frozen superfood, while the toppings make you feel like you are eating a frozen, fruity sundae of health.

I chose the açai fruit base, pronounced “ah-sigh-ee.” Açai taste like a hybrid of a blackberry, a raspberry and a piece of dark chocolate.

I mixed the toppings and particularly enjoyed the texture of the granola, which added a nice crunch concoction.

The other choice for the blended frozen base is pitaya, which has a slightly sweeter flavor than açai.

The other bowls contain different combinations of fruits and other ingredients, such as chocolate almond milk and peanut butter in the Twisted Bowl, and other toppings, like Nutella.

You can add even more toppings to the bowls and smoothies for an additional charge.

The featured smoothie, the Dulce Davinci, is named for the successful and musically inclined bar behind DaVinci Design Studios. Again, you have the option to pick açai or pitaya, in this case blended with banana, strawberry, chocolate almond milk, peanut butter and Nutella.

This healthful and creative twisted-fruit superfood cafe is a great addition to the ever-growing DeLand food scene. Check out Buddha Bowls for your peace, love and açai fix.

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