The Juice Man: Chopping It Up with Melvin Major Jr.

The Miss Lily's health guru talks cleanses, hangover cures, and being happy in 2013.

First We Feast

You’ve seen it on the weary faces of coworkers slugging through day three of a juice-based detox program, or the group of teens on line, waiting to order a Razzmatazz at the local Jamba Juice. Yes, juice culture is ubiquitous—and with everyone from Starbucks to local supermarkets looking to introduce their own blends in the near future, the competition will only get stiffer.

But that doesn’t bother Melvin Major Jr. The man behind the counter at Melvin’s Juice Box—part of the casual annex to Soho’s West Indian-inspired hot spot, Miss Lily’s—has been in the game for over 20 years now, mastering his blends with a DJ’s diligence, and amassing a following—including a slew of celebrities—in the process.

“Nah, they can’t touch me,” he says with a disarming laugh—and when Liv Tyler is a regular, you know he ain’t never told no lie.

In our interview, Major opens up about how he almost went down the wrong path before getting into the juice game. He also shares tips on kicking off the year off right whether you’re a juice noob or you’ve been a connoisseur since Very Fine. Stay thirsty.

As told to David Lee (@rekstizzy)

You've seen it on the weary faces of coworkers slugging through day three of a juice-based detox program, or the group of teens on line, waiting to order a Razzmatazz at the local Jamba Juice. Yes, juice culture is ubiquitous—and with everyone from Starbucks to local supermarkets looking to introduce their own blends in the near future, the competition will only get stiffer. But that doesn't bother Melvin Major Jr. The man behind the counter at Melvin's Juice Box—part of the casual annex to Soho’s West Indian-inspired hot spot, Miss Lily's—has been in the game for over 20 years now, mastering his blends with a DJ's diligence, and amassing a following—including a slew of celebrities—in the process. "Nah, they can't touch me," he says with a disarming laugh—and when Liv Tyler is a regular, you know he ain't never told no lie. In our interview, Major opens up about how he almost went down the wrong path before getting into the juice game. He also shares tips on kicking off the year off right whether you're a juice noob or you've been a connoisseur since Very Fine. Stay thirsty. As told to David Lee (@rekstizzy)
On getting started in the juice game.

I was probably 22 years old when I decided to finally work. Before that, I was in a total, total different lifestyle. I was street drug dealer, crazy lifestyle. Never liked it, but it's something I went through, I guess. What made me change was I wasn't really raised that way. I was raised on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Big farm. Fishing community. So it was just stuff that I've never seen before. So once I came up here [to New York], I got caught in the negative parts, maybe just to fit in or something. Once I realized it wasn't it, which wasn't that long, I just went and got me a job. Did the right thing.
On mastering the craft.

Each little step was a different little level for me. I was at Integra Yoga [on 13th Street] for about four years. Then I did Whole Foods for about one year. Once I got to Whole Foods, it was busier than it was at Integra Yoga, so it was more fun for me. Then I left Whole Foods and went to LifeThyme, [where] it was really crazy, ten times busier. So that's when it really started to hit me; there was more space for me to make displays, put up a bunch of fruits [and start] dealing with the colors. That’s when everything really took off for me.
On the first juice he ever made and experimenting with new blends.

It was an all-green juice—no apple, no lemon. And it was horrible. I was like, wow, could be a better way to make this juice. Not saying that I came up with the idea of greens with apple, lemon, and ginger, but I didn't know about it then. So I started doing it with the [those elements], and it tasted much different and was easier to take—not so hardcore. Some people like it hardcore. But me, I don't like it as hard like that. Once I did that, I started going to the fruit stands and [picking up] different kinds of vegetables. Just started coming up with different things to bring into the juice bar—pineapples, kiwi, cucumbers, parsley, cilantro—trying to come up with different tastes. It was probably a couple of days. Like two or three days. I liked it. It was so much fun. [That was my journey:] Being raised in the South, the correct way, then coming up here, getting caught up in the nonsense, then going back to touching good earthy foods, and organic stuff. It was very good.
On the juice that was the hardest to get right.

One drink I had trouble with is the drink I call the Real V8. I make it for the magician David Blaine and Woody Harrelson. Every time they're in town, they have to have this drink. The Real V8 consists of kale, collard greens, beets, apple, lemon, ginger, red onions, garlic, red cabbage, green cabbage, tomatoes, cayenne pepper. I mean, it's horrible, but good. When you have this drink, you taste all of the ingredients, individually. I don't know how, but you taste the onion, the beets, the ginger…everything. So that was a hard drink for me to whip up, but once I got it going, people were rushing to it.
On being a “juicer to the stars.”

Throughout the years, we've had Christy Turlington, Russell Crowe…he came in about twice and I freaked out when I seen him because I was a big fan of Gladiator. He had a Sweet and Dandy. That's apple, beet, ginger, pineapple, and carrot. We would make stuff for Rosie Perez, Russell Simmons, and Liv Tyler and her son. She would come in and get green juices. Soon as I see them walking through the door, I know what they want.
On the Miss Lily’s clientele and knowing what people need.

I get a lot of people who are vegetarians [and a lot who are] vegans. Then I have some people who are not into health at all, but they just want a good juice. But mostly, it's athletes—people who are jogging into the gym, who are really serious about it. Mostly workout-holics. Some people, I can tell by the skin complexion—[they] might come in a little paler and they might need iron, from beets and greens. So I would try to make a different combination of greens for them that will get them their glow back. For most body builders, they eat healthy but they want to keep their bulk on. Most people who eat raw foods and drink a lot of green juices, they're not going to maintain that stiff iron bulkiness. Some of them will come in and I'll make them a protein shake. Maybe they'll have a shot of wheatgrass, which has all of the vitamins, and we'll make that with lemon, ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper— we call it the wheatgrass shot with the works. Then I'll make them a protein shake, a half an hour later; that way, the wheatgrass did its thing already and they can feel comfortable to take the protein shake without mixing it all together.
On Jamba Juice.

I wouldn't hate on it because some people love sweets. I wouldn't go into [a Jamba Juice] because everything is basically sugared down ice. Ice holds a lot of bacteria, too, if you don't have a filter system. I would mostly stay away from that type of stuff.
On juice cleanses.

I think it's a healthy thing but along with these juice cleanses, I think you should be eating salads, raw foods. Eat some steamed fish, so you can get a lull of other things a part of you. Some people may not eat fish or get enough protein, or they might be a vegetarian and raw foodist and eat a lot of beans and stuff with a lot of oils and nuts. That's another thing that just sits in the body. So for me, I'd just have a juice, a nice salad, a piece of fish with it. The nuts and the oils just sits in your body and it's not good to sit there as long as it does. Raw foods is very good for you, but some people when they go into the raw food restaurant, they put a lot of things in it too preserve it. I think you can always design a perfect salad, right at home, make you a nice juice. If you can't make it, go to a juice bar and get it from there. That's healthy eating to me.
On the best way to bounce back from a hangover.

After partying, I'd have fresh coconut water just so I can flush my body out—get the electrolytes, potassium, and antioxidants. I'd do a shot of wheatgrass [next], then I'd go back to a green juice. Then, I'd tell myself, I started my [day] off correct.
On the future.

Right now, we have the bottled juices going on. Once we start with our second program, the cleansing program, that's when people can come over there and get fresh juices for a daily cleanse, or a 3-day cleanse. I'm pretty sure later on after that, we're going to focus on getting smaller kids' containers at a cheaper cost, and get it in local health food stores [and] Whole Foods. The best thing for kids is we would make a green juice [with] half the amount of ginger. Add a little touch of pineapple or some other fruits in it to give it a fruitier taste. All they need is a little bit of green for them to keep them going until they get used to it and you up the dosage. I would definitely start out small and tasty because you don't want to deter them from the health benefits of these drinks. Patience is good.
On New Year's resolutions.

I would like to just spread peace for everyone. Hopefully, we can reach that goal one day. But just spread love and treat people the way you want to be treated. Don't judge people, check yourself. If you feel you have issues looking at someone and judging them, you should look within yourself and ask yourself why you think that way. If everyone can do that, I feel like everything would be so much better. I try to check myself every day; no one is pure. But you should try to deal with what's going on in your mind. Just try to stay positive—that same energy transfers and goes into the universe and once it gets there, everything can only be better. That's what I'd like to have.

The Juice Man: Chopping It Up with Melvin Major Jr.

On getting started in the juice game.

On mastering the craft.

On the first juice he ever made and experimenting with new blends.

On the juice that was the hardest to get right.

On being a “juicer to the stars.”

On the Miss Lily’s clientele and knowing what people need.

On Jamba Juice.

On juice cleanses.

On the best way to bounce back from a hangover.

On the future.

On New Year's resolutions.

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