Marist alum makes her triumphant return

Lauren Hoheusle has always been described as a "go-getter," even in her college days at Marist some eight years ago. However, even she could not have predicted the incredible trajectory of her career thus far as a small business owner right here in the Hudson Valley. Chakra Bowls, her health and wellness-inspired plant based café, has developed into a local staple, boasting over 4,500 followers on Instagram and 1,000 on Facebook, despite still being in its infancy as a business. The physical storefront opened in 2018, meaning it is just shy of its 2-year mark.

"Owning a business is something I've desired since a young age," Hoheusle said. "I found my niche when I started delving into the health and wellness world. It fascinates me – I'm always learning about ways to improve our health and live a happier, healthier life. I'm grateful to be able to put this passion of mine into a business that supports people in a positive way."

And that it has. After a couple years of organizing with the Marist Dining team, Hoheusle was finally able to return to her alma mater's campus on Thursday, October 1, to serve some of her café's signature items to the Marist community. The pop-up dining event, which took place on the patio outside the North End Dining location on campus, was open for a four-hour window in the middle of the afternoon. Students flocked to the tent, with the line continuously replenishing. Hoheusle and her team hardly ever got a break, tending to their never-ending stream of customers for the entire time slot.

The Chakra Bowls pop-up tent, with Hoheusle seen taking orders from students on the left.

"I was super excited for the pop-up because we were bringing a popular outside retailer to campus to bring everyone good vibes and good food," said Emma Kittay, a Marist Dining intern and member of the class of '22. "The turnout has been really great."

The entire Marist Dining team was excited by the pop-up's popularity, regularly stopping by to check in with Hoheusle and aid in distributing order forms and publicizing the event as it progressed.

The incredible turnout can likely be attributed partly to the sunny skies and unseasonably warm weather that greeted campus that day, but also due to the popular appeal of the menu items. Açaí bowls in general have made a comeback in recent years, in a time of great awareness about health and fitness. They, along with avocado toast and other 'superfoods,' have been advertised as a healthy means of satisfying both sweet and savory cravings.

Students lined up at the Chakra Bowls pop-up event.

Chakra Bowls offers a variety of health-conscious offerings, including toasts, soups, smoothie bowls and rice and quinoa bowls, plus smoothies and other beverages. The pop-up couldn't provide the entire menu, but did offer a selection of smoothie bowls and toasts, with savory and sweet options, and a special combo deal to entice students to enjoy one of each.

If the line itself wasn't indicative of the food's success, the students' reactions said it all.

"It really hit the spot," said Marleah Dentes, '21. "I ordered a soul bowl and Nutella berry toast – a pick two. It was very refreshing, and I liked that there were healthy pop-ups on campus."

The Chakra Bowls 'soul bowl,' paired with the Nutella & berry toast.

The 'soul bowl' is just one of the many smoothie bowls offered at Chakra Bowls, featuring a base of açaí, frozen banana, peanut butter, almond milk, and banana puree, topped with mixed berries, granola, and coconut flakes. But Hoheusle's Chakra Bowls redefines the concept of healthy eating, and takes it to a new level – a nonmaterial level. Each menu item has a similar spiritually-themed title, inspired by Hoheusle's healthy and transcendent path to its creation.

"The idea of Chakra Bowls came about through my personal studies of plants, herbs, foods, and how they all affect our health," Hoheusle said. "It deepened even further during a yoga teacher training, where the concept of the Chakra System integrated with all that I was learning. It intrigued me that we have 7 chakras that correlate to different areas of our body, and are connected to our mind, body, and overall well-being. I started learning about how different foods can affect these chakras, and how eating foods from the earth can really help with specific ones."

She elaborated, explaining that the 'root chakra' plays a role in feeling grounded, and eating root vegetables such as beets can help to unblock that chakra. Her studies of both nutrition and the spiritual influence of chakras informed her entire menu, shaping the business as a pinnacle of health of the body and the mind.

However, even once Hoheusle identified this intersection of her passions, she still viewed Chakra Bowls as a passion project, not as the fully-functioning café it has become. She started Chakra Bowls as a blog in 2016, where she would post about what she had learned and would share chakra-influenced dishes she'd create. From there, family, friends, and strangers began to request that she sell the items she wrote about it, and Chakra Bowls evolved into a catering business, a side hustle beside Hoheusle's day job. She'd deliver locally, and serve her dishes at farmer's markets and other community events. "Before I knew it, I was able to open up a café, quit my 9-5, and really let my dream of having truly healthy food available to our community come true," said Hoheusle.

As a lifelong resident of the Hudson Valley, it only made sense that she'd want to serve the community that had given her so much. This was part of the motivation for her return to Marist, which proved to be just as sweet as she could've hoped.

Hoheusle herself at the Chakra Bowls event at Marist College, her alma mater.

"[Chakra Bowls has] been an experience I'm incredibly grateful for," Hoheusle said. "Now, to be serving my creations at Marist's campus, where I graduated from, is such a surreal experience."

After a successful pop-up like this one, it won't be a surprise if Marist students start trekking off campus to the full-fledged Chakra Bowls location, at 33 Arlington Avenue in downtown Poughkeepsie. There will be Hoheusle, smiling, greeting, and serving the very students who may turn out to be small-business owners just like her a few years down the road.