Business Profile: Lilli Pilli Berri Bar, White Plains
Each morning, Leslie Dinapoli drinks four ounces of lemon juice, ginger, cayenne extract and wheatgrass. It smells and tastes like sweet greens and spice, leaving a tingle in the back of her throat, and gives her a lasting energy boost.
Dinapoli is the general manager at the Lilli Pilli Berri Bar, a new clean-eating restaurant – arguably the first of its kind in the area. It offers fast, convenient health food, where staff abide by the mottos “In delicious we trust” and “It’s all good.”
“Life is short, eat healthy,” Dinapoli said. “People should not be afraid of their food, and I think a lot of people these days are so afraid of what they put into their bodies because everything is altered or modified. People get so paranoid because the food chain is broken.”
Vibrantly colored juices ranging from dark green to bright yellow and deep maroon stand in refrigerated cases. Below them are daily specials of carrot soup, quinoa tabbouleh, and salads like blueberry, corn and chipotle, which is “a party in your mouth,” Dinapoli said.
“It’s like a whole bunch of energy,” she remarked about the fare. “It’s really fun. And food should be fun. If you’re going to eat, you should like what you’re eating. It should taste good. You should have fun with it.”
In April 2012, former actress and model Kylie Cappelli opened Lilli Pilli Berri Bar. The eatery adheres to the belief that the food chain is broken, and that all food is good for the body if it is clean food and kept in proper proportions. People are trained at birth to like “real” and “natural” foods, Dinapoli said, which the community can find at Lilli Pilli Berri Bar.
Possibly the star attractions are the fresh, cold-pressed juices that are made on-site. The ingredients are not blended in a typical juicer, explained Dinapoli, but pressed to keep the most nutrients. Their best-selling juice is the “Absolutely Everything” variety, made from swiss chard, celery, cucumber, kale, parsley, apple, lemon, ginger and cayenne.
“Food is exciting,” she said. “I’m a chef, by trade. For me, flavors will talk to me like music notes will talk to an artist. You get to introduce people to this whole different world that has always been there, but has always been overshadowed.
The eatery caters to, although is not exclusively for, those who wish to eat organic, gluten-free, fresh, clean, wholesome, vegetarian or vegan. It also uses seasonal ingredients, meaning that some of the platters available this summer will not be available in the fall, as new produce is introduced.
“You’re helping people understand their bodies,” Dinapoli said. “You’re helping them understand about food and the food chain. I help people change their lives. I make them happy through what they put into their bodies. People come here to change their lives. It’s not a yogurt place, it’s not a smoothie place, it’s not a juice bar. It’s not commercial like that. It’s just very down-home and honest food.”
The Lilli Pilli Berri Bar is located at 240 Main St. in White Plains, and is open seven days a week.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
