Keeping it Real and Raw in OC

When Logan Willey booked a plane ticket to Maui, she thought she was just taking an extended vacation.

She had no idea Hawaii would change her life.

She visited the island with her boyfriend, Chris Dalpra, and the two stumbled upon a small kombucha brewery on the beach. They quickly lost track of time, sipping on the health drink, soaking up the sunshine and dreaming of the future.

"It was like we discovered a little slice of heaven," she said. "I knew from that moment on my life would never be the same. I knew I had to bring some of that place back to Ocean City."

After the couple left Maui, Willey began making her own kombucha, which is fermented black tea, she said.

"It's full of amino acids, probiotics, B Vitamins and electrolytes," she said. "Experts say it's good for joint health, digestion and natural energy. The benefits just go on and on, not to mention it's delicious."

She experimented with flavors and different recipes until she had it perfect. And after encouragement from a few friends, she started selling it. Her homemade kombucha grew so popular it was selling out within a day of delivery at local shops, she said.

Although it can still be found throughout the region, Willey's health drink has finally found a permanent home. It's now available in her own store: Real Raw Organics Kombucha Brewery & Cafe located on 34th Street in Ocean City.

All-natural at the beach

Real Raw Organics is an all-natural health food company that caters to those seeking dining options that often seem hard to come by in the popular beach town.

"You wouldn’t believe how many people I've heard say they come for vacation and have to cook the whole time because they can't find anything healthy to eat,” she said. "It's certainly getting better around here. Ocean City’s locally grown, clean eating, all-natural mindset is beginning to develop. I'm hoping Real Raw Organics will continue to play a major role in that growth."

Although Maui was her inspiration, Willey had thought of opening such a place for quite some time.

"You could say I've been crafting the menu in my head for years." she said. "It's my heart and soul — everything I love to cook for Chris and myself."

The menu features seasonal daily specials and items such as breakfast power bowls made with organic fruit and yogurt, fresh salads, homemade guacamole, coconut curry hummus, artisan cheese boards and hand-crafted sandwiches like the Apple and Brie, Turkey and Avocado and the Tempeh Reuben prepared with marinated tempeh, sauerkraut and vegan Russian dressing. The menu also features black bean, avocado and tempeh tacos.

Tempeh is made from soybeans, like tofu, but it is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber and vitamins.

Like everything on the menu, Willey makes her own.

"I've found that marinating the tempeh helps accentuate its natural, earthy flavors," she said. "It's absolutely amazing."

Real Raw Organics also offers a number of beverages like coconut water, hot tea, thai iced coffee, cold brew coffee, organic unsweetened tea, flavored water kefir and kombucha available in bottles and on tap.

"My dream come true"

Willey offers a variety of kombucha flavors like pineapple ginger, cara cara orange, blueberry ginger, apple and acai, and many more.

The Salisbury native was first introduced to the drink and other healthy habits while earning her degree in interior design at the Art Institute in Jacksonville, Florida.

"Kombucha was on tap in grocery stores and carried by the bottle at gas stations. There were organic, vegan and vegetarian eateries on every street corner," she said. "I was just surrounded by health, and it was contagious. Jacksonville really laid the foundation for the rest of my life."

Real Raw Organics will mainly specialize in carryout orders, although outdoor seating will be available this spring. The front of the cafe features a full retail section with organic grocery items and home accent pieces available for purchase, like acid-washed throw pillows, hand-carved benches and tree trunk coffee tables made by Hunt and Lane. The walls will soon be adorned with Plak That work, along with other pieces made by local artists.

In the spring and summer, the shop will offer yoga, Pilates and meditation classes outside, all taught by local, certified instructors.

"Real Raw Organics is my dream come true," she said. "I love this town and am so happy to be able to own a business in the heart of it. I can't wait to see what the future has in store. We've already come such a long way from those countless sleepless nights, gluing homemade labels onto kombucha jars."

302-537-1881, ext. 209

On Twitter @hcarroll_1 and Facebook at Facebook.com/byhannahcarroll

If You Go

Real Raw Organics Kombucha Brewery & Cafe

Where: 3406 Coastal Highway, Ocean City

When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Wednesdays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays

Call: 443-783-5374 Call or text for carry-out

Visit: http://www.realraworganics.com/