Adapt Kitchen & Juice Bar, located inside Robert’s Grocery at 32 N. Lumina Ave. in Wrightsville Beach, has been operating since mid-June as a coffee and juice bar, serving drinks and raw foods such as acai bowls.
 
Later this week, owners Elie Tilghman and Chris Curry will appear before the Wrightsville Beach Board of Alderman to petition for a conditional use permit that, if granted, will allow them to expand their current menu to include cooked items for carry-out.
 
Tilghman and Curry say Adapt’s recipes reflect the style of eating they prefer at home. Both pescatarians, they say their diet is primarily plant-based, with the addition of protein from sources such as nuts, legumes and eggs.
 
“Like many people in this community, we’re very active,” Chris Curry said. “And we believe that what you put into your body is what you’ll get out of it.”
 
That being said, Tilghman and Curry aim to make Adapt (pictured at right) accessible and approachable to people from all walks of life.
 
“We want to introduce people to some new foods in a fun way,” Curry said.
 
Many of the menu items are playfully named, and some are a nod to Curry’s childhood memories of growing up in Wrightsville Beach.
 
The current menu includes organic coffee and espresso drinks, specialty teas and elixirs, organic juices, wellness shots and adaptogenic superfood smoothies and smoothie bowls. If the Conditional Use permit is granted, the menu will be expanded to include steel cut oats and coconut chia pudding, specialty toasts, poke bowls, grain and vegetable bowls with house made dressings, and veggie wraps.
 
Tilghman and Curry said they have spent the past two-and-a-half years developing recipes and traveling around the country visiting juice bars. Their travels allowed them to speak with owners, sample menu items and gather best practices.
 
While Adapt’s menu reflects Tilghman's and Curry’s personal nutritional preferences, they are also hoping it will be a resource for the vegetarian and vegan community, as well as those with dietary restrictions.
 
Adapt Kitchen and Juice Bar is open seven days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
 
Have a tip for Restaurant Roundup? Email [email protected].