If you head to the corner of 56th Street North and North Peoria Avenue, you’ll find a green and white shipping container. The inside has been converted to a kitchen. Walking through the narrow pathway, you’ll likely run across Chris Walker.
He’s the owner of Blends North Tulsa — a drink spot serving fresh fruit juices and slushies.
His goal is to provide healthier options to all Tulsans, especially folks living in District 1. “We have a cultural issue that we’re trying to change,” Walker said. “We’re trying to make the change off of what is available.”
And he’s starting with fruit. The drink flavors include pineapple ginger, strawberry mint, sweet potato mango and cucumber mango.
Let me insert myself here and say when he first told us about the sweet potato mango, I was skeptical. Then I took a sip of the slushy and it was a flavor combination that exploded on my taste buds. As the saying goes: Never judge a drink by its ingredients.
Alas, back to Walker. The drinks are also available at the north location of Oasis Fresh Market. Instead of the cucumber mango, you’ll find an apple pie and cucumber kale strawberry.
Because of the simple ingredients, Walker says his diabetic customers and people battling cancer have reported the drinks helping them with inflammation and appetite.
When he’s not making drinks, he’s an aquaponic farmer. He says he’s been focused on growing limestone bib lettuce, kale, mustard, collard greens and, soon, sweet potatoes and onions.
In a part of town where fast food joints outnumber grocery stores by far, Walker hopes his drinks bring a healthy alternative and good flavors to north Tulsa.
Blends is open Monday through Saturday 10am-6pm at 5603 N. Peoria Ave.
