The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
AN ARTISTIC SPLASH
New smoothie business aims to combine health with creativity
CROMWELL — Ever since she happened upon Artsplash Smoothies in the Price Rite plaza, Tina Uccellini, of Middletown, has become a devotee.
“I’m here for my daily dose of goodness,” Uccellini announced boldly when she walked into the shop Wednesday around noon. “I love it when I get out of my car and I see the open sign.”
Artsplash Smoothies co-owner and founder Samantha Jenkins and her mother Pamela Jenkins, both Wethersfield residents, opened the family-run business in October, pairing paint nights with fresh smoothies at 136 Berlin Road.
The endeavor aims to boost a creative, healthy lifestyle with “art you can eat,” said Samantha Jenkins, 31, who graduated from the University of Hartford’s Hartford Art School in 2009.
“I said, ‘What is Artsplash?’ Then I saw ‘smoothie’ and I was confused,” Uccellini said as she placed her order for a jumbo Cold & Flu Greenie, with bananas, oranges, spinach, lemon, ginger and water.
The veggie-fruit creation, along with the Coffee Splash, made with freshbrewed coffee, banana, Nutella, cinnamon, Greek yogurt and honey, are the two top sellers.
“I go out of my way to get here,” she added.
The cheerful interior is painted with Caribbean colors: fruity green, pink and orange — a nod to the family’s Barbadian heritage.
Uccellini said she has searched far and wide for a smoothie place.
“You can’t find one! If you go into one of these places that says they do smoothies, it’s all that nasty, frozen, syrupy sugary stuff,” she said.
Sipping a nutritious drink, each of which packs several servings of fruits and vegetables, goes a long way toward helping reach the 2½ cups of vegetables and two cups of fruit per day recommended by the FDA, something that’s even more difficult during the winter months.
“I’m passionate about making a difference in Connecticut,” Samantha Jenkins said. “I know there is a lack of creativity and healthy lifestyles, so I hope to instill that people’s lives. It’s good for you physically and mentally.”
Artsplash offers two-hour adult and children’s paint nights weekly. Each $25 class includes all the necessary supplies and a smoothie of one’s choosing.
Samantha Jenkins said the experience lends itself to releasing one’s creative side.
“People tend to think you need skills for art. No, you don’t,” she said, taking a deep breath in and out. “You’ve just got to let go. It’s a great therapy, believe it or not. And then you have your smoothie, so you’re indulging in healthiness. You’re in your own little world of freedom.”
Samantha Jenkins did her own logo design and all the marketing materials for the shop.
“I was more food service, so she discussed it with me, and I said it was a great idea. We decided together,” said Pamela Jenkins, who formerly worked in a school cafeteria.
The menu allows customers to choose three fruits, juices or milks, thickeners such as Nutella and Greek yogurt, flavor shots and protein powders. Their signature drinks were arrived at by a lot of research, sampling and being creative, Samantha Jenkins said. Combining things you might not think would go well together, like kale with fruit, they said.
All around the shop hang colorful painted canvases and hand-decorated wine glasses line up on the counter as customers walk in, to highlight the shop is not just smoothies, but also about art.
Samantha Jenkins said she comes up with the subject matter — it could be a cat, curled up and sunning itself near a window, or two bright red cardinals beak to beak on a branch — unless it’s a private paint night where customers come prepared with an idea.
She provides step-bystep instructions and everyone works on the same project.
“I love how each one of them comes out differently and shows their individuality,” said Samantha Jenkins, who has taught art classes at The Master’s School in West Simsbury and Hebrew High School of New England in West Hartford.
Each person begins with a blank canvas.
“You can tell when someone is more outgoing or more calm,” she said, from the result. “It’s really nice to see the outcome from just giving simple directions.”
And she always tries to remind customers there’s no such thing as being perfect.
“Art is all about deciding which mistakes to keep or which to let go,” Samantha Jenkins said.
During paint nights lately, Samantha Jenkins will show a picture to a customer and then take it away.
“I noticed that when people see a painting, they try to paint it exactly like that painting. They’re stressing over, ‘My painting must look like that.’ I tend hide the painting we’re working on. It’s like a tease. ‘Take a quick look,’ and I take it away. I’m painting with them and I’m giving instructions,” Samantha Jenkins said. “I want it to be enjoyable, not something that’s stressful.”
That mental balance goes hand in hand with the smoothie business.
“I see all these people going into the pizza place,” Uccellini said. “I want to just shake them and go, ‘What are you doing? For $8, you get fresh, you get healthy — $8 over there, you’re going to get carbohydrates.”
During cold and flu season, Pamela Jenkins said, she drinks smoothies as a preventative measure.
“I’m so glad this place is here. It’s my new lunch,” said Uccellini, who wants the Jenkinses to create a drink named after her made with black beans, bananas, almond milk, Nutella and blueberries. “You could call it the Berry Bombshell.”
“The Tina Beana,” Samantha Jenkins said, suddenly inspired.
Samantha Jenkins admits she’s still learning to be a businesswoman.
“There are a lot of challenges to face being in Connecticut, especially,” she said. “I feel like if we were in another location, like Florida or New York, this would have no problem prospering.”
Pamela Jenkins admits quitting her job was a risk, something her mother often reminds her about.
“I would rather be here than not be here and hearing stories,” she said. “You only live once in a lifetime. How are you going to know if you don’t take chances?”
Artsplash also makes edible arrangements for birthday parties and special occasions. Painting classes are ongoing and reservations are taken up until 3 p.m. the day of the session.
Hours are Tuesdays to Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, see artsplashsmoothies.com, Artsplash Smoothies on Instagram or Facebook or call 860-888-6464.