Downtown Fresno welcomes Ohana Pantry into the family
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Ohana means family in Hawaiian, and that is the environment Angelica Garcia wants the public to experience when they step inside her business, Ohana Pantry.
"Sometimes you are hungry, and you are on the go, and you don't have time to go home, maybe you're working and rushing around, and we want to be that place where you can come in grab something healthy and feel good after," said Garcia.
From her smoothies to meal preps to sandwiches, Garcia wants to help people maintain a healthy lifestyle. They are also serving up the popular acai bowl, but they are doing it with a twist. They offer it in dragon fruit, matcha, and activated charcoal.
"Charcoal bowls which are something new and it helps detoxify the body. It is grey, it's a little weird, people might be skeptical, but it's good," said Garcia.
All of this made possible with the help of her family, and her parent's hard work. They both migrated here from Mexico and started working in the fields. Her mother made home goods like curtains on the side and raised enough money to buy one and then two homes. Eventually, she worked her way into real estate. Her father became a janitor at a French bakery and climbed the ladder to become a manager.
"My parents instilled in me that you never give up, even when it is tough, even in tough times you have to put a good face on and move forward," she said.
She was not always an entrepreneur before she dedicated years of her life to law enforcement. Everything changed after she broke her knee. She was homebound for six months, her health declined, and she stepped away from her job and into a fresh start.
"I kind of wanted to give that a break, I love the field, I love what it is, but I also love the community," said Garcia.
Now she's working to get back on a healthful track and wants to help others in Fresno do the same as she welcomes them into her Ohana.
