Sunrise Smoothies, located at 4786 Sunrise Highway, recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony with members of the Massapequa Chamber of Commerce and several local dignitaries, including Nassau County Legislator Michael Venditto and New York State Assemblyman Joseph Saladino.
The family-operated business first opened its doors in early April of this year; owner Serafina Dethwick, a Massapequa resident for 20 years, was a homemaker beforehand, but once her kids had finally moved on and out, she said she needed to find a constructive way to fill her newfound free time.
(Photos by Chris Boyle)
“I was a mom raising my children, and that was it. But when all the children were gone — done with school and off to college — I needed to do something,” she said. “I did graduate college with a business degree, so I do have some education in the business area. Plus, we’ve had a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise in the family that my parents owned, so it’s not like I’m new to the food industry, either.”
However, it’s a big leap from being a mom to being the new smoothie queen of the Massapeuqas. Dethwick, who runs Sunrise Smoothies with her husband and children, said that she just went with her gut instincts after observing the better eating trends she noticed people undertaking.
“Everybody is so health-conscious these days, so I thought this would be a great business to get into,” she said. “We have wheat grass, which is excellent, and we also have non-dairy, which a lot of people are into also. Our smoothies are made with non-fat yogurt, juice, and fresh frozen fruit…so it’s a healthy, refreshing drink.”
In addition, Sunrise Smoothies offers a variety of tasty snacks, including stuffed pretzels, yogurt muffins, cinnamon churros and much more.
Dethwick admitted that the idea of starting her new endeavor in a rough economy that seems to be claiming more and more businesses each and every day caused her some degree of concern, but she said that the determination that she felt would see Sunrise Smoothies through to success.
“It was a challenge, but we’re up for it. So far, business is going well,” she said. “We wanted to be visible, and a location on Sunrise Highway is very visible indeed. Plus, we live in Massapequa, so we liked to stay in Massapequa. So, in many ways, this location is ideal for our business to thrive.”
Current Chamber of Commerce Vice-President Susan Martin, a local Certified Public Accountant and — as of July 1 — the new Chamber president, was on hand at the ribbon cutting ceremony, and after tasting some of Dethwick’s yummy smoothies, gave the business her personal thumbs-up.
“We all got to sample some of their wares, and they were awesome…very delicious and refreshing,” she said.
Dethwick said that customers will always be made to feel like they are part of their family.
“There’s always one of the owners here…either myself or my husband, or one of my children,” she said. “So we can always make sure that everything is done right. We want to make sure that we’re there for our customers and that they walk away — and return again and again — happy.”
