“Before I started work I’d go surf,” explained the Maine native. “I’d be in the water by 6 and out by 8. And at that point, I’d need a lot of energy to get through the day. I could get a large juice and it would carry me into the day.”
Nowadays he doesn’t have to worry about tracking down his daily fill of freshly squeezed goodness. Since the beginning of the month, he’s been behind the counter at his own juice bar, the Maine Squeeze Juice Cafe. Which means his current challenge is keeping himself from “sampling” too much.
“While in law school and living in Portland, I couldn’t find any juice,” Trusiani said of his return to Maine from the West Coast. “It was really frustrating. In San Diego there are a lot of places you walk in and out of and all they do is juice.”
After graduation he returned to California, but the allure of Vacationland couldn’t keep him away for long. So this surfer with many talents (ask him, and if you're lucky, he just might share some of his cool career history) returned to Portland and opened this shop.
Located in the heart of the Old Port, next to Mexicali Blues, the Maine Squeeze offers up smoothies and juices in a variety of interesting concoctions and make-your-own mixes.
The signature drink (or the beginner beverage, depending on your perspective) is the Wind An Sea (a reference to a well-known surfing spot in San Diego.) This smoothie contains a tropical delight of strawberry, banana, pineapple, coconut and orange juice or soy milk.
This beverage is where Trusiani directs juice drinking newbies. For the more sophisticated juice guzzling set, there are adventuresome drinks like Mitch’s Brew, which contains a mix of ginger, parsley, beets, celery, carrots and apples, or the Liquid Lunch, packed with mango, dates, bananas, sesame seeds and soy milk.
He’s happy to whip up custom orders and encourages folks to make their own smoothie by picking any four fruits, adding OJ or soy milk and maybe some chocolate powder. Other add-ons, like whey powder, hemp seeds, almond butter or honey, are also on tap.
“A guy from Chicago asked me to juice an entire pineapple with blueberries and mango,” Trusiani said. “It was out of this world. It was not the kind of juice a person would normally have. It was very exotic. He paid me $10, not the normal price.”
The standard drinks cost $5 for 24 oz. and $4 for 16 oz., and the plastic cups are made from corn rather than petroleum.
And customers have responded. During my second visit to the shop, I peppered Trusiani with questions while a steady stream of juice drinkers queued up at the counter.
“We’re very excited to have him here,” said Tammy Bolduc, who runs Downeast Duck Tours with her husband and popped in to pick up a smoothie. “It’s a healthy addition to the community.”
Another regular customer who stopped by while I was there is Colin Rankin, the owner of Market Street Eats. He’s been coming in since the shop opened seeking a daily dose of antioxidants.
Trusiani says he plans to keep customers coming back by “finding out what people are comfortable with and introducing them to new things over time.” Like a true surfer, he’s happy to go with the flow.