Fresh to Deaf Lunch Stand Offers a Healthy Option for Downtown Worker

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Tiffany Hamilton began looking into healthy foods a few years ago to lessen her dependence on prescriptions.

The Youngstown resident is now sharing her knowledge – and food – with everyone at Fresh to Deaf, a lunch stand she opened this month in the food court of the 20 Federal Place building, downtown.

Her menu includes ready-to-go salads and other nutrient-laden items.

It’s a one of a kind place, said Hamilton, who describes herself as a master herbalist and a psychological food coach.

She talked about her interest in healthy eating while serving customers.

“I personally struggled with migraines and used to take all these strong medicines,” said Hamilton, who is 50% deaf in both ears. “Then I started looking at holistic ways to heal your body with foods. I looked up things like tamarind, this exotic African fruit with a date-like consistency.”

As she spoke, the Campbell High School graduate held the odd-looking fruit.

Hamilton formerly was the assistant manager at New York & Company’s store in Southern Park Mall.

“My work days were hard. I would get headaches and be tired,” she explained, due to her disability. “I had to really zone in and concentrate when trying to hear.”

Hamilton launched her health food business as a website, freshtodeaf330.com, before opening her lunch stand. “This is my first brick and mortar store,’ she said.

Her food court stand is open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All items are $5. Food can also be ordered through Door Dash.

Another plant Hamilton touts is sea moss.

“It’s a super food,” Hamilton said, explaining that she processes it into a gel for eating or mixing into smoothies.

“If there was no more food on the face of the earth, you could survive simply on sea moss,” she said. “It gives you 92 of the 102 trace minerals our bodies need. It helps you sleep better, cuts down inflammation and gives you energy.”

Her signature item is Sea Moss Water, a drink in which she places fresh sea moss and seasonal fruit into spring water. She calls it “the most refreshing drink in the world.”

Hamilton purchases sea moss, which grows in the ocean, from a supplier in Fort Meyers, Fla.

Her salads consist of seasop leaves, another nutritious food, mixed with strawberries, blueberries, mango or pineapple and a sweet vinaigrette that she makes. “With the leafy greens you get vitamin K,” Hamilton said. “Basically, anything you get here has some medicinal value.”

Youngstowners are known for eating traditional foods that might be delicious but aren’t necessarily designed with healthiness in mind.

Are they ready to try Fresh to Deaf?

“They’re coming,” Hamilton said. “I know how good this is for the community, for everyone. We’re in a pandemic so everyone should want to boost their immune system. The sea moss will boost it. The ginger, the leafy greens, everything will.“

Pictured above: Tiffany Hoffman at her Fresh to Deaf stand in the 20 Federal Place Building in downtown Youngstown.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.