A Maddy's OJ Workshop
It all started with the orange tree in my backyard...
A little over a year ago, I wrote this caption on an Instagram post about OJ:
“As a designer whose screen time can (embarrassingly) pass 13 hours a day, I’ve been in a constant state of craving working with my hands. A year ago I moved into a bungalow with an orange tree in the backyard, that until a month ago, I hadn’t seen fruit. I feel like the orange tree knew I needed more excuses to close my computer, reach for high-hanging fruit, and practice the tedious process of juicing oranges by hand. Juicing oranges almost every day has become a form of therapy for me. Each glass I pour, or deli cup I share, has so much of me in it—and I love that. Although I’m not looking forward to the day I walk outside to pick more oranges, only to find a fruitless tree, I am grateful for the seasons and that this practice will have an end. Until then, come over, turn your phone on DND, and share a glass with me 🧡”
Since then, Maddy’s OJ has continued to grow into a personal practice of patience, mindfulness, and nourishment.
At the beginning of this year, Evite reached out to partner with me on three activations throughout 2025—each one centered around bringing people together in a way that felt unique to me. My mind immediately started racing with ideas. Hospitality is deeply ingrained in the way I work and how I foster community and since Maddy’s OJ has made a small name for itself among my friends—and the first activation aligned perfectly with citrus season—I knew I wanted to kick things off with an orange juicing workshop for a handful of my closest people. I felt this desire to bring people together not around a product, but a ritual—the ritual of juicing. I spent a month concepting how I wanted people to experience Maddy’s OJ. What does Maddy’s OJ look like as an activation? What are the takeaways? How do I translate this feeling of unplugging and working with my hands that I love so much to this group?
Although I do most of my juicing at home with an electric juicer, when I’m traveling or away from my kitchen, I’ll make small batches using a ceramic juicer and a big metal bowl. For this event, since it wasn’t practical to provide everyone with an electric juicer, I sourced all the supplies needed so everyone could juice by hand. To do this yourself you’ll need:
As the day approached, everyone received an invitation via Evite, which I customized to fit the theme (I chose the Lucky Oranges template). I loved having everything in one place—location, dress code, details, RSVP list, everything. In the past, I’ve sent out invites via text or email, and things always tend to get lost. It becomes hard to track who’s coming, who’s not, and what information people have. This felt seamless—and elevated the whole experience from the start.
When it came to the food for the event, I knew I wanted my dear friend (and wildly talented chef) Chloe Cooks to build the menu—and she did not disappoint. Everything was seasonal and on-theme, styled beautifully on silver platters from Lazy Jamie and these cute lil guys from Amazon. She made homemade focaccia and her famous Spanish tortillas topped with romesco (quite literally to die for).
The rest of the space was filled with lush plants from Plants & Spaces, our generous host for the morning, and of course, a pile of oranges front and center. I wanted it to feel almost like a citrus watering hole—something abundant and playful. A place everyone could return to throughout the morning to grab another orange to juice, like picking fruit off a tree.
People arrived, grabbed an orange cortado and some bites, and gabbed a bit before diving into juicing. Everyone picked a station and tied on their aprons. I gave a quick tutorial on my process for juicing by hand, and then everyone just went for it. Orange peels were flying, knives were chopping, people were sipping and smiling—it was so beautiful to see a room full of people genuinely enjoying the simple act of juicing oranges.
Overall, the workshop was such a success. It felt really special to see people slow down, connect, and spend their morning doing something tactile and tech-free. Juicing by hand invited everyone to be present—to tune into their senses, chat with the people next to them, and fully enjoy the ritual of it all. There was something so enjoyable about the repetition, the mess, the quiet joy of making something with your hands.
My hope is that everyone left with more than just a couple delis of OJ—I hope they walked away feeling inspired to unplug a bit more and create their own small rituals. Ones that connect them to their food and their people.
Special thanks to Zilah of Plants & Spaces for sharing her space with us, Kate Ludwig for helping me make it all a reality, Chloe Walsh for organizing and cooking a delicious menu, Zach Johnson for playing barista for the morning, and of course Evite for giving me another reason to bring people together.
xM
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