Our Team
The Experts Behind Krush
Meet Our People: Dedicated to Helping Others Krush Their Life
Our team of experts understand what the healing power of organic food can do for you. Our visionary specialists bring years of combined skills culled from a wide array of backgrounds including health, fitness, nutrition and culinary. Together, we work towards our goal of providing you the opportunity of a lifetime: well being, achieved through delicious food and an organic lifestyle.
Michelle Walrath
CEO and Co-Founder
"Food should never hurt, only fuel and nourish. I aspire everyday to help people find that incredible and lasting connection to food."
I have a passion for nourishing food, and especially food that is free of chemicals, GMO’s, toxins, and sugars. When we produced the movie Fed Up back in 2012, we discovered the downfall of food and health was in the hidden manipulation of ingredients. That is unacceptable!
When our 4 children were young that there was a severe lack of healthy options on the go. Parents were left with the choice of spending hours of time prepping food, or settling for fast food that left them feeling terrible.
7 years ago, Fran and I joined forces to create Organic Krush, a healthy lifestyle eatery with options ranging from organic coffee and breakfast, to smoothies, cold pressed juice and complete family dinners! All Organic of course! Guess what's on the menu.. transparency.
With 10 Organic Krush locations and growing, I'm thrilled to be a part of your nutrition goals, serving and delivering real food that makes you feel amazing. As a former teacher and current health coach, I plan to bring education and nourishment to everyone looking to make a healthier lifestyle choice.
Fran Paniccia
Co-Owner and Co-Founder
"I strive to promote a clean, healthy, lifestyle for families, friends and communities through organic food that tastes delicious and makes you so happy."
I want to share all that I have learned with my community, and help them live their best life through food, juice and love. Prior to opening Organic Krush, I focused on taking care of my family. Spending each and every day making sure my four children had all the strength, love and support they needed to grow both happily and successfully.
I take this love and work ethic and apply it to Organic Krush and the community which surrounds it. My mother is my role model. I am so thankful for all that I learned from her. She created my love for food, family and life. My mom always inspired me to follow my dreams, act on my beliefs and share my knowledge with others. I want to share all that I have learned with my community, and help them live their best life through food, juice and love.
My love of cooking, and health awareness lead me to team up with my longtime friend Michelle Walrath in creating Organic Krush. I recollect starting the business out of our kitchens, when the test subjects were often our own children and family members. From then to now, Organic Krush has expanded greatly with 10 locations. I find enjoyment in the growing community and making connections with the clientele.
Chris Brandt
Director of Culinary
I've got passions for food, cooking and sharing! As a chef, I love to provide health and wellness through delicious tasting food.
As the Culinary Director for Organic Krush, I am able to apply over thirty years of experience with multiple styles of foods and cuisines to create amazing meals that contribute to a healthy lifestyle.
I consider myself to be very lucky... I get to make cravable tasting food while I am helping others to live healthier lives. I feel as though I get to have my cake and eat it too!
Don Saladino
Coach and Fitness Expert
I've always taken the "food is medicine” approach with my nutrition.
Until Organic Krush, I just didn't realize that it could also be this delicious. For over 20 years, I've coached actors, athletes, musicians, and business executives pushing them to function at their fullest potential.
In 2005, I opened my NYC Gym, Drive 495 and after operating a gym for 15 years, I expanded to a global online fitness business. I have developed a reputation for training some of the biggest names in Hollywood for the big screen. Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Liev Schreiber, Sebastian Stan, Anne Hathaway, Zachary Levi, Hugh Jackman, & David Harbour are among the roster of my clients! I've been tapped as a fitness expert in publications such as Muscle & Fitness, Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, and Met Rx. I have also been featured in People, US Weekly, Origins, In Touch, Cosmo, & Shape; and have made appearances doing live fitness demos on The Today Show, Page Six TV, People NOW, E News, The Better Show, & The Juice. I sit on the advisory board of Men’s Health Magazine. In 2018 and 2021, it was my great honor to shoot the cover of the iconic Muscle & Fitness Magazine.
I live in New York with my wife, Mel, and our two children, Amelia and Donny Jr., and our pups Rigatoni & Sambuca.
Adam Ross
Registered Dietitian
"I want others to experience and feel the incredible power of nourishing food and the healthy body and mind that it creates."
My driving force is the motivation I get when others adopt a healthy lifestyle and report how amazing they feel every day!
I'm a Registered Dietitian and certified sports nutritionist, and love working with motivated people who prioritize health and the power of proper nutrition as a means to thrive in this life!! I come from an athletic background having played Division 1 and professional hockey before settling into this career as a dietitian!
I love my job, and I'm passionate about the power of food and its amazing positive effects of the body and the mind! After several years counseling college students.
I founded A.R. Nutrition, a private nutrition coaching, counseling and consulting business. I'm a health and fitness nut and love the opportunity to help others navigate the confusing and often frustrating landscape that is personal health and nutrition!
Alejandro Duarte
Executive Chef
"What you find at the end of the fork is more powerful than anything you'll find at the bottom of a pill bottle."
That is what inspires me every day. Our passion for healthy food creates medicine for our body and soul, and I can see our guests' satisfaction with a smile, a thumbs up, an instagram post, which is the fuel for me to continue this journey.
I was born in a little but beautiful country in Central America, El Salvador, known for their beaches, year round summer, and of course, delicious hispanic cuisine. Coming from a big family, with very strong traditions, food was always the center of every reunion. Food and service became my passion, and he had the opportunity to work with various restaurant corporations, opening several new stores over the east coast for the last 18 years.
Just 6 months after Organic Krush opened the first store in Woodbury, I joined this phenomenal company, guiding the culinary department, and helping serve delicious food to our communities.
Alexandra Massimo
Meal Plan Manager
Eating healthy isn't something that comes natural to a large part of the population due to many factors.
Upbringing, cultural traditions, education, availability and so many more. Speaking from experience, growing up in an Italian family the dinner table was filled with traditional Italian dishes. Although we ate very well we weren't necessarily well nourished. Fortunately, I was exposed to healthy eating habits at a young age by my father. I became obsessed with the way our bodies respond to a "whole foods" lifestyle and the impact it has on our general well being. From there I started to do my own research, read books, explored functional medicine doctors, took classes, etc. I was amazed by how my mind and body benefited as a result of consuming organic veggies, grass-fed grass-finished beef, pasture raised organic meats, organic nuts and berries.
My wellness journey has totally transformed my life in ways that are infinite and priceless. My goal is to reach as many homes and communities as possible so that we can help them do the same.
Want to Know What "Krushing It" Means to Us?
Krushing it is a feeling; it's an accomplishment that comes from making repeated good choices that add up to a lifetime of well-being. If you don't know where to start, we are here to help. If you feel good, you can help others feel good. Imagine a community, a family, a world of people feeling good. That's what we get to live every day. And that's what we want for you!
