“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” – Hippocrates
Let Food Be Thy Medicine: Remembering Angelo Greco (1956 – 2018)
Six or seven years ago, my fiancé, John, and I walked into Doc Baker’s in Doylestown, PA because John was under the impression that it was some sort of medical facility. It was a hot and humid day and John wasn’t feeling very well, so we go inside and a gentleman in a lab coat approached us and asked if everything was okay. John, thinking he was doctor, told him that he wasn’t feeling very well. The gentleman, whose name was Angelo, recommended that we try the Watermelon beverage and that it would help with the dehydration.
On another occasion, John and I were in Doylestown and we decided to stop into Doc Baker’s for a drink and decided we wanted to have one of the shakes. I was undecided about what kind of shake I wanted and I eventually settled on the Berry smoothie. Angelo said, “I can add Peanut Butter to that and make it a Peanut Butter and Jelly smoothie”. That sounded really good, so I said that was just fine. Then John decided that he too wanted a Peanut Butter and Jelly shake as well.
In October of 2016, John and I were in town again for one reason or another and we saw a sign stating “Get Your Flu Shots Here”., thinking that he would be bringing out needles or something like that. It was an actual shot, as in something you would down in one throw like out of a shot glass. Angelo told us exactly what was in the Flu Shot and we decided to try it. It had Cayenne Pepper in it, which gave it a very powerful kick (or as John would say, it had an “attitude”). I don’t think either one of us got sick during that flu season.
Around the 4th of July last year, John and I stopped into Doc Baker’s for lunch before we went to see Beatriz at Dinner at the County Theater. This was when I was just starting my Gluten Free and Dairy Free lifestyle change and I was disappointed that the Lemon Hummus wrap that we liked to get was not Gluten Free. Angelo said, no problem, he would fix us up a salad to share in the same style as the wrap. He also reassured me that everything that he made and sold in his establishment was Vegan, so I didn’t have to ever worry about anything having dairy in it. So happily, John and I shared the salad and enjoyed our tasty cold beverages.
The last time John and I saw Angelo, it was April 28, 2018. We were in town again and paying visits to our “people”, including Angelo. We were intending to just stop in and say hello, however, Angelo just started making the Watermelon Juice and that was one of my favorites. I kept hinting to John several times that I was thirsty and Angelo mentioned that he had some of his drinks on special, so John got me mine and something for himself and we stood there drinking our drinks and chatting with Angelo. He was telling us that he was planning to shut down his storefront due to the exorbitant rent and move his business to a farm. We were a bit sad that he was moving out of Doylestown, but we promised to come and see his new location when he was settled in. We said our goodbyes and I said that the next time we were in town, I’ll try one of his milkshakes (made with frozen banana and almond milk). That milkshake was never to be; about a week and a half later, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and saw that our Dear Friend Angelo passed away. I was shocked and saddened as was John when I relayed the sad news.
Angelo was a pharmacist and had worked in the pharmaceutical business for many years. From what he told us, after many years of being a pharmacist, Angelo shifted his focus from pharmaceuticals healing people to the healing power of food. He took immense pride in what he made and sold to his customers and he was a funny guy and an absolute sweetheart. Doc Baker’s was place that I liked to go to before I found out about my allergies and one of the few places that I could go to after I found out about my allergies. G-d Speed Dear Friend, we will miss you.
