Wynwood’s newest superfood, vegetarian and frozen yogurt spot serves up absolutely delicious and health-focused food with an even better mission. g.l.o.w. is so much more than just a typical restaurant standing for, Girls Leading Our World, helping empower girls in our community and beyond is at the forefront of the restaurant’s purpose.

Kylie Schuyler

In honor of International Day Of The Girl, on October 11, we caught up with Kylie Schuyler, owner and founder of g.l.o.w. to learn all about the restaurant’s doings, goals and hopes for the future. The team at g.l.o.w. donates 100% of all net profits to girl-focused organizations near and far, with every purchase truly making a difference in someone else’s life.

Schuyler works alongside Chef Todd Erickson who has quite a background in the culinary space, through his own concepts as well as through many different food-centric television shows including when he was crowned the winner of the Food Network's, Beat Bobby Flay.

Schuyler and Erickson have created a one-of-a-kind menu featuring a variety of superfood-powered dishes including Kung Pao Cauliflower and the Falafel Cone, to the menu’s frozen yogurt section which features many innovative flavors including Froyo Float made with Kombucha and the Fro-Coconut. This month’s OctobHER specials include a new delicious, Girl Boss Guava froyo flavor.

Schuyler, a woman with a huge heart and a delicious restaurant has created a place that motivates individuals and empowers girls with each and every purchase.

What inspired g.l.o.w.?

g.l.o.w. was inspired by a little girl who profoundly changed my life. The little girl set me on a journey that has become my life’s work. The story is this: over a dozen years ago in Cambodia, I saw a little girl peering from behind a chainlink fence outside of a school. The way she had her fingers laced thru the wire fence, her bright face, and her forlorn expression touched my heart. She was being kept out of the school. She was longingly looking into a world where she was not welcome.

I learned later that her name was Sreylin and that she was 10 yrs old. Sreylin was being kept outside the chainlink fence because she was a girl. She was being silenced and devalued because of societal norms and perceptions. She longed for something better. Since then, I have been on a journey to bring girls inside that “fence” - to empower them and give them a voice.

Here in Miami, g.l.o.w. (which stands for “girls leading our world”) supports the effort to empower girls and promote gender equality by donating 100% of its net profits to girl-focused charitable organizations, both in Miami and worldwide. g.l.o.w. is part of my journey!

See also: Miami-Based Female Designers To Add To Your Shopping Cart

Can you explain how and where g.l.o.w. supports girls in underserved and vulnerable communities?

g.l.o.w. supports girls’ health, educational and social challenges, specifically in underserved and vulnerable communities, by donating 100% of net profits to girl-focused organizations in Miami and worldwide.

Are you involved with any organizations locally?

We are just getting started, and we have big dreams! We support many organizations locally as well as globally. Recent contributions include Girl Power Rocks (a Miami-based organization that fosters positive social skills and academic performance), Global G.L.O.W. (a global organization that accelerates girls' greatness so they can build a better tomorrow. Global G.L.O.W. has begun to work with Miami-Dade School District to empower girls in after-school clubs), Launch gURLs (a global NGO that helps girls launch their entrepreneurial futures to change the world), and Asia Initiatives (an international NGO that leverages the power of social capital to enable girls to become stakeholders in the own success).

How did you partner with Chef Todd Erickson?

After visiting Chef Todd's former restaurant GLAM Vegan in Midtown Miami, I fell in love with his style of cooking and the superfood ingredients he was utilizing in his dishes, so I reached out to him to conceptualize the menu at g.l.o.w. The result is a delicious menu featuring organic, locally inspired frozen yogurt flavors, unique treats, and gourmet plant-based dishes. We couldn't have picked a better chef to partner with on this unique concept.

How do you aim to reflect your mission with your food?

We want people to eat good AND feel good, so we utilize superfoods and organic ingredients in our globally-inspired menu, reflecting our mission to empower and support girls globally. Once our customers experience our delicious, healthy menu, they will also know that they are doing good for the world aside from eating good and feeling good!

Why frozen yogurt?

Why not! We use the "Ferrari" of frozen yogurt machines, resulting in the creamiest, most delicious frozen yogurt every time. We also change the flavors every season, so we always have something fresh and exciting - Chef Todd just introduced Speculoos Cookie Butter (yes, the Trader Joe's cult-favorite) and Pumpkin Spice for fall. In addition to our frozen yogurt and dessert creations, Chef Todd's menu is not to be missed. It features crave-able plant-based dishes like spicy kung pao cauliflower, impossible meatball sliders, and the falafel cone.

What does UN International Day of the Girl mean to you?

Since that day long ago when I had that profound moment seeing girls being kept out of school, I have been on a mission to support the effort to give girls what they need to advocate for themselves. October 11th is the UN-designated, annual International Day of the Girl, which is an important opportunity to promote gender equality and amplify girls’ voices while advancing dialogue on the unique challenges girls worldwide continue to face.

International Day of the Girl also provides a platform for us to celebrate girls for the whole month of 'OctobHER' at g.l.o.w. ‘OctobHER’ is dedicated to bringing together girls, thought leaders, partner organizations, and allies to celebrate girlhood and address the critical issues that continue to hinder progress towards gender equality.

All proceeds from g.l.o.w.’s new Girl Boss Guava flavor will support Girl Power Rocks for the month of ‘OctobHER.’

You are a relatively new restaurant, how has the public reacted so far?

Despite opening in the pandemic, we've been blessed with supportive customers, including locals and tourists alike. We're located in the heart of Wynwood, and with so much to do and see nearby, we love to see people pop in for a quick lunch, frozen yogurt, or other desserts. It also helps that everything at g.l.o.w. is photo-ready and Instagram-ready! Our guests love to take pictures with our Fro-Conuts (whole coconuts filled with frozen yogurt), Super Food Sundaes, beautifully designed Froyo Pops, Froyo Sandwiches, and FroYo Bites. And yes - they taste as good as they look!

Where do you see g.l.o.w. in 5 years?

I would love to see g.l.o.w. continue to grow, and expand in Miami and beyond so we can support more girl-focused organizations. Our menu is globally-inspired, delicious and it carries the message of the importance of gender equality. Gender equality benefits everyone. One of my strongest beliefs is that if we invest in girls and provide them with the resources, confidence, and skills to advocate for themselves today, we can give the world a better tomorrow for all. An empowered girl starts a rising ripple effect that positively impacts her family, her community, and ultimately, the world! Girls have the power to change the world!

g.l.o.w. is located at 97 NW 25th Street, and open 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday - Thursday and 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.