Top New York chef and restaurateur Matthew
Kenney and his partner, Sarma Melngailis,
had been thinking of opening a Moroccan restaurant. But one night
they were invited to a raw food restaurant -- and it changed their
lives. They instead opened Pure Food and Wine, a restaurant devoted
to creative, tasty raw food, and it has been drawing rave reviews.
Dishes such as Zucchini and Green Zebra Tomato Lasagne, Golden
Squash Pasta with Black Summer Truffles, and Dark Chocolate Ganache
Tart with Vanilla Cream have given raw food a sexy new appeal.
The decision to go raw was shocking at first for these two
ex-carnivorous chefs, but they soon found that preparing and eating
raw food made them and their guests feel their physical best.
Melngailis noticed a difference almost immediately -- "Light,
clean, natural, and alive foods make you feel light, clean, and
more alive. And sexy." This new way of life has changed their
outlook on eating and cooking and connects them to the world around
them. As Kenney says, "Raw foods and the lifestyle associated with
it are so compelling and complex that we will be forever learning
and growing. Already it seems that we have discovered some of the
magic that life offers."
In this lushly photographed book, Kenney and Melngailis share
some of that magic -- and show that preparing and eating raw does
not mean bland, unsatisfying, or impossibly time-consuming meals.
Using dehydrating, Vita-Mix blending, a nuanced understanding of
spices, and unprecedented creativity, they explore a whole new
outlook on raw food that transfers beautifully and easily from
their kitchen to yours -- no matter what your present diet. And
you'll immediately begin to reap the benefits of healthful,
delicious, life-giving raw food.