1. What is your favorite tool in the kitchen and why?

My ceramic knife. When I stayed with raw goddess Ani Phyo recently, she was using one, and it was an absolute joy, so I got myself one as soon as I got home. I eat fairly simply myself, and a good knife is often all I need to prepare my feast.

2. What's in your pantry?

Oh my goddess, everything. It's one of the benefits of running a company, I get sent lots of samples, plus split bags that can't be sold, goods approaching their sell-by date. I am immensely grateful for the abundance in my kitchen.

3. What's your favorite meal comprised of?

I love greens, sea veg, fermented veg & fats. Some combination of say, alfalfa sprouts, sea spaghetti, and kimchee, with a beautiful avocado, lashings of flax oil, a sprinkle of seasoning, and a ton of green powder, is my idea of heaven.

4. Who are some of your favorite chefs and why?

Well, I have to say me, cos I only got to eat my own food for a very long time. There weren't many other people doing raw, and you certainly couldn't get all the packaged goods we have now like crackers, candy and granolas. I had to make everything - bread, cereal, crackers, chocolate, cakes, desserts, dips - and that's for a family of four.

Now I would say I am soooo grateful, when anyone makes me anything, because it's still such a luxury for me. So every raw chef is my favorite chef! I run a mentorship program here in Europe, to help people set up their own businesses. I give them ideas, support and advice in getting their business off the ground, and in exchange they give me samples of their products. It's a win-win deal, cos they are so grateful I can share my knowledge, and I am immensely happy to help create a wider variety of available produce over here.

1.) How did you get into the raw foods and who trained you to be the chef that you are now?
Went veggie, then vegan and just naturally moved more into raw as time went on and then the vegan glue diet was so bad there was no where else to go. No one trained me, I trained them all. When I got here there was only wheatgrass and hummus.

2.) What raw principles do you personally embrace?
No disacorides*, no grains, no starches, all organic.
*disaccords : Lack of harmony; disagreement.

3.) What is your typical day like and what would you eat?
Eat at the restaurant. All my meals.

4.) Have you experienced any deficiencies on the raw food diet? What does the optimum raw diet consist of and do you take any supplements?

No supplements. Deficiencies come from things we've taken in causing deficiencies We have everything, we're fine.

5.) Do you ever get sick?

Never get sick, there's no such thing. You're cleansing.

1. What is your favorite tool in the kitchen and why?

If I had to choose just one, it would probably be my GreenStar Juicer.  I love, LOVE making green juice first thing in the morning – I can’t start the day without one!  Sometimes I’ll even make another juice later in the day.  The GreenStar is a bit slower than most juicers because of its twin gears used to cold-press the juice, but that’s what I like about it.  It’s like a mini meditation, preparing the fresh produce and patiently watching the juicer transform all my beautiful, organic veggies into a pure, vibrant juice.  Almost magical.   

2. What's in your pantry?

Lets see, some of my staples include gluten-free whole grains like quinoa and buckwheat, but I’ve also got some wild rice, lentils, seaweed, coconut oil and butter, raw honey, dates, cacao butter/powder, vanilla powder, various teas including nettle and green tea, reishi mushrooms, MSM powder, nutritional yeast, and I always make sure to keep plenty of organic spices on hand.  My nuts/seeds and most of my superfoods are stored in the fridge to keep fresh.  At the moment I’ve got almonds, walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, hemp, chia and flax seeds, sprout seeds, some bee pollen, maca, mesquite and lucuma, and of course green powders like Ormus Greens, Vitamineral Green, and Elixir of the Lake (currently my favorite).

1. What is your favorite tool in the kitchen and why?

Right now it's my pink handled Kyocera chef's knife. It's a joy to use... feels like you're cutting through clouds. 

2. What's in your pantry?

Well, since I share a home with the One Lucky Duck office, I have a pretty full pantry available. But my favorites right now are pumpkinseed oil and macadamia oil for salads. Ever since I tried that liver flush many years ago (where you're meant to drink a cup of olive oil) i can't quite stomach olive oil (sad!). I love nut and seed oils for their intense flavor. And my new dog can't seem to get enough coconut butter.

3. What's your favorite meal comprised of?

I go through phases... for a while it was our kale and herb salad with pumpkinseed dressing and pumpkinseed macadamia parmesan, plus hemp seeds. But right now I'm on a spicy sesame salad kick. It's shredded cabbage, carrots, and beets, with cilantro leaves, salted cashews and black sesame seeds, sesame dressing and wasabi aioli. It's really crunchy! Then for dessert, one of our Mallomars. I rarely have time to prepare food for myself so everything's from One Lucky Duck.

1. What is your favorite tool in the kitchen and why?

My hands are my favorite tool!  I love using my hands whenever I can to play with my food, at some point in the process of making a special treat I get my hands in there to mold and shape, or mix.  This is our most important tool for making food, that can be forgotten at times.  

2. What's in your pantry?

My pantry is stocked with superfoods like mesquite pod meal, maca powder, goji berries and medicinal herbs along with fresh and local fruits and veggies.  I also love finding special products like heirloom gluten-free grains and lentils, which have been a recent addition to my whole foods pantry.  What we are seeking here is health, and the foods I choose to consume shift seasonally and attend to my nutritional requirements at the time.

3. What's your favorite meal comprised of?

Favorite meal?  That's a tough one, but I would have to say that on the sweet side I love huckleberries or any seasonal berry, and making a fruit cream with these berries is the ultimate tasty treat.  For savory dishes, I like dill or caraway sauerkraut with dulse, raw black aji olives and tomato over greens, very simple.

4. Who are some of your favorite chefs and why?

I love watching the food network and cooking tv, so many creative ideas and techniques to learn.  I have to admit, it's a bit addicting, and I don't even own a TV.  The innovation that these personalities bring to the table is amazing, like Nigella, Giada, and the Barefoot Contessa being some of my favorites.  They all bring their realness to the camera, and I think that is what makes them so easy to watch and learn from.  And even though they are not even focusing on healthy foods much of the time, I continuously learn from their creativity and ways of working with food.

1. What is your favorite tool in the kitchen and why?

My large chef's knife. I have an intimate relationship with my knife and can do almost everything I need with it. I love hand chopping veggies, etc. It is like a meditation that connects you to your food.

2. What's in your pantry?

Lots of nuts and seeds to sprout, some grains, good olive oil, coconut oil, nama shoyu, and tons of fruits and veggies in the fridge, always!

3. What's your favorite meal comprised of?

That is like asking me which daughter is my favorite. I love many different foods for different reasons. There isn't actually a favorite. Usually it is what ever recipe I am working on at the moment.

1. What is your favorite tool in the kitchen and why?

My favorite kitchen tool is my vita mix. On average I use it anywhere from 2-8 times a day. I do everything in it: smoothies, soups, desserts, salad dressings, nut milk, sauces, etc. I also use it to grind nuts, flax, & oat groats, and sometimes I like to use it as a juicer by blending my fruits or veggies and then straining them through a nut milk bag.

2. What's in your pantry?

I always keep the following staples well stocked in my pantry: medjool dates, himalayan salt, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, cinnamon, mulberries, chia seed, shredded coconut, coconut oil, various spices, kelp noodles, cacao nibs/powder/butter, carob powder, lucuma, maca, fresh nutmeg, tahini, goji berries, and an assortment of nuts/seeds.

3. What's your favorite meal comprised of?

My favourite sweet meal is raw vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate and caramel sauces, cacao nibs, buckwheat, banana, and mulberries. My favorite savory meal is a big salad with greens, veggies, seaweed, and my raw caesar dressing.

I love all things coconut. Young thai coconuts, mature brown coconuts, coconut oil, and in both savory foods and sweets. I truly think it is an amazing and healing food!  Coconut is definitely a beauty food as well, one that can be used inside of the body and outside of the body as nourishment for the skin and hair. Coconut oil is by far one of the healthiest oils a person can consume with it’s high levels of anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial lauric, capric and caprylic acids.

Coconut oil consists of mainly medium chain triglyceride fatty acids, the majority being lauric acid, which assimilate very well and are easy for the body to burn as energy. In fact it is this fatty acid that is found in mothers milk, and has been shown to boost the metabolism and support the immune system. This fatty acid profile is rare in the plant world, as most plant oils contain the more delicate and heat sensitive polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.

Also the medium chain saturated fatty acids in coconut make it the most stable oil to heat during cooking because it stays relatively stable and doesn’t turn easily into an oxidative free radical mess. Artisana made it easier than ever to get a whole food form of coconut in your daily diet. This butter is amazing because it can be used just like a nut butter, as a spread, blended into smoothies, soups, or desserts or just eaten plain. Like coconut oil it changes texture depending on the temperature, so in cold environments it will be harder and you’ll have to use a bit more force to get it out of the jar.

Chocolate is all about the heart chakra for me. The idea of chocolate encompasses sharing, friendship and love. Nurturing of the self and of your loved ones. The symbology of chocolate as a gift to give those you care most about, those who you have a special “heart” connection with, goes back a long, long time. In this day in age there are many corrupt practices taking place around us, influencing many aspects of our lives, and even influencing the foods that we consume. I am so pleased with this new cacao powder, not just because it’s chocolate, totally delicious and a pure and utter super food for all super beings, but because it is a truly Conscious food. Conscious right down to the method of cultivation and farming, to harvesting, to the treatment of those that grow and sell this food. Basically, something i can embrace wholly, which is very important to me!

Firstly i’d like to say a few words about why i believe raw organic cacao is an important food in todays world. As most of us can attest to, life dishes out a constant flow of challenges on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. This is why super foods with super abilities can be so amazing. Cacao can help mineralize us, protect us from free radical damage, and encourage a joyful state of mind. Cacao is well endowed with amino acid tryptophan which helps us feel relaxed and deal more positively with stress. It also contains neurotransmitters dopamine, anandamide and phenylethylamine (or PEA) which work in the brain to create feelings of pleasure and well being. The stresses we deal with in today's world can also tax us of our minerals. Cacao is very rich in minerals like zinc, magnesium, sulphur, iron, and chromium (among others), which many people are lacking in their diets. The antioxidant activity in cacao is exceptional, RAW cacao even more so! It surpasses berries, green leafy vegetables, and green tea. Also many people don’t realize that cacao contains very high levels of vitamin C to protect us, enhance our immune systems, and re-build healthy collagen and tissues. The flavonoids in cacao protect our actual physical hearts and vascular system. So the heart benefits go beyond the emotions and feelings we experience. The cacao beans used to make this powder grow wild in the lush jungles of Bali. When the harvest season arrives it is the actual local people and villagers that harvest the cacao and are payed fair wages for their labor.

The beans undergo a natural fermentation underneath organic banana leaves, and are then washed thoroughly, sun dried and peeled by hand. These are old trees with roots that reach deep into mineral rich volcanic soil! Amazing. The process by which the beans are ground down, separating the oil from the protein and fiber never reaches above 120° F, and usually remains around 113° F. The flavor of this cacao powder is rich, complex and only mildly bitter. It tastes very fresh, like it was just ground. I can taste the purity, this is REAL raw chocolate powder. The texture is light and fluffy, and it blends exceptionally well in recipes. The yumminess of this powder alone inspires me to start making my own chocolate, which I’ve never actually done before, but i am feeling a calling. I can’t wait to try the Bali cacao butter made from the same beans! Don’t be limited to use this amazing food in desserts only, try adding a dash to savory soup recipes like a chili or mexican inspired vegetable soup with spicy peppers and cumin. I find that when combined with spices and veggies in a tomato-based soup it not only adds an amazing complexity of flavor but also helps thicken the texture as well.