At Oklahoma City’s newly opened 105 Degrees Café and Academy, there are no ovens, no microwaves, no steaming plates, and definitely no banging pots and pans. Aside from a steady stream of jazz tunes, the ambient noise is an occasional juicer whirring or blender spinning. The atmosphere in the open kitchen seems uncustomarily calm, with a small-but-focused crew of uniformed chefs-in-training plating edible works of art. Their mis-en-place includes bowls of avocados, bottles of truffle oil and a wide array of knives. In fact, the kitchen could more easily pass for an apothecary, with its walls of shelves filled with myriad glass jars containing such delights as hemp seeds, herbs, spices, sprouted grains and nuts, kombucha and Irish moss (used to make a “soy-less” tofu).
The man behind this operation is none other than the boyishly handsome Matthew Kenney, the celebrated living foods chef who, in 2005, along with fellow chef and former partner, Sarma Melngailis, brought us Raw Food, Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow, a beautifully photographed recipe book featuring such gourmet-driven dishes as raw celeriac and green apple soup topped with black truffle, and raw tomato tartare with green mango relish and macadamia milk. In recent years, Kenney followed up with two more must-have books—Everyday Raw (2008) and Entertaining in the Raw (2009)—and is currently writing Everyday Raw Desserts, scheduled to release this summer. All of this is part of a larger plan to bring the raw food movement to a broader audience.
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Figuring prominently into Kenney’s plan is 105 Degrees Café and Academy, his most ambitious venture to date. Here, smack dab in the heartland of America (aka ground zero for cattle stockyards), he is reaching out to the local citizenry through the raw dishes produced in the café. As the name suggests, nothing at the café or academy is prepared with heat exceeding 105 degrees, a fact that may or may not account for the influx of return business. But more importantly, Kenney and his teaching staff are helping to educate a new breed of chef, one who can successfully marry the principles of live-food—using raw plant-based ingredients that are organic, seasonal and local when possible—with classic culinary techniques. The result is a cuisine that is as nutritious as it is flavorful, drawing on the flavors of some of the world’s great cultures, from Asia to Mexico.
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“We try to capture the feeling of fine dining,” says the 45-year-old Kenney, whose own career began in New York some 20 years ago at the esteemed French Culinary Institute. 
After graduation he put his skills to work in some of Manhattan’s top kitchens, eventually working up to owning a series of his own upscale restaurants in the city. By 1994 Kenney had earned two James Beard nominations and was named by Food and Wine magazine as one of the Ten Best New Chefs in America. Though extreme, Kenney’s turning point—from cooking meaty gourmet meals doused in heavy sauces to assembling nutrient-dense raw vegan cuisine—was not as razor sharp as it may appear.
“Some people say it happens overnight,” says Kenney. “But for me, over many, many years of cooking in upscale restaurants, I gradually became disillusioned with it. I recognized in the late-1990s, well before I became a vegetarian, that that kind of food is not what makes me feel my best on a day-to-day basis. I noticed that vegetables, fruits and whole grains—you know, the really clean foods without a lot of fat and so forth—made me feel better, more energetic, and I’d never get sick. So by the time I was introduced to living foods in 2003, I was ready for it.” Still, says Kenney, there was a lot of room for improvement. “Early raw food was not very refined,” he continues. “It was little more than chopped vegetables thrown in a bowl, and a whole lot of nuts—that’s not very exciting.”
Happily, Kenney has helped change that, first through his recipe books and now through the new academy, the world’s only classically structured raw food culinary school. “Awareness breeds creativity,” he says. “With the popularity of raw food recipe books, people are realizing that there’s a lot more potential and they are experimenting more. People are now using techniques that are more common in high-end restaurants. I’m seeing a lot of that lately, not just in cookbooks, but in restaurants, too.”
At 105 Degrees, students are exposed to the most modern methods in the industry, learning such skills as sous vide process, which gently warms vacuum sealed foods at very low temperatures in a tank filled with water. This winter, students are working with freshly picked Portobello mushrooms brought in by a local forager, and preparing them sous vide in a raw teriyaki ginger marinade. The savory mushrooms come served alongside a raw version of creamy mashed potatoes, made from a pulverized mixture of jicama root, raw cashews, nutritional yeast, rosemary and garlic. Paired with one of the café’s organic wines, this dish could easily entice the most ardent carnivore to go vegan for one meal—and come back for a second.
Another trendy technique Kenney and his academy director, Ladan Raissi, who is also classically trained and heralds from the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, are introducing to raw food is the “smoking gun.” The handheld gizmo is used to produce the aromas and flavors of barbeque, and works by heating wood chips, such as hickory, and pressurizing its heatless smoke, which is then infused into or on a raw product (this winter it will be shredded oyster mushrooms served with a raw barbeque sauce and creamy mashed potatoes with gravy). The technique is basically borrowed from molecular gastronomy.
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In early October, the academy graduated its first class, eight students total, all of whom participated in the one-month Level I program, which focuses on basic knife skills; preparing dressings, sauces, flours and bases; fermenting and sprouting; understanding spices and aromatics; recipe writing and meal planning; the importance of balancing flavors, tastes and textures; pastry preparation; and plating, garnishing and finishing a dish. The Level I program is a prerequisite to the three-month Level II program, which delves more deeply into the workings of a professional kitchen, covering menu planning according to seasonality; food combining, textural diversity and color coordination; and includes a mentoring program where students participate in a professional capacity in the café. Overall, it’s a very specific and unique type of raw food training that the academy provides, one that is highly focused on restaurant-quality modern cuisine.
Kenney and his business partner, Oklahoma-native Dara Prentice (a local attorney who became a raw-food convert after reading one of Kenney’s books two years ago), expect to graduate up to 200 students by late 2010. With a waiting list and serious inquiries pouring in from all four corners of the country, as well as Britain, London and Saudi Arabia, the raw food movement could potentially take root in some of the world’s top kitchens.
“It will be interesting to hear about the successes of our alumni,” says Kenney. “Without naming any names, I already see some very promising raw food stars in the group.”
105 Degrees Café and Academy, 405.842.1050, Photos by Meredith Baird
The Raw Side of L.A.
L.A.’s near insatiable appetite for raw and living foods is spawning a prodigious stream of new restaurants and prep training. To learn raw and living food prep without leaving SoCal, check below. You’ll also find a state-accredited institute in Northern California with a related intern opportunity. For dining and raw food purchase, please consult the comprehensive list on our website at WholeLifemagazine.com.
Cru, Silverlake
Rachel Carr, award winning Executive Chef of Cru restaurant in Silverlake, and Kristan Andrews (private chef and cleansing specialist) teach raw vegan food prep classes every Sunday from 1-2:30 pm, translating standard fare into creative living food recipes. The current series teaches basics of raw and vegan diet. All classes are held at Cru restaurant and are demonstration format. Recipes and handouts are provided, as well as a sample of the recipes made in class. All classes are $20 at the door, no reservations required.
1521 Griffith Park Blvd, L.A. 90026, 323. 667.1551, CruSilverlake.com / MannaFoodandBeverage.com.
Raw Food Academy, Culver City
Author of Raw Food for Real People (New World Library) and founder of Leaf Cuisine in Culver City, Rod has been teaching and preparing raw foods for 15 years. A well-traveled culinary eclectic, Rod translates world cuisine into raw offerings and teaches raw food prep as part of a conscious lifestyle. Individual six-hour classes are offered once a month with specific dates announced on the website. $125 per person / $230 per couple. Rod also teaches around the country, and there is a 3-disk DVD set of his book.
11938 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City 90066. 323.843.4238, LeafOrganics.com.
Juliano, Santa Monica
Chef and ecologist Juliano, author of Raw: The Uncook Book (Regan Books), teaches classes in raw food prep and the medicinal detoxifying properties of raw foods once a month ($100). Also offered are an 18-hour certification program ($3,500) and advanced creative chef training ($5,000).
Juliano’s Raw, 8951 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood 90069. 310.288.0989
Living on Live Food
Raw food chef Alissa Cohen has trained many people at her 5-star Boston restaurant, Grezzo, and certifies them through a three-level program. At least eight of her former students, listed below, are certified to teach level 1 and/or level 2 in Southern California. (Level 3 must be completed in Boston with Cohen.) Certifications offered are Raw Food Chef, Living on Live Food Instructor, and Living on Live Food Teacher. Cohen offers ongoing support to her graduates, and all teachers she certifies are listed on her website. 978.985.7217 or 888.900. 2529. Check with individual teachers for price.
Maria Aparis, Santa Monica, 310.497.1607, maria@spaonlocation.com
Betsy Asmus, Santa Clarita Valley, N. L.A. and Ventura counties, 661.803.6463, betsy@rawfoodbetsy.com
Patricia Autry, Stevenson Ranch, 661.260.3077, holisticsolutions@roadrunner.com
Margo Doll, Lancaster, L.A., Kern counties, 661.305.5375, cleanlivingorganic@sbcglobal.net
Diana Harrelson, SoCal, 562.493.8461, diana29@verizon.net
Holly Humphreys, SoCal, 951.444.8348, Holly@951fitness.com>
Tina M., Greater L.A., 818.425.9498, tinaannerawkz@yahoo.com
Anette Wetzel-Grolle, Santa Barbara, 805.957.4700, anette@grolle.de
Living Light Culinary Arts Institute, Fort Bragg
This certified raw food culinary school founded by Cherie Soria is a state-licensed, accredited school governed by rigid regulations and offering standardized teaching with licensed and registered instructors. The comprehensive 17-day chef-training program teaches all aspects of creating raw living foods. Attendees range from Parisian executive chefs to novices, so students of every level can expect to increase their culinary competence. The full program of ongoing courses includes Gourmet Raw Food Chef and Associate Chef certification, along with such classes as Knife Skills, Spa Cuisine, Science of Raw Food Nutrition and even Aromatherapy. Prices range from $95 for some half-day classes to $2675 for 10-day certification sessions.
301-B North Main Street, Fort Bragg 95437. 800.816.2319 / 707.964.2420, RawFoodChef.com.
Que SeRaw SeRaw (intern opportunity), Burlingame
Alicia Parnell has created a “Kitchen Angel Volunteer” program at her award-winning raw food deli in Burlingame for those who want to learn more about raw food preparation using a Vitamix blender and dehydrator techniques. The work interns perform is centered around the daily kitchen production schedule. Parnell has mentored more than 40 interns, including graduates of the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute.
1160 Capuchino Ave., Burlingame 94010. 650.400.8590, QueSeRawSeRaw.com.
