Living large: To take what there is, and use it, without waiting forever in vain for the preconceived--to dig deep into the actual and get something out of that--this doubtless is the right way to live.".

Where any new world begins, the raw, uncut, and unconquered conjure up the very best in us. Where creativity ends, conformity begins.

What would you do if a customer, perhaps a regular, made a reservation for dinner and requested a "raw" menu? No meat, no dairy, no soy? Chances are, if this scenario has not already occured in your restaurant, it soon will. As a chef you may wrestle with the notion that a guest should dine at your restaurant with little interest in ordering from your well-thought-out menu but, what would you do? Would you turn them away? Are you proud enough of your produce to serve it raw? Are you inspired enough to tackle the challenge? The likes of Charlie Trotter, Norman Van Aken, and Thomas Keller have already faced this phenomenon as more and more guests arrive with "living-food" preferences. "If a guest comes into your restaurant and requests a raw meal, will it be your mind or your skills which are limited?" Chef Charlie Trotter muses. "It's really about not limiting yourself, not so much as a diner but as a chef."

Though our diet as human beings may have originated (thousands and thousands of years ago) with the greens, grains, pulses, and fruits of a predominately agricultural society-food has become much more than a necessity. Our dining habits have evolved with us. Food is not merely fuel. We eat for enjoyment! As keepers of the fire, we too have evolved, We cook not merely for function but for form. Our task requires more of us than just the application of heat. We must have an understanding of science, art, and nature, and a notion of how much of ourselves we are willing to invest in our guests.

Often it is the messenger and not the message that is scrutinized. Chef, author, and supporter of raw food, Roxanne Klein, is one such example. Klein spent her childhood on her grandfather's organic farm, and her summers in France. Her adolescence passed while she attended culinary school. She matured on the hot line of Stars, The Lark Creek Inn, and La Verdon in France. Though pastry is her passion, she has no reason to buy eggs, cream, or caramel; in fact butter, maple syrup, and cheese have been eliminated from her pantry. She has no use for an oven, a flat top, or a deep fat fryer. All these changes occurred six years ago after she took a trip through Thailand with friends Bob Weir and Woody Harrelson. While traveling, she noticed Harrelson only ate the raw salads and soups, which were prepared for the group. When she asked what it was all about, he explained that he was raw and explained how it affected his health. "He convinced my husband and me to go to a restaurant in Hawaii that prepared food this way," Klein explains, "and to give it a month." Though curious, Klein admits that as a chef she questioned if she could eat this way. "When we tried it," she continues, "I got really into it and thought, 'okay, if this is the way my body is telling me I want to eat, then I've got to make this something really exciting.'" Upon their return home, Klein started experimenting. Her entire culinary education went through a metamorphosis of sorts. Not only were certain flavors and textures the focus, bu t understanding the property of each ingredient enabled her to create a palatable dish preferable to its hot-line counterpart-or so she hoped. She contacted Juliano, noted California raw foodist who was in the process of writing a raw cookbook. She introduced him to some of the 50 or 60 organic varieties of herbs, vegetables, and fruit in her garden. He introduced her to the principles of raw cuisine. "I took some of the concepts of blending nuts, sprouting, and dehydrating and completely rearranged them, using different products," Klein explains. "It's like learning another language; you have to think about sauces and textures in a new way.

The premise of consuming raw, or rather "living" ingredients is that they contain living enzymes. Enzymes are chemical reactors; digestive enzymes in our stomach, for example, break down our food into usable amino acids and glucose. A single enzyme can set off a million reactions per second. The rate of this activity increases with the application of heat, to a point. Enzymes are most active at 100 degrees, but the decline begins and they are denatured by around 170 degrees (McGee 597). To maintain a raw diet, ingredients are prepared below 120 degrees. This is, mind you, not a number pulled out of tepid air, but deciphered by science as the point of no return for those vitally important living enzymes which enrich our diet. However, the term "raw" has all sorts of restrictions and preconceived ideas attached to it.

Klein agrees that the term "raw" gives a misleading impression. "Some people have the notion that this food is all cold. It's not. Soups are served at 115 degrees, which is warm, just not hot. You take something from the dehydrator and it has a 'just out-of the oven' feel to it. Klein adds oil a la minute and warms plates before service to help elicit subtle aromas, though she admits this is one of the biggest challenges with raw food. "There is nothing worse than no aroma," Klein laments. "You really have to pay attention to layering different temperatures to get the aroma."

Though a staunch supporter, Klein, like any chef, prefers to follow her own common sense about preparing good food. "I call it organic living foods," she says of her cuisine. "I also feel like I'm making my own rules because I'm really about flavor. If something really needs that 100 year old balsamic vinegar or a dusting of Valrhona cocoa powder, I'm putting that on. For me, if it's less than a tablespoon--fine, it's not going to change the nature of what I'm eating." When pressed about the absence of "comfort foods" from her diet, she pauses before finding an answer. "If I'm being totally honest," she smiles, "I'd say about twice a year I crave Thai food. It's mainly the curry and the flavors of the sauce. But, I'm also not beyond going out and having it. I'm not going to deprive myself. I mean, it is still a vegan meal, but I'll take some enzymes and it helps me digest. I'm here to enjoy and experience life, and I'm not going to deny having something because it's 'not raw.' I'm really out to get people to listen to their body. It's not about being on a diet."

To replace the use of milk and cheese, Klein has developed nut milks and nut cheeses. "I soak cashews or almonds overnight-I have to find the right cashews, because some are more heat processed than others and some of their enzymes are killed." Once soaked, the nuts are rinsed, drained, and pureed with fresh water to make a runny paste. The paste is drained in "cheese bags" to extract the nut milk, which will serve as a "dairy" base for ice creams and pastry creams. "I've also come up with sweet phyllo dough; nut milks and nut butter are crucial to what I do." The residual nuts are pulsed in a Champion juicer, which homogenizes the nuts into a pate consistency. A small amount of rejuvelac, a fermented sprouted wheat drink, is added to start the culture process. "Some of the nut pates have the texture of goat cheese, some of cream cheese. I don't get this melting thing happening, but I roll them in cracked pepper, nuts, or herbs; they're delicious," Klein proclaims. For crackers, breads, and other "baked" item s a dehydrator is used. "The dehydrator has become my oven, so to speak," Klein continues. She also relies on a hydraulic press for juicing. "We're using the Norwalk juicer which combines the accuracy of a helical cutter-grinder and the strength of a hydraulic press to extract the maximum nutrients, flavor, and pigment from the cell walls of the fruit or vegetable," she explains. "Carrot juice for example, after being pressed, will not separate." For purees and ice creams, a Champion juicer, which masticates the fruit and vegetables, is employed to create smooth nut butters and frozen desserts with a creamy mouth feel. Klein believes she has perfected a recipe for raw ice cream, which can compete with the real thing. The "gelatos", as she refers to them, are a concoction of nut milk, young coconut meat, and a little oil. "You can't even taste the nut milk," professes Klein, whose children's acceptance serves as the true benchmark of success.

Her efforts have culminated in a close working relationship with friend Chef Charlie Trotter. "One thing I see when I've gone to restaurants is that it's really hard for chefs to get their head around the concept," she begins. For this reason, opening a restaurant and publishing a book dedicated to raw cuisine has become her mission. "It's a really exciting time in everything that I'm doing," she adds about the recent collaboration with Charlie Trotter on their as yet untitled raw book. The two met when the Kleins became regular customers at Charlie Trotter's in Chicago. "He made the most incredible vegan meals for my husband and me," she recalls "and I challenged him to try a raw tasting menu. He just really loved the concept; it was a challenge and for Charlie-that's what he thrives on," One night after dinner the three got to talking. "He asked me what kind of things I was doing, and he started getting really excited. We decided to collaborate on a book. It just evolved from there." The two will be releasi ng their "raw" book, in the fall 2002. The book is completely dedicated to the world of organic, living, vegan cuisine.