When I was 12 years old, I began studying for my Bat Mitzvah, with a wonderful tutor named Stephanie. I adored her.  I learned that Stephanie was a vegetarian during one of our sessions.  As soon and she said the words, I made the instant decision to also go veggie. I didn’t have to think about it twice; I must have always had this instinct in me, and needed someone to get it out!  I had no issues adjusting to meatless life, and it was always a bigger deal for other people.  Even as a child, I felt satisfied in knowing I wasn’t hurting or eating animals.  I certainly didn’t know the great impact I would have on the earth and my health. 

Four years later, my sophomore year of high school, I became very sick.  I had a consistent fever for about 6 weeks and various other symptoms.  No one could figure what was wrong with me. Numerous doctors and tests ruled some possibilities out, but did not give us a conclusion.  It seemed to be an ongoing mystery.   My Mother, Uncle and Grandfather all have Inflammatory Bowel Disease.  My Mom thought it should least be ruled out. 

They say a mother is always right, and she was.  I had what was determined to be some sort of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.  It was unclear if it was Ulcertive Colitis or Chrohn’s Disease, but there was finally an answer. Doctors immediately started me on a bunch of different medications, including steroids.  The combination of the various medications had all different side effects.  Although some of them were very helpful and I did feel better, I rejected the idea of needing to swallow over 10 pills a day.  However, I didn’t see any other options, so I continued my daily ritual of swallowing a combination of medications.  My favorite was a little pink oval pill called Levbid.  It was a miracle worker. 

The Raw Food Family are a couple of parents, Katie and Ka, and their four beautiful children, who have been enjoying a lifestyle full of raw foods and travel together for over 6 years. 

Their journey began when their second child, Jaro, developed a persistent cough, and was diagnosed with asthma.  "Our small, pure son with asthma? I just thought 'I don't want this to be true! I want to have two healthy children and not to worry all the time." Ka opened himself to guidance, and found it while perusing his mother's bookshelf: "If you want to be healthy, forget about cooking."

Jaro bounced back quickly, and was a vibrant healthy baby by the time he was 2.  The family decided that they were all committed to living vibrant, healthy lives together, and transitioned from 80% raw, to 90%, to 100%.

1. What lead you to want to become a chef?                        -I loved experimenting with food when I was a little kid; making crazy concoctions that were unrecognizable as food.  Then when I was in my second year at college, all I wanted to do was cook food to bring together my community.  I spent all of my time finding new exciting recipes and preparing meals.  I ended up dropping out of school that year to go to culinary school.  I followed that up with a nutrition education at Bauman College, where I really learned how to feed myself and others in a way I could feel good about.

2. What do you love about food in particular and how has it changed your life?
-I love how food brings people together to create community.  I love thinking about people gathering around food across the ages and our differences and similarities to how we do it today. I also love food as a medium for art.  It is a temporary art that awakens all of the senses.  Food has changed my life in so many ways.  My relationship to food is always growing as I experiment, learn about new ingredients and new methods of preparation.  I love that there is always more to learn too.

3. How long have you been in the industry?
-I started working at my first restaurant when I was 18 and now am 22.  There have been so many facets of the industry to play with.

4. Have you been a chef before?
-I have been a personal Chef, and had my own catering company for a while which was a lot of work and very fun at the same time.  

5. What were you doing before you came to Cafe Gratitude and what do you plan to do next?
-I was teaching cooking classes, which I am still doing.  I just started a new series in Windsor that is for Cancer Prevention and survival through the non-profit The Cancer Project.  I want to continue these classes for a long time; they are very rewarding and fun.  

6. What is surprising and unique about you that most people would not know about you?
-I am a circus performer at heart.  I love doing headstands and spinning fire poi.  I would still love to run away to the circus!

7. What's your favorite vegetable and fruit?
-My favorite vegetable these days is kale because it tastes so good, is so versatile and is SO nutrient dense.  My favorite fruit right now is...well, all citrus fruit because I am so excited about the abundance on the trees right now.  I love citrus season!

8. Thank you for sharing and I loved hearing your inspiring story!
-Thank you for asking the questions!  It is fun telling my story once in a while and realizing how far I've come in the past few years.  And my relationship to my story always changes, which is so fun to watch. 

Hey all,

Maybe you have heard one (or one hundred and one) miracle stories about a raw foods diet saving someone's life, restoring their health and vigor, or giving them a second chance to live a life they love.  At Cafe gratitude, we hear these stories like these all the time.  The truth is, many people have made it their life's work to heal themselves through diet, and have spread their word far and wide to those who will listen.  Being in the business of self-transformation, we would like to extend an invitation to you to consider that simple changes in your diet and lifestyle could allow you to be the next miracle story!

Check out these resources to clear your mind, free your body of sluggishness and pain, and re-commit to self-healing in the coming weeks: