Selecting the best produce roxanne at the marin County Farmers market

California, turned out gourmet cuisine that was renowned for its complex flavors and elegant presentations. The raw repertoire includes sumptuous “cheeses” made from nuts, dehydrated vegetables that have a roasted flavor, and even lasagne. Heating is allowed—just so long as the temperature of the food never exceeds 118 degrees. According to proponents of a raw diet, that’s when enzymes and micronutrients begin to break down.

“With raw food, it’s all about using ingredients at their peak of deliciousness,” Roxanne says. “It takes me back to the way I grew up.” Her grandparents were organic farmers who grew grapes, melons, almonds, and walnuts, as well as produce for the family. “My grandfather would take me out into the garden and ask me what smelled best. That’s what we’d have for dinner. Eating that way, choosing what’s in season, had a profound effect on me.”

 

Bringing raw home Although Roxanne’s restaurant closed in 2004, her dehydrator, juicer,

and spice grinder still see plenty of action. In January of this year, she launched Roxanne’s Fine Cuisine, a gourmet line of prepared raw foods available in specialty markets in northern California. Ranging from pinwheel sandwiches to sprouted bread to nutmilk cheese to decadent chocolate torte (Roxanne’s favorite), all the products are organic, free of dairy, gluten, and refined sugars.

Sending her foods to the lab for nutritional testing confirmed what Roxanne and other raw food aficionados have long maintained. Sprouted nuts—a staple of her raw creations—yield a lot more nutritional bang for the buck than their unsprouted counterparts.

“A nut is typically 75 percent fat and 25 percent protein,” Roxanne says. “When it’s sprouted, it’s 25 percent fat and 75 percent protein.”

Roxanne would like to follow up the successful Raw with a book focused on a simpler approach for everyday eating. “I want to include foods for kids, basic foods,” she says. “I want to answer the question ‘What do

I eat for breakfast?’” 0