Raw Vegan Foodies-Dream Comes True-Matthew Kenney’s New Restaurant M.A.K.E. |

M.A.K.E. Lasagna

My friend Teresa aka “Raw T” turned me on to raw vegan food many years ago. My concept back then of raw vegan food was a bunch of different salads with a variety of dressings, fruits and veggie juices. Pretty boring, I thought to myself. Of course that was so far from the truth, raw vegan cuisine is quite complex, full of flavor, and most of all so good for you. My first experience tasting gourmet raw vegan food was in New York at Pure Food + Wine, the first raw vegan upscale restaurant, co-owned by award winning chef and author Matthew Kenney. The food was delicious and beautiful. I picked up a cookbook from Pure Food + Wine and started preparing some of the recipes. My collection of Matthew cookbooks grew and became my go to for raw vegan recipes, so when I found out that Matthew was opening a new restaurant and culinary school in Santa Monica I was thrilled. Teresa and my friend Juliana are studying at Matthew’s school, so of course they informed me of a special “soft” opening, which I was fortunate to attend. It was a delightful evening filled with delectable tastes. M.A.K.E. dishes use only the freshest produce and never anything processed, which really makes a difference. Every bite of the lasagna was a burst of flavor–you cannot duplicate this with tomatoes from Ralphs.

Rainbow Carrots, Cashew Yogurt, Cumin Crisp

M.A.K.E. restaurant and Culinary School is located in the Market area on the top level of Santa Monica Place. I love the combo of retail therapy combined with fine dining. 395 Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica reservations 310 394-7046 open 12-9 Monday thru Sunday plenty of parking in the structure www.matthewkenneycuisine.com I will certainly be a regular at M.A.K.E. hope to see you there–Gigi