Well-known RAW food chef, Matthew Kenney has brought his famed MATTHEW KENNEY RAW FOOD CULINARY SCHOOL AND M.A.K.E. Restaurant to Santa Monica.
Matthew Kenney Culinary School opened its doors in The Market at Santa Monica Place offering an opportunity for professional chefs and students of all ages and experience levels to hone their skills in organic, Raw, and Living Food preparation. Overseen by founder and award-winning chef Matthew Kenney, recognized as the world’s foremost authority on the Raw lifestyle, as well as author and speaker at TEDx events, the multi-faceted program will consist of four to eight-week long hands-on classes, as well as evening and one-to-two day weekend courses, offered within a custom designed setting utilizing state-of-the-art equipment.
At a recent class, the 48-year-old-but-looks-35 Matthew Kenney explained he was a runner with joint pain and low energy. After omitting processed foods and focusing on a plant-based diet, Kenney gained his energy and is pain-free. Kenney furthered this health point by explaining many pro athletes follow a Raw food diet. His love of the artistic aspect of raw food cooking combined with the natural health upside, Kenney decided to open in Santa Monica largely in part to the quality and variety of fresh ingredients available. Among the elements of Kenney’s Raw food approach, fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts. Kenney’s culinary school and attached restaurant, M.A.K.E., uses no soy, no flour, and no dairy. Nothing is heated above 110*F and his wall of dehydraters is set to 105*F and is used to remove moisture from foods while maintaining the nutrients. Kenney uses an anti-grill for specialty dishes, practices molecular gastronomy without the use of chemicals, and is a fan of the “no wheat” craze. When asked about one of my loves, quinoa, Kenney replied he uses it in some dishes. A Paco jet is used to airrate a blend of Thai coconut, cashews, and vanilla to make ice cream without eggs and Kenney makes “goat cheese” using pureed and strained walnut and pine nuts.
Kenney uses whole coconut meat which is chopped to release the coconut water, agave in moderation, and creates pesto by using pistachio oil and is in love with pink Himalayan fine ground salt. His favorite knives are Japanese shun and his passion is to create a global phenomenon through gourmet Raw food inspiring others to incorporate Raw foods into their lifestyle a little bit everyday.
I must say I was surprisingly delighted by the tastes of Kenney’s Raw food creations and would definitely need a class to perfect his gourmet Raw food dishes. Classes are competitively priced and are on average, 2 to 2 1/2 hours in length ending by sitting down to eat what you make. The classes include Level One: “Fundamentals of Raw Cuisine” and Level Two: “Advanced Raw Cuisine” as well as interactive evening and weekend courses. Online courses are coming soon. Created to help develop and challenge students to make full-flavored and imaginative Raw dishes, the Santa Monica school follows the introduction of the first Matthew Kenney Academy in Oklahoma City, as the only classically structured Raw and Living Foods educational center in the world.
If cooking classes are not your “thing”, skip the class, enjoy a glass of wine, and order off the menu at M.A.K.E, Kenney’s RAW Food restaurant attached to the culinary school. Bartlett Pear Soup with young celery and juniper oil, Avocado Currant Tomato Nori with sunflower radish, Red Beet Gnocchi with watercress, hazelnut, and Meyer lemon, and Chocolate Walnut Cake with licorice pear, fennel, and sassafras or Honey Almond Semifredi with concord grape. Delicious in every bite, you will forget you are dining at a RAW food restaurant.
The customized and intimate public classes, as well as innovative online program, contribute towards advancing cutting-edge Living Cuisine by educating those enrolled to promote simple, health-driven meals. Students will have access to cutting-edge techniques within a one-to-two month long training and curriculum emphasizing whole, organic, unprocessed plant-based foods, as well as the importance of sustainability and health, to achieve flavorful Raw and Living Cuisine. The Matthew Kenney Culinary School is a world-recognized accredited Raw culinary institution, and has garnered global attention and enrollment from those seeking to experience a hands-on education for preparing Raw food.
Matthew Kenney Culinary School / M.A.K.E.
395 Santa Monica Place, Suite 333
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.394.7046
www.matthewkenneycuisine.com
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ABOUT MATTHEW KENNEY CULINARY/ M.A.K.E: Matthew Kenney is the world’s leading Raw food chef, the author of several best-selling cookbooks, and an entrepreneur specializing in the Raw lifestyle. The Food & Wine Best New Chef, Veg News Chef of the Year and twice-nominated James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef opened his first restaurant, Matthew’s in New York City in 1993, but it was his dining experience at a Raw food restaurant more than a decade later that led him to discover his calling: creating Raw dishes with an emphasis on nutrition and innovation. His impact as an entrepreneur and educator extends worldwide and beyond the walls of his restaurants located throughout the U.S. in Chicago, Oklahoma City, and now Santa Monica. In addition to appearing on two high-profile TEDx events, Kenney frequently lectures as a keynote speaker at food events. His new multi-layered concept in Santa Monica includes a Raw-food Culinary school, M.A.K.E., his Living Foods restaurant with a Raw-tasting bar, as well as a forthcoming marketplace and juice bar. Hours are 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily, Monday through Sunday. Valet and public parking is available. Reservations can be made through OpenTable with walk-ins accepted.
For more information, please visit http://www.
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