Opening events are often great to attend but challenging to orchestrate.  I’ve had my share of difficult ones and some that flow suprisingly well.  Among the many I have been involved in, our first annual Live and Learn at 105degrees is my stand alone favorite.   My partner Dara Prentice and I, along with our entire team at 105degrees, hosted several of our friends, colleagues and a couple hundred guests for a full day of events last weekend – a day that included dynamic and motivating appearances from our many presenters;  Philip McClusky, Anthony Anderson, Penni Shelton, Hope Ferdowsian, Ani Phyo, Courtney Pool, Karen Knowler and Tim Van Orden.

This group was incredible.  I could have been fully satisfied with the day, simply by observing their camaradarie and professionalism.  Everyone was as dynamic and probably more so than they appear in their online, print or media work.  They are also all radiating health and beauty.

After most parties, I’m both relieved and tired, ready to avoid thinking about the next one for a few weeks.   In this case, Dara and I are already very excited about next year’s follow-up, which will be a full weekend of living cuisine and lifestyle events, lectures and meals.

Philip McClusky and Courtney Pool.  Philip is a captivating lecturer and a really good photographer as well (in fact, I borrowed one of his images for this article).  It was great meeting Courtney for the first time and a real pleasure listening to her knowledgeable and interesting presentation.  She is doing great work with Dr. Gabriel Cousins at The Tree of Life.

Anthony Anderson, a great speaker and very passionate.  I predict he will accomplish many interesting things in the sustainable world in the near future.

Penni Shelton and Ani Phyo.  Penni has been a wonderful friend and supporter of 105degrees.  Little did I know that, along with her many projects and being a mentor to so many, she is a talented comedian.  Ani has a ton of fans and for good reason – she is dynamic, creative and beautiful.  She recently completed writing her new book, which will have over 250 recipes!

Karen Knowler.  We were fortunate that Karen’s schedule allowed her to be with us.  She is very entreprenurial and has been instrumental in the growth of living food’s awareness in the U.K.

Tim Van Orden.  I’m used to seeing Tim in photos running up mountains in snowshoes or racing through a forest like a deer.  He carried that same energy to his presentation, which had the guest’s full attention.

Hope Ferdowsian.  Hope delivered a uniquely sharp message, filled with facts and statistics that were largely new to me.

Ani demonstrating one of her desserts (which I had for breakfast)

Meredith Baird.  Meredith alternated this weekend between her role as sommelier, photographer, pastry wizard and shop forager….and mixologist, which happened to be a very popular category at the event.

Speaking of mixology..

Dara Prentice, founder and visionary behind 105degrees, and I.  Only she would be able to manage the complexities of this event with such poise.

Me, in a demo preparing shiitake mushrooms using Thermal Immersion techniques with raw food.

The base of the first dinner course:  Shiitake Kimchi Dumplings, Sesame Foam, Shiso

Heirloom Beets

Related posts:

1. The 105degrees People
2. 105degrees

Its a dark late summer afternoon in Maine, under soft rain drops, and I’m really enjoying the fact that my ‘work’ consists of standing in the middle of a blueberry field, sneaking a few when I can and listening to the field’s owner denounce the integrity of the New Jersey blueberry, a very distant cousin to these tiny gems. He doesn’t appear to be your typical organic fruit expert, and other than his perfectly matched blueberry-blue house and the ‘Blueberry Association’ patch on his chest, I’d probably guess he was more of a bourbon aficionado than a professor of enzymes and antioxidants. But, appearances aren’t everything and he certainly knows his product. The occasion is the first day of a three day photo shoot, our next to last session for my upcoming book, Entertaining in the Raw. I’m worried about the weather, and its impact on the exposure, but I soon learn that it is ‘nearly perfect light for shooting’. When my own camera fails after three shots, I also realize why I am a chef and not behind a lens.

The extraordinarily talented photographer, Miha Matei, and I are working together on some outdoor shots, which may be used for chapter introductions of the book. The recipes and format of Entertaining in the Raw are far from traditional and the photography is just as unique. Whereas my last book, Everyday Raw, followed a more restrained format, with straightforward chapter names such as “desserts” and “salads”, my publisher was kind enough to allow me a great deal of freedom with this one. The result is my most creative project to date, and one which I am equally proud and nervous about. Each detail is important and it’s often difficult to stop making adjustments.

Miha is a genius, capturing imagery that most eyes would not register. She works patiently, methodically, and is both relaxed and comfortable, but also an extreme perfectionist. Her skills go well beyond the photo itself – in fact, she is a driving force of many of our settings and has a very resourceful way with styling as well. I’ve found her ideas for this group of shoots to be perfectly aligned with the book’s focus. As she shoots, I listen (to the blueberry man), and take a walk into his blue house, where he shows me an old soda fountain that he imported from somewhere, pointing out the perfect lines of the marble slabs on its front and top, and going into a deep explanation of the trouble with having stools secured into the floor. The reason a blueberry processing plant needs a non-functioning soda fountain eludes me, but I like quirkiness. Meanwhile, Miha has captured a few rolls of the moist plants and their plump berries that will hopefully appear in our “Blossom” chapter.

The other chapters are titled “Inspiration”, “Revolution”, “Contemporary”, “Spice”, “Radiance” and “Meaningful”. The recipes in each have an abstract relationship to these concepts, but at the same time, are chosen for their direct affiliation with a certain aspect of history, art, experience or even feeling. Blossom is the easiest to explain and what we are shooting today. For someone who grew up in Maine, the brief appearance of the fresh wild blueberry among the rocky coastal hills is as symbolic of the seasons as anything.

Whereas my last book took a more straightforward approach to food preparation, focusing on recipes for day to day raw foods, Entertaining in the Raw is more elaborate, with many recipes that are upscale and often longer. As the interest in raw food continues to grow, the need for both styles grows with it, and as much as many of us need quick day to day recipes, raw food is also now much more common at special events, celebrations, and meals designed as an experience in and of themselves. This creative approach extends well beyond the recipes all the way to our choice of photography in some cases.

Rather than focusing only on entertaining photos of a dinner or cocktail party, we are trying to let the food speak for itself, and are working to utilize these chapter introductions to celebrate the spirit behind each chapter. Today, we celebrate the Blueberry and its representation of “Blossom”, as well as the charming owner Mr. Stewart, who asked me to be sure not to confuse him with Martha (trust me, I didn’t and you won’t). He was, in fact, wonderful.

Related posts:

1. Results
2. The Skinny on Everyday Raw Desserts
3. Chocolate Chapter