Matthew Kenney Lifestyle

Meet: Ariane Dutzi

Meredith Baird — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:23:17 +0000

105degrees is a cool project all around, but one of the things that excites me the most about the project is our shop- or the “glass box”. The shop is not something that you would necessarily know that we have unless you take a visit to the restaurant- if you walk in, you can’t miss it. Rest assured the shop is not an afterthought. It is a very central part of our business.

The shop features our unique brand of retail food items, kale chips, granola, chocolate, ice cream, kombucha, etc. all of the essential raw food faves and of course, all of these things are great and absolutely necessary! However, what is most exciting about the shop is the opportunity it gives us to give back, and reach out to support like- minded business. Over the past year- researching and sourcing different products to sell has been a welcomed, exciting challenge. I have been utterly overwhelmed by all of the cool, conscious products that are out there and I am thrilled to have to chance to feature some of them here on Lifestyle.

As my first feature I would like to introduce Ariane Dutzi.

Ariane Dutzi, designer and founder of dutzi design, inc., is a former fashion editor who lived in Paris and New York, before she moved to the Yucatan. She now divides her time between New York and Valladolid, where she shares her home with two Jack Russell terriers, Luna and Cinza. Fashion was always her passion. In 2008 she started designing bags made out of Vintage burlap and recycled raffia- she wanted to use fashion as a means of contribution to our environment. Her goal was not to create just another “it” bag. She wanted to create something fashionable that could give back, by respecting nature, our resources, and the people who live on this planet. In this same year, she started her own company “dutzi design, inc.” and in 2009 the dutzi workshop followed. The dutzi workshop was created to help women, mainly Mayan, to have the opportunity to make some money on their own. Each bag is individually hand crafted inside and out by one woman. No assembly line involved. Ariane selects the materials and provides each woman with the resources needed to craft the bags. They are allowed to craft the bags on their own time, which gives them the opportunity to continue to fulfill household duties while still doing something for them. They are paid by the project, so that they are all committed on a personal level- no salaries- the attitude must be commitment. On top of giving these women the opportunity to make a little money on their own, she also takes the time to educated them on managing their finances- understanding that giving them money without the tools to handle it is somewhat futile- you must have a “backbone to stand” or so to speak. At this point, the workshop counts 23 women and is constantly growing. She is an idealist who believes in beauty, making the world a better place and that business is about more than just making money. You can see, and feel this through her products.

My conversation with Ariane was truly inspiring. I found her approach to business so unique and refreshing. Her bags are beautiful, sophisticated, and useful- the longer you carry one the more it becomes a unique part of you, your personality and style. To know that you are buying a product that has a life behind it, a soul, and a personality is such a gift in this era of commerce where almost everything you buy is a lifeless, mass produced good. It makes me happy to be a piece of the puzzle in bringing like-minded people, and companies together under one roof.

Visit dutzidesign.com

Whole Life Magazine

Meredith Baird — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:33:09 +0000

This month Matthew and 105degrees are featured in Whole Life Magazine.

View the Article.

The Pisco Sour

Meredith Baird — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:26:57 +0000

Every Culture has their “drink” – their signature beverage. From wine in France , to Tequila in Mexico or Vodka in Russia- wine and spirits often offer unique insight to a culture or a region’s identity. For most people Pisco falls some where in between.

You’ve probably heard of Pisco, but may or may not know where it comes from or what it is made of. Pisco is at the heart of a cultural battle of sorts. Two countries lay claim to this clear grape-based liquor, and the cocktail that it is most renown for, the Pisco Sour. These two countries are Peru and Chile. Their product is by no means identical. Chilean Pisco is slightly sweeter and of lower proof, where as Peruvian Pisco has more of a bite. This, in my opinion. makes for a better Pisco Sour.

You can find plenty of information on the two and fro as to who can actually lay claim to Pisco and the Pisco sour. But I won’t give you a research paper on the history behind this debate, because I may cause another one. I will only speak from my own experience and how, on a recent trip to Peru, I saw first-hand that Peruvians take pride in their Pisco. At first, I thought that the Pisco Sour might be a cliché, a tourist gimmick, and was a little leery of ordering it on my first lunch- but the more I looked around, the more I saw – Peruvians drink Pisco Sours before lunch, with lunch, after lunch, and with dinner. Excellent! Now, I could too- because clearly, I was not a tourist. So I did.

The Pisco Sour is a simply delicious cocktail. Not too fussy, complicated, or confusing- and it won’t knock you out before dinner. Usually served in small old-fashioned glass, it is the perfect aperitif to commence a meal. Made well, they are slightly sour, slightly sweet, and have just enough bite to get your taste buds in gear for a delicate meal of ceviche, tiraditos, and causas. The Pisco is traditionally made with a type of small Peruvian lemon that has a similar flavor to a key lime. This is also the same acid that has been historically used in making ceviche, which is why the flavors compliment each other so well. The balance of the slightly salty fish, with the sweet tang of the cocktail, and the slight creaminess that comes from the egg white to compliment the texture of the fish – it truly is pairing perfection.

And now…. I’m thirsty- so let’s make one.

1 egg white
2 ½ ounces Pisco (Peruvian)
¾ oz fresh lemon juice or key lime juice
½ oz simple syrup
Angostura Bitters

In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine egg white, Pisco, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Cover, and shake vigorously and strain into six ounce cocktail glass. Top with a splash of bitters.

Green Food and Wine

Meredith Baird — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:20:29 +0000

When you are the type of person who attempts to be an educated consumer, the world of wine poses a challenging hurdle. The amount of history and information surrounding wine is extremely complex, with hundreds and thousands of different producers and grape varietals to choose from- growing regions, climates, the list goes on. I am not going to attempt to sort through this information in such a short article. What I am going to help you understand is a bit more easily defined- although still wrought with politics and controversy. I will try to keep it as simple as possible.

What do all the labels mean and how do you know?

First of all wine is raw. Wine is made from pressing the juice out of grapes and allowing that juice to ferment with strains of yeast. The yeast eats the sugar and converts it to alcohol and CO2 yes, carbon dioxide. In most cases the carbon dioxide is released, but in the case of sparkling wine, it is trapped in the bottle and that is where the bubbles come from- Voila! Champagne, but that is a different story. If all wine is only fermented grape juice, what is vegetarian/vegan wine? Aren’t all wines by definition vegan or vegetarian? The answer is no, they are not. To remove the yeasts and particles from wines they are filtered. Most often in the filtration process a small amount of animal products are used from a variety of sources; gelatin, isinglass (fish bones), casein and egg whites are all examples of products that are used. Although it is a very small amount, if you are strictly vegan, you may want to pay attention to this fact. However, even if a wine is not labeled vegan or vegetarian- if a wine is labeled unfiltered, you have a good chance that it is animal free. Like with most agricultural products, there are basically three levels certifying the “green” factor of a wine.

Sustainable

As to whether a wine is sustainable might require you to do a little research to ascertain. Because of the rigorous process to become certified organic, many small-scale wineries do not have the money and/or resources to obtain this classification. Many small wineries farm in a way that is environmentally friendly and their owners are proud and happy to share this information with you. For this reason it makes sense to spend a few extra dollars to support a smaller venture that might not have corporate financial backing, but embraces an eco friendly ethic.

Organic

Just like with food, organic wine is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and steer away from using most conventional pesticides; petroleum-based fertilizers or harmful fertilizers; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. In order for a product to be labeled “organic,” a Government-approved certifier must inspect the vineyard to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. This process is expensive and time consuming.

Biodynamic

Biodynamic farming is perhaps the most rigorous and intense method of farming. As applied to wine, biodynamic farming principles treat the vineyard as a whole organism rather than just concern for one singular crop. Biodynamic regards the soil as the life of the vineyard (which it is) and treats it with detailed focus and attention; crop rotation, green manure, cover crops, wind protection etc. Thus biodynamic vineyards attain the most environmentally sound forms of production, and yield a very high quality crop. Traditionally more popular in France and Germany, biodynamic farming has started to gain recognition and popularity in the US.

Hopefully this helps you see that all wine is not created equally. When you are meticulously trying to put the cleanest foods in your body, you should also do so when choosing a wine. Grapes are an agricultural product that can be laden with pesticides, and farmed in a manner that is damaging to the environment. Fortunately many wineries are getting on board with the idea that how they manage their vineyard can actually be a contribution to our ecosystem instead of a detriment. Which is why supporting smaller producers is a great idea- it helps contribute to the diversification of wines instead of supporting mass produced equals. (Mondovino great film on this subject). The differences and the quirks in wines are what make them intriguing, appealing and exciting – a good thing. A wine should represent the climate, vineyard, and year it is grown in- making each bottle unique. When you support environmentally friendly wine production, you come closer to supporting quality and diversity.

Wine can be an important part of enjoying life and food. Wine can calm your spirit and bring you in the moment to sit, relax and savor a meal with friends and family- raw, vegan, vegetarian or otherwise. Choosing wine should be as pleasurable as enjoying it, not an intimidating decision that makes you question yourself or your choices.

Launching the New MKL

Matthew Kenney — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:35:28 +0000

Happy New Year to everyone! We hope 2010 brings wonderful things for all of you.

As you can see we’ve decided to redesign Matthew Kenney Lifestyle, and in doing so, added some new features and improved usability all around. Among the changes, we have organized our articles by Topic, integrated an Archive system, and provided RSS and Twitter Feeds. We have also sought to enhance your reading experience by building an stronger Tagging system, Article Search Engine and added a Related Article Function. At the base of each article, you’ll notice additional writings that you may also find useful.

One of our more exciting additions is the incorporation of Video Capability, which will better allow us to share some of the day to day experiences involved in developing and operating our company. Our work leads us to many interesting places, and our continued expansion into new areas of sustainable lifestyle provides us with the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and interesting professionals involved in the field of culinary arts.

In the coming days, we will begin to share our new articles, recipes and photos, including many from recent trips to Singapore and Peru, and an update on our expansion into new products.

As always, we continue to stand behind our commitment to provide original and compelling content that we hope you will find enjoyable and inspiring.

Thank you for visiting our site.

MKL

Glass Dharma

Meredith Baird — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:35:19 +0000

The Shop at 105 Degrees has many cool products- all distinctly thought out and sought after. To choose just one artist to mention was nearly impossible. So we decided to start with one of our favorite products, that we both sell in the shop and use in the restaurant.

The Glass Straw- by Glass Dharma. This eco friendly solution to a “plastic problem” is not only logical and cool- it happens to be aesthetically very beautiful and well designed. We chose the beautiful bended version to serve and sell- and customers are constantly impressed. (I think we are almost sold out!)

To mention the straw, we must mention the maker. We would like you to meet David Leonhardt. David brings us GlassDharma from the beautiful Mendocino coast in Northern California where he both works and lives with his wife Gail. After giving up his corporate life, David decided to “retire” to the beautiful coast to pursue a more peaceful existence. David worked as a lamp worker (glassblower) for over 10 years before deciding to change his glass blowing specialty to glass straws. David recognized the glass straw as something that is not only creative, but also incredibly useful and environmentally friendly. The goal of GlassDharma is not to focus on whether global warming is human caused or not, but to focus on ways to provide a positive impact. I bet you didn’t know that McDonalds serves an average of 52 million meals a day- if each meal only used one straw (doubtful) that would still be 52 million plastic straws a day! So even though plastic straws may seem like a minor problem in the grand scheme of things- it adds up. In a setting where re-use is an option, the glass straw is the perfect solution. And, how cool does it look to be sipping a smoothie or cocktail from a beautiful glass straw? Very. Another good reason good reason to use a glass straw? When you use a plastic straw in a hot beverage you are leaching harmful toxins into your beverage. Remember the “Don’t leave plastic water bottles in your hot car spiel?” Same thing.

Hemp Sleeves

Once we established that a glass straw is good for the environment and your health, we asked if a glass straw practical? It does sound potentially hazardous, and often the first question is, “Will it break?”

Several weeks after opening, 105 Degrees provides a sound example of the durability of these works of art. In a restaurant setting, glass inevitably breaks- between customer handling and commercial dishwashers, all glass gets a lot of rough attention. I can confidently say not a single straw has broken thus far and this is not because they haven’t been through a lot already. These straws have a lifetime guarantee.

The straw in our own Blueberry Lavender Lemonade

Cleaning? Easy. David and his company send a cleaning brush with each straw.

With heightened awareness on environmental issues, the door for new creative solutions and positive impact is wide open. It is an exciting time for art and design and the shop at 105 Degrees will continue to provide an outlet for cool people and their companies.

www.glassdharma.com

O-Ya

Matthew Kenney — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:59:36 +0000

On a recent weekend in Boston, I had the opportunity to visit O-Ya, the highly rated, 37 seat restaurant owned by Tim and Nancy Cushman. I was immediately drawn to its subtlety, quietly tucked into an old brick building on a quiet side street. Everything from their website to the elegant, but modest decor, is in line with what I had anticipated. The vegan tasting menu was beyond anything I could have imagined, and fully explained why O-YA is consistently praised by diners and the media. It was an excellent experience that I can’t wait to repeat.

Visit Website

Truffled Potato Sushi

Kyoto Style Enoki Mushrooms, Soy-Garlic Sauce

Kimchi Gunken, Ginger-Scallion Oil

Grilled Tomato, Tempura Bits, Avocado, Cucumber, Scallion, Truffl

Roasted Beet Carpaccio, Myogi-White Soy Sauce, Shiso

Tofu Tempura, Black Trumpet Mushrooms

Shiso Tempura, Grilled Tomato, Pine Nut Mayo, Daikon Sprouts

Avocado Sashimi, Micro Cilantro, Black Sesame, Shiso Buds

Daikon Dumplings, Miso-Pinenut Cheese Kimchi, Scallion Ginger Oil

Grilled Shiitake, Soy Sake Foam

Chanterelle and Shiitake Miso, Black Truffle

Coconut-Almond Gelato, Peach and Date Sugar

Live & Learn, 2009

Meredith Baird — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:00:20 +0000

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

Triple Layer Chocolate Cake

Matthew Kenney — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 04:07:49 +0000

Meredith invented the definitive chocolate cake for our upcoming book, Everyday Raw Desserts. She and her friend Simone prepared it this weekend for the birthday dinner of my partner, Dara Prentice, which was held on the patio of 105degrees.

Triple Layer Cacao Cake

Wet Ingredients

3 C Date Paste
½ C Almond Milk
½ C Maple Syrup or Agave
5 tbsp Vanilla
½ C Coconut Oil, melted

Dry Ingredients

4 C Almond flour
4 C Hazelnut flour
1 C Coconut Powder
1 C Cacao Powder
1 tsp Salt
*¼ C Irish Moss Paste can be used with wet ingredients or ¼ C flax meal with the dry.
This is optional and creates a fluffier mixture.

Wet Ingredients

In a vita mix thoroughly blend all the wet ingredients except for the coconut oil until smooth. Then add the coconut oil and continue to blend until well combined.

To Make Cake Batter

In a mixer or food processor mix the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Slowly add the wet ingredients. It is better to use a standing mixture as this will keep the mixture lighter and more fluffy, but if you do not have a standing mixer it can be done in the food processor if you lightly pulse the wet ingredients in. You do not want a dense heavily blended mixture.

Fudge Frosting

2 C soaked Cashews
2 C Almond Milk
½ Maple Syrup
4 tbsp Vanilla Extract
1 C Cacao Powder
¼ tsp Salt
¾ C Coconut Butter, melted
Cacao Shell*

Frosting

In a vita mix thoroughly blend all the wet ingredients except for the coconut oil until smooth. Then add the coconut oil and continue to blend until well combined and creamy. Place in the refrigerator for 30 min to an hour until slightly firm, but still able to be easily spread.

Assembly
Divide cake batter into thirds. Press one layer of batter in a 9 inch spring form pan and alternate with frosting. Refrigerate just before serving and glaze with Cacao shell.

Makes one 9 inch cake

Primo

Matthew Kenney — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 03:59:59 +0000

A summer meal at Primo in Rockland, Maine highlighted everything about the growing Maine food scene that I love - a passion for sustainable, local ingredients, clean but imaginative cooking and talented operators who understand their market. Honey from their own hives, Price’s excellent bread and pastries, and Melissa’s talent with some of the best products in the state – greens, herbs and flowers all grown on property add up to an incredible experience. The most recent night I was there, capenters were building an outdoor chicken coop under spotlight for the 100 laying eggs that were due to arrive the next morning. In the same way that many travel to the Costa Brava in Catalonia to experience the ethereal cuisine of Ferran Adria, others go out of their way to find Primo during their travels in the Northeast.