Every so often, an exciting project appears and has the opportunity to bring a new dimension to its genre. Dara Prentice and Mandy Canistelle formed a vision for 105degrees that is the first of its kind, not only in Oklahoma City, but in the world. Born out of their passion for raw and living cuisine, the idea was to develop a forward thinking raw cafŽ, living foods culinary academy and retail boutique, all housed in one location. I am grateful to be a member of their team and to be involved in a project of such scale and creativity. There are many who have made this incredible project possible, including the talented architect, David Kraszewski. Mandy is a chef and living foods teacher, with a large following in Oklahoma City. I recently attended one of her classes and was extremely impressed with her meticulous attention to detail and teaching skills. Dara is an attorney with extensive experience in a number of areas, now business owner, and is bringing her impeccible skills to the management of a multitude of large details that are required to bring such a venue to life.

105degrees has 3 major components, all working in sync with one another. The Cafe at 105degrees will be designed around a completely modern open kitchen. Designed with sustainability in mind, it will have a 15 seat bar, 65 seat dining room and approximately 30 seats on its patio. The academy, one of our most distinguishing aspects, will offer two professional courses, Fundamentals of Raw Cuisine and Advanced Raw Cuisine, running for 1 and 3 months, respectively. The academy will also offer numerous courses for the community and visitors. The Shop at 105degrees will be both an e-commerce business as well as a store within our "glass box", which will be located between the cafe and academy. The shop will feature our unique brand of retail items, packaged foods, supplies for the home and many more unique sustainable and organic products.

105degrees will address raw food preparation from a classical perspective, building on a number of bases, sauces and techniques that run parallel to French culinary methods. Our menu will be modern, globally influenced and cutting edge, and will change in its entirety on a seasonal basis. As I work on the menu with Mandy now, our goal is to develop raw cuisine at a new level, with an emphasis on lightening dishes without compromising full flavor and richness.

All of the components of 105degrees will launch in September, just a month after we complete construction and training. Our first "Fundamentals" class will be taught in the fall, and "Advanced", open to all graduates of Fundamentals, will begin in January 2010.

105degrees will be located in a new development, Classen Curve, which is owned by Chesapeake Energy. I look forward to sharing many more details of 105degrees in the very near future.

www.105degrees.com