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

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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

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The Academy

Ladan Raissi, Academy Director

The Cafe

JD Arnold and Mackenzie Cobb, Cafe Managers

The Kitchen

Geoffrey van Glabbeek, Chef de Cuisine

Don Cashion, Sous Chef

Kelly Dennis, Pastry Chef

The Shop

Meredith Baird, product forager (and much more)

The Company

Dara Prentice, Founder

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2. Live & Learn, 2009
3. Meet: Ariane Dutzi

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

Related posts:

1. The 105degrees People
2. Meet: Ariane Dutzi
3. Live & Learn, 2009