…featuring some Q & A with New York City based raw food chef, author, traveler, and entreprenuer, Matthew Kenney.

Imagine this.  You’ve just worked your tail off at the gym or your weekly hot yoga class.  You’re starving, you don’t have the energy to make something at home, but you want to reward your body with only the most pristinely nutritious and delicious, satisfying, something. And you’d like to get it fast.

You could be one that’s all about the popular and fast growing raw and organic foods movement.  Or maybe this isn’t necessarily you, but you’re interested in eating healthier and being more conscious of what goes into your body.  So where do you find this kind of innovative and inspirational food that’s accessible in Central FL, outside of say, Whole Foods?  How much can really be done with raw fruits and vegetables, anyway?

Alas, Café 118, the latest project of Matthew Kenney Cuisine, has opened its doors in upscale Winter Park, just a few steps off the very popular and pedestrian Park Avenue.  Originally slated for a summer debut, I thought I was going to chew my arm off in anticipation!

Not knowing what to expect behind the windows that have been paper-lined for months, merely being teased by the sign that stands in the forefront along narrow little Morse Blvd., my husband and I parked the car and scurried across the street.  Okay, as anxious as I was to be there, I can’t lie.  Much of that haste was to seek shelter from the 30-something degree wind chill!  There was no time for loitering around taking surveys.

The ambiance of the café is modest, minimal, and clean, connoting what you’re about to be served.  But Kenney’s culinary style is a bit more ethnically complex and sophisticated, reflective of the rhythmic and trancy world music tracks that fill its petite space.  There’s outside patio seating that I totally look forward to when Florida warms past this biting cold snap.

“Summer Rolls” from Matthew Kenney’s book, Everyday Raw. “Crispy Vegetable Summer Rolls” are a similar offering at Café 118.

At first glance, the menu also seems minimal and modest, if you’re used to that standard restaurant menu format:  appetizers, salads, entrées, desserts.  But as holds true with the raw food lifestyle - throw out all of those ideas of conventional dining and what you expect to be (or not be) in your food.  Raw food is incredibly hearty, and no ingredient is included in vain.

Café 118 says it best, describing just what it means to eat Raw Organics:

“Raw organics are food that are highly nutritious, free of animal bi-products, chemicals, preservatives, and processed sugars.  These foods are heated below 118 degrees in order to preserve their rich vitamins, enzymes, and minerals - helping digestibility, bioavailability, and speedy cell reconstruction.

The most beneficial characteristics of eating Raw Organics are they are mostly alkaline forming and fortified with enzymes.  The enzymes quickly facilitate quick and easy digestion, while the chlorophyll content in raw food help cleanse and balance your body’s pH levels.

At Café 118, we harness seasonally fresh, raw organic ingredients to satisfy your wellness.  Our entrées not only offer food in its simplest, most natural state, but explode with nutrients and flavor which will charge your body, strengthen your immune system, and leave you feeling invigorated, engaged, and energized.”

“Potato Salad” from Everyday Raw.  A similar potato salad is served as a side to the “Portobello Steak” at the café.

You can choose to “Replenish”,  from a luscious array of live juices, blended concoctions, and dairy-free shakes that are made with home-made nut milks.  Need some simple hydration?  A cold glass of coconut water ($4) or Green Tea Lemonade ($4) does the trick.  Get your fruits and veggies in one glass with a Venus Verde ($7), a blend of young coconut, pineapple, kale, agave, and basil.  Want the perfect alternative to a typical sugar-laden, dairy based fruit smoothie?  I can personally attest that The Tropical Mint ($7) is just heavenly (photo of a similar shake is shown below).  Whatever you choose, you can also do the juice bar add-on for ($1) - only the finest supplements, of course:  goji berries, maca, cacao, coconut butter, açai, or hemp protein.

Okay, so you’re starving and a shake just won’t cut it.  “Nourish” with the café’s selection of living entrées and salads - and generous portions, too.  We shared Shiitake Mushroom Lasagna ($18) and it was…out of this world.  As was the Arugula Salad with Avocado ($12) laced with hemp seeds, sundried tomatoes, and pignoli parmesan.  Frequently peeking at the couple’s table dining next to us, we caught glimpses of the Crispy Summer Vegetable Rolls ($13), Spinach and Beet Ravioli ($17), and Chile Rellenos ($15), all looking divine and as if they’ve just jumped out of the pages of a Matthew Kenney book.

Eating in the raw most definitely does not mean deprivation, especially when it comes to dessert.  In fact, raw cuisine presents some of the most richest, most decadent treats on earth. Best of all, there’s no compromising health or diet.  Forget fat and calorie counting!  The “Indulge” section of the menu leaves no void for a screaming sweet tooth.  Try the Dark Chocolate Pudding Cake ($8), Mango Cheesecake ($8), or Pumpkin Tart ($8).  Ever tried raw ice cream?  Now’s your chance.  Choose from cacoa mint chip, banana almond butter cup, coconut macaroon, or cinnamon maple crunch.  We were completely speechless with our selection, if only for 60 seconds, because that’s how fast we devoured the Smores ($8).  Yes, it is good, and it is true. Have your cake and eat it, really eat it.

Now that I’ve given you a tasting of the fabulous menu that’s making my stomach holler as I type, it’s my intention to try every single item.  Everything is available for take-away, and there’s also some signature cafe snacks available, like Hemp Granola Bars, Cacao Truffles, and Red Chili Tortilla Chips.  See Café 118′s full menu.

After my dining experience, I was able to catch up with Matthew and ask him a few questions about Café 118, and its unique value to Orlando’s reputed chain-dominated restaurant scene.

JK:  I understand Café 118 is a franchise concept.  How do you find and train the proprietors and their staff to serve the delicious raw dishes that you’ve designed?  Or should I ask, how do they find you?

MK: The franchise aspect of the concept will follow the launch and refinement of the concept, menu and operational processes.  Beginning a franchise is almost like building a second business, as it requires a great deal of standardization, far more than what might be necessary for a single unit.  I’m sure that it will be a challenge, but ultimately, we plan to develop operating methods that will be possible for others to assume, after a thorough training period.

JK:  Orlando is a city known for its chain and corporate restaurant dominance, and Orlandoans tend to be a pretty conservative, fickle bunch when it comes to dining out.  What made you choose this “meat and potatoes” town to make a raw food mark?

MK: Despite the “meat and potatoes” stigma, there is an enormous (and growing) vegetarian community in Central Florida, as well as a large population of people who are devoted to health and fitness.  Café 118 is designed as a concept that, although adhering to a vegan set of guidelines, still serves food that is decedant and full-flavored.  Also, while there are far more omnivores here than vegetarians, there are also many steak and mainstream restaurants.  We hope that fulfilling a niche in this market will prove to be a good choice.

JK:  How would you like get the raw food word out in Central FL, and particularly, that Cafe 118 is not just a bunch of lettuce or smoothies branded as “health food”?

MK: The best way for someone to hear about us would be to learn that we serve great food - not just because we are vegan or raw, but simply because of its freshness and vibrancy.  Many people have tried raw ice cream and liked it more than traditional ice cream. The goal is to achieve that with all of our dishes.  The powerful flavor of raw food is what converted me from being a traditional chef, perhaps it will have a similar effect on others!

Café 118 is located at 153 East Morse Blvd. in Winter Park, FL (view map).

<3, JMK

Matthew Kenney is the author of Mediterranean Cooking, Chronicle Books (1997); Big CIty Cooking, Chronicle Books (2003); Raw Food Real World (with co-author Sarma Melngailis), Regan Books (2005); and Everyday Raw, Gibbs-Smith Publisher (2008).  A special thank you to Matthew for his time and photo courtesy. Please see matthewkenneycuisine.com for more information on his projects and future book releases.

Filed under: Chefs that Rock, Fab Restaurants, Orlando