Interview with Get Fresh Magazine and Cherie Soria

Cherie Soria is the author of Angel Foods and the founder and director of the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute. Known to many as "the mother of gourmet raw cuisine", Cherie travels widely teaching and catering.

Where do you come from and where are you based now?
I was born in southern California in the city of Santa Barbara and now live in Fort Bragg, on the Mendocino coast in northern California, near San Francisco.

How many times have you circled the sun?
58 glorious rotations.

What was your culinary background before you were introduced to the concept of raw food eating?
I won my first cooking contest at age 12 and starting teaching gourmet vegetarian cuisine at 24. I started teaching the art of gourmet raw vegan cuisine in 1992 after learning about the healing power of raw foods from Dr Ann Wigmore and developing delicious recipes that would enable people to stay on the raw-food diet.

How did you become interested in raw foods?
I started reading health-oriented books in the early 1970s and devoured books by all the early advocates of raw and living foods. I went to Puerto Rico to study with Dr Ann Wigmore after reading about her clinic and how she was healing people with raw food. At that time, there wasn't anyone I knew of who was making 'gourmet' raw foods. I was a gourmet vegetarian chef, so I applied my skills and creativity to develop gourmet raw culinary arts.

How long have you been a raw food eater?
I have enjoyed raw foods all my life and made it my primary diet around 1990.

Do you eat a high raw or an all-raw diet?
I eat all raw most of the time, with a little cooked food now and then. I feel best when I eat all raw, yet I also enjoy going out and eating a cooked meal with friends.

What would you typically eat on any given day?
I start my day with wheatgrass juice, then a quart of fresh fruit smoothie or copious amounts of fresh ripe organic fruit. I typically have a kale soup and a quart of green juice during the day and for dinner I enjoy a giant green salad with avocado. I make a raw nutrient bar that has a variety of seeds and nuts, seaweeds and natural sweeteners. This satisfies my sweet tooth and provides the nutrients that I don't get from my daily diet. I eat one or two every day.

Could you please describe for Get Fresh! readers your path to becoming a raw food chef?
At an early age, I recognised the connection between health and the foods we eat and I focused on making healthy foods taste delicious. I enjoy satisfying people on a sensory level - knowing that they are becoming healthier while they are eating food they love! I am completely self-taught, although if there had been a school like Living Light around I certainly would have taken that route.

What inspires you about preparing and eating raw food dishes?
I like to eat foods that provide optimal health and vitality because I am very active and like feeling my best all day long. I also delight in creating foods that satisfy others emotionally and spiritually, as well as physically. I love nurturing and pleasing people.

Is there a secret to creating truly delicious raw meals and if so, what is it?
The most important ingredient is love. After that, starting with the freshest, ripest, organic ingredients; then texture, appearance and, finally, flavour. I tend to make foods that are classic because people appreciate familiarity.

What do you think is the best meal and/or recipe you've ever created and why?
I could answer that differently every time I am asked because I am always coming up with new ideas/recipes. My favourite right now is Corn Cakes atop Braised Greens. Last year it was Fresh Corn Tortillas and Enchiladas with Chilli Colorado. The year before it was Chocolate Decadence and Turtle Truffles. I think one of my greatest contributions is raw nut cheeses, which I developed in 1992. They allowed me to make raw lasagne, cheesecake and other foods that were unheard of at that time and are so important to gourmet cuisine.

It appears from your book Angel Foods that you have a strong spiritual connection. How does this influence your work?
I see myself as a spiritual being residing in a physical body and I endeavour to bring love and acceptance to everything I do and everyone I meet. My father taught me to live by the golden rule of: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." This affects everything I do and all the conscious and unconscious choices I make.

Are you involved in other lines of work apart from practising and teaching raw culinary arts?
I have been 100% devoted to developing and teaching raw culinary arts for nearly 15 years and there is no time for any other work. I typically work 12 to 14 hours a day. In also find time for exercise and enjoy the beautiful Mendocino coast where I live. My partner, Dan Ladermann, brings balance to my life because we work together and I am able to combine my personal life and my professional life.

In 1996 you founded the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute (LLCAI). What inspired you to do so?
When I was with Dr Ann Wigmore, she told me that I would be a 'beacon of light for her teachings'. That motivated me to start teaching others this new culinary art I was developing. When I met Viktoras Kulvinskas two years later and he tasted my food, he encouraged me to start teaching chefs in 4-star restaurants. He felt strongly that the world should experience the cuisine I was creating and that chefs in top restaurants needed to learn about it so they could offer it to their clientele. A couple of weeks later, I met an inspiring woman, Dr Janedare Winston, and she told me that I needed to teach teachers so there would be an 'army of raw culinary arts teachers' around the world. These were the three people that motivated me to start a culinary school.

What are the Institute's goals and what does it offer to students?
Our goal is to empower people by first accepting them wherever they are on their journey. We support their transition by showing them how delicious and satisfying a raw-food diet can be and teaching them everything they need to know to prepare the foods themselves. We also teach them how to make foods look beautiful. One of the most important things we instil in our students is the pursuit of excellence.

What changes have you witnessed in your own life as a result of going raw (e.g. physical, spiritual, psychological, social, etc.)?
I have a deep sense that I have made a difference in the world as a result of the work I am doing. This provides a strong foundation for me, which allows me the privilege of acting from a place of 'no fear'. I know if I die tomorrow, my life will have had value.

If you had to select a few high points of your raw life so far, what would you choose?
I earned a black belt in karate, which took a tremendous amount of passion and discipline and helped shape my life. I have received numerous awards for my work in the raw culinary movement but I must say that my devotion to teaching vegetarian foods for 30 years is at the top of my list. That has saved the lives of countless innocent animals - and that dwarfs anything else I can think of in terms of my accomplishments. It is also very gratifying to know that I have personally certified over 400 raw food instructors, many of whom are now living their passion, teaching and influencing others to save even more human and animal lives.

What kinds of experiences do you most try to evoke through your work and food? What do you see as being your raison d'être?
My mission is to inspire, motivate and empower others to live more consciously and to love themselves more. When the pressure of right and wrong (about food) is removed, many people blossom and make good conscious choices about what really serves them. I provide space for students to be educated without judgement. Students report that the most valuable thing they receive from us is the sense of their own power as leaders and pioneers. They travel from all parts of the world to become accomplished raw food chefs and receive this amazing gift that empowers them to create a fuller life. That really excites me!

Could you please tell Get Fresh! readers about the new Living Light Centre?
The new Living Light Centre is situated on the spectacular Mendocino coast in northern California. I have lived here for nearly a decade and I absolutely love it. We are located in a beautiful historic redwood building in the downtown area. Everything, including housing, theatres, galleries and yoga, is located a short walk from the centre. The school is upstairs and the deli, store and administration offices are downstairs. The three brand-new commercial kitchens located in the complex are 100% vegan and are designed to serve those who want to learn to prepare great tasting raw foods from basic to gourmet.

If you were to give one piece of advice to raw foodists or aspiring raw foodists, what would it be?
Learn to listen to your body - it has all the answers.

Is there anything you would like to add to this interview?
I would simply like to encourage everyone to take the time to learn how to make healthful meals delicious. It is the best guarantee that you will stay on the path to health and vitality.


This is an abridged version of an article which appeared in the Autumn 2005 issue of Get Fresh! magazine.

For more information about Cherie Soria and the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute see www.RawFoodChef.com

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