A day with Vegan Iron Chef SF 2013 - Lisa Books-Williams [with short video]

    

A woman transformed!

As you know, I am currently in San Francisco working on some interesting projects and finding out what is new and exciting in the vegan world.  I covered the 2013 Vegan Iron Chef and was so inspired by the winning menu. It  consisted of some very innovative and enticing looking raw food (food not heated above degrees to ensure optimum nutrition and vitality) dishes.  

Lisa Books-Williams was the chef behind the raw menu.  Her humble and sweet nature had me thinking how great it would be to meet her.  Well, wishes certainly do come true! Lisa saw my blog post of the event and contacted me, to invite me to a special presentation dinner of her winning menu.  I was pinching myself at my good luck and fortune!

A week later I went along to meet Lisa in Alameda, a pretty island town, just a nub of a place really, spitting distance from mainland Oakland.  The sun was shining and warming my bones as I rode my bike to an awesome location. A house sitting by the waterside.  

Happily,  I found Lisa just as warm and magnetic in real life.  She was a hive of activity in the kitchen, letting us in on her cooking secrets and enthusing about plant-based living.  She is a living testament to a high raw diet. Currently, her diet is based about 40-50% raw, on average. However, her diet tends to change a little with the seasons.  When it is cold she eats more cooked, and when it is hot she tends towards a higher raw diet. 

Lisa used adopted a plant-based diet in 2005 in a effort to regain control over her health.  The vegan diet help her drop a whopping 100 lbs.  She is still loosing lbs and reaching her optimum weight goal, not through dramatic dieting but buy a change in attitude and lifestyle. Her vitality is evident to all.  The results she was getting in reaching her ideal weight, gaining control over her life, and the new and exciting foods she was eating, spurred Lisa on to share her love of this lifestyle with others.  She gained her chef certification with Greenivore and her passion helped her win Best of Raw in NYC in 2010

When she is not winning Vegan Iron Chef, Lisa runs a successful event and private catering business Thrive Holistic.  In addition she regularly runs plant-based nutrition classes for Kaiser Permanente in Redwood City.  Her therapeutic vegan cooking classes are also taught in local hospitals and to persons with disabilities in institutionalised care facilities.  As well as a some local classes in Pleasanton.  When does this girl stop for breath!

It is her desire to show, not just women how want to get fit, be happier, have more clarity and energy but everyone, to see how a plant-based diet is sustainable and joyful in every way.

Since winning Vegan Iron Chef SF she has been inundated with offers, and she has lots of projects in the proverbial pipeline. She has even been asked to go to China to present at the World Congress on Health and Nutrition in October 2013. She is also hoping to take her expertise to Europe and offer her classes on a special tour. 

If you want the chance to sample her award winning menu she is hosting her Vegan Iron Chef Dinner in Alameda on 4/28.  Contact Lisa@ThriveHolistic.com and book your place.  Spaces are limited.

Lisa is also presenting at Berkeley Vegan Earth Day this weekend. - 4/20

Below is a snippet of the day.  I hope you enjoy the video.

Raw Food In San Francisco - Judahlicious - Review with photos

When ever I return to San Francisco, I make sure I bike through Golden Gate Park, stop and watch the sea, then cycle on to Judahlicious, located way out in the boondocks..well, Outer Sunset but it feels like another world.  It's a great ride though, and works up an appetite.  With the closing of Cafe Gratitude in 2012 in the city, it made a trip here even more important for me to get my raw food fix.

This place has had bad reviews in the past on Yelp.  But don't let that stop you. Times have moved on and I've always found it a worthwhile destination.  The staff have always been friendly and the food is delicious, lovingly presented and prepared nice and fast.  


They have 6 raw food and 6 cooked vegan dishes, lots of smoothies and juices and desserts and even a filling acai bowl.
The seating could do with a feng shui consultant.  I'd prefer small tables rather than the two rather awkwardly placed benches but this is a little critiscim.  I was super happy to see lots of school kids queuing up for green juices.  Bodes well for our future generations health!

So, what did we eat?…

Sherpa Sandwich
Served open-faced on our house-made raw bread. Hemp Pesto, Fresh Vegetables, Pineapple, Avocado, and Marinated Kale. Drizzled with a Cashew Curry “Cream” sauce and Gogi sauce and topped with Vegan Parmesan (contains walnuts). 

The raw bread was the best I have ever tasted.  The texture was unlike any other I tried and was almost cakey.  The flavours combinations were interesting, and really worked well together. 

Soup Mahendra 

 Cauliflower, Green Lentils, Russet Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, and a Spice Medley. Topped with Marinated Kale and Vegan Parmesan (contains walnuts).

Cannot fault it.  Perfect.  Warming.  Homey.

Dark Side of the Shroom 

A tamari-marinated portabella mushroom topped with fresh Zucchini, Kale, Cauliflower, Bell pepper, Onion, Sunflower Seeds, Sprouts, and Pineapple. Drizzled with our Cashew “Cream” sauce and Avocado Cheese sauce.   My friend ordered this.  I'd give it 6 out of 10.  I don't think the mushroom was marinated enough and it lacked flavour somewhat.

RAW vegan cupcakes.  Fresh Coconut meat, cashews, sweet stuff, super foods.  I was in heaven!  I made myself take absolutely ages (well, it felt like ages) to eat/enjoy.  It melted on my tongue, and I swear I didn't stop smiling the whole time I was consuming it!  The silver case was flattened and I scraped it clean!

Raw Carrot Cake - my friend's dessert of choice.  Though good, thick with cashew nut cream topping, and a generous wedge of nut 'cake' with grated carrot (of course), and lovely warm cinnamon spices.  However, it paled in comparison to my beautiful, swirly cupcake. I admit to being a little bit smug that I'd picked the best food.  I know…so childish!





Judahlicious

3906 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122




3906 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Memorable Millennium San Francisco

Finally...after umpteen visits to San Francisco I scrape my dollars together and ate at the much trumpeted Millennium.  Inside this totally vegan mecca, the lights are dim, the atmosphere sedate, and the lighting poor.  Hence, the pictures do not portray the food in its best light.

I had spent many a minute reading the hundreds of Yelp reviews.  The majority stand together and wave a green V for the famous San Franciscan restaurant, set in a hotel in a rather seedy side of town.  Yelp reviews need to be taken in the context at which the are written because a) you do not know where the reviewers have dined before b) if they are in good company c) what mood they are in d) whether they chose from the menu well...e) f)..etc.....so many factors maketh a meal.  This night I was in very good company, I'd also dined at many a good vegan restaurant before and I was in a cheery mood.

This was my opinion of Millennium on this one visit.

fingers poised on the highly polished cutlery in anticipation!

first we were brought an amuse bouche.   lightly herbed sage and white bean pate.  buttery and delicate



 The really friendly (and patient) waitress helped me to whittle down my selections, but I still squirmed in my seat even when I'd narrowed things down.  My friend and I opted for the Crusted Oyster Mushrooms. Dusted in rice flour and coriander seed and served with a pot of kumquat-ginger-chili jam.  They were deep fried darlings, piled up on a plate.  The jam was tart, citrus and sweet.  Then, guess what happened?...you'll never guess.  The waitress placed on our table a sampling of the other starter I spent minutes in angst over and had thought I'd left to the halls of 'the one that never was'.  'I thought you should try it' she said, as angels danced over her head.  So starter #2 was Nopales, King Trumpet Mushroom Ceviche.  grapefruit, radish, carrot, avocado and endive with crisp nuggets of hominy (white floury corn) glistening with a toasted lime, oregano and garlic vinaigrette.  It was good.  For me, the hominy stole the show.

Pictured above was my friends entree (the entree I wish I'd ordered).  Green tea & ginger edamame cakes.  They were very good.  Full of dense flavour.  Dressed with a Korean chili-fermented black garlic sauce that was rich and flavoursome.

My pumpkin seed picadillo tamale.  It was good but not rocking.  The chocolate chili emulsion was good but I thought it could of been more punchy.  The tamale was fluffy and tasty but, for me not fabulous.

Our 'non-alcoholic libations' were giggle making.  They were phenomenal.  We both had the ethereal named 'Snowbird'.  It truly dazzled!  Citrusy, coconut nectar softened with lime juice to impart a gleeful zing.  I would happily return, just to sip this out of a fragile martini glass, and hum a happy tune whilst relaxing at the bar.

The dessert was an easy decision -
Terrinelayered hazelnut bark, coffee bean cream & chocolate ganache, salted caramel,
marshmallow cream, maple hazelnuts.

??!!  L and I were speechless!  We both were.  It was a rich, dense mousse with the perfect balance of coffee and hazelnut flavours.  The marshmallow was unusual, with a silkiness that melted slowly on my tongue. Put all this together with a salty, crunchy hazelnut, oh my,  a sweet confection heaven. It was a showstopper!  A Marilyn Munroe or Moulin Rouge of desserts!
There is no doubt about it, chef Eric Tucker and Stephanie Roston, together with pastry chef Emmy Miller are vegan gourmet wizards.  I will definitely return.  My meal was right up there with the best of my best restaurants so far. I took my time and savoured over every single morsel.  The experience was entertainment in itself and not just a refuelling.  All of the staff were extremely attentive and friendly.  Faultless.

Millennium is affiliated with Joie De Vivre Hospitality, an organisation that gives under-privileged adults education and training to develop the skill-set to find employment in the food and beverage industry.  More vegan chefs...I say bring it on!