Earth to mouth
Living Cuisine relies on vegetables, creativity to keep it 'raw'

By Kathy Stephenson
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:03/06/2007 08:21:47 PM MST

Four years ago, Omar Abou-Ismail was working as a geophysical engineer, analyzing the Earth from the outside in.
Today - through his "raw-food" restaurant - Ismail nourishes the planet and the human body from the inside out.
"Raw food is all about eating food from nature without manipulation and fabrication," said the 27-year-old chef-owner of Living Cuisine, located at 2144 S. Highland Drive inside the Herbs for Health store.
Of course, most people eat some raw foods - salad, salsa, guacamole and pesto are some of the most obvious examples. But those who have gone "raw" take it several steps beyond that, avoiding animal products such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy products that are typically cooked before being eaten.
Instead, they consume only fresh, organic fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts and seeds that have been soaked and sprouted. The food is eaten raw, dehydrated or warmed to no more than 115 degrees. Loyalists to this unique - sometimes criticized - "living" diet, say heat destroys the beneficial enzymes, nutrients and vitamins in food. By eating food in its original state, digestion is easier.
Thousands of people all across the country - including many in Utah - have chosen this way of life. The reasons vary. Some people make the switch to lose weight, others find it increases their stamina and still others see it as the panacea for medical problems.
But those who have switched claim to have more energy, sleep better and have fewer distractions and stress during the day. They say their skin glows, their hair shines and their nails are stronger.
All that without the use of a stove and some pots and pans.
With spiral slicers, food dehydrators and heavy-duty blenders Abou-Ismail can turn fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds into familiar foods such as pasta and pizza with similar flavors and textures.
For example, Living Cuisine's menu contains an angel hair "pasta" entree, made from finely cut zucchini and topped with a creamy "alfredo" sauce created from a mixture of finely ground nuts.
There also is pizza. The crust is made from flax seeds, buckwheat and fresh apple that has been ground and then dried in a dehydrator. The crust is served with a mound of freshly chopped vegetables and "cheese," also made from nuts.
Abou-Ismail didn't always eat this way. As a child growing up in the mountainous region of Lebanon and later in Ghana, he ate all sorts of animal products.
"I used to watch my parents slaughter a goat every Sunday," he said.
While he visited the United States many times during his youth, Abou-Ismail moved here permanently when he attended the University of Utah. After graduating, he worked at the Tooele Army Depot, then in California and later in Hawaii.
It was while living on Maui that he began meditating and reading about the food industry and the mass production of meat and dairy products in the U.S. Then by chance, he was introduced to raw food and quickly became a devotee.
His resolve to eat better was solidified when he learned his father had bladder cancer. Abou-Ismail quit his job and returned to Utah to help his mother, Jinan - the chef at Mazza - and his siblings care for his ailing father, who died in late 2004.
After his father's death, Abou-Ismail knew that he couldn't return to a job in geophysics. He convinced his brother-in-law to loan him $3,000 to start a restaurant.
"I wanted people to be aware that they could get complete nutrition from plant life," he said.
Abou-Ismail then cajoled Devin Anderson, owner of the Herbs for Health in Sugar House, to lease him the back portion of Anderson's store.
In July 2005, he opened his 20-seat Living Cuisine restaurant, Utah's first raw food bar.
Besides fresh, quality ingredients - purchased locally whenever possible - Abou-Ismail puts a lot of "love" into the food he serves. Some dishes take days of preparation because of the sprouting and drying required. He chops all the vegetables by hand and assembles every dish, which he usually serves on a heart-shaped plate.
"It's like bathing your organs in sunlight from the inside out," he said.
That kind of dedication is the only advertisement Abou-Ismail has needed to grow his business.
"Once they come in and try the food, they always come back," said employee Wilhelmina Sears. "They almost become addicted to raw food because it tastes so good."
John Sroka, of South Jordan, is one of the many regulars at Living Cuisine. He was diagnosed with m yasthenia gravis, a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease that causes weakness, often in the muscles that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, chewing, talking and swallowing.
"Eating raw foods is the only thing that I've found that helps me with that," said Sroka, as he dined on a falafel salad recently. Sroka said for several months he ate an entirely raw diet.
"It seems like a strange thing," he said. "But it's cleansing, energizing and a great way to lose weight because you can eat as much as you want."
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* KATHY STEPHENSON can be contacted at kathys@sltrib.com or 801-257-8612. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.

Blissed be, Annie *earthhug*

Great article! Thanks for posting.

i luved this story
thank you

I love Living Cuisine, and I love Omar, and I love that you posted this!