Chef Rita Romano's Raw-Vegan Vegetarian Dinner Club, Lake Worth, Fla.

Raw-vegan vegetarian food, called living-food, is more manipulated than cooked. Chef Rita Romano hosts a private raw-vegan vegetarian food dinner club each month at her Lake Worth, Florida, Institute for Culinary Regeneration. There she manipulates raw, uncooked, vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, and legumes into gourmet dishes.

It's Italian night at Chef Rita Romano's raw-vegan vegetarian
private dinner club, Lake Worth, Fla.

Last month it was an Italian themed dinner. Forty or so friends and guests gathered to talk about why they had just switched to the raw-vegan vegetarian lifestyle or why they had been living this lifestyle for some time.

Many guests were former Hippocrates Health Institute employees and/or patients. Some were veg-curious, attending their first raw-vegan vegetarian meal. All were hungry to see what Chef Romano had created for their $40 per person reservation.

Sprouted raw-vegan vegetarian salad, Chef Rita Romano's
private raw-vegan vegetarian dinner club, Lake Worth, Fla.

What followed was a typical American style meal with appetizers, a choice of soup or many salads, a choice of main dishes, bread items, and dessert. Most of the vegetable ingredients were sourced from QV Farms in Loxahatchee, Florida.

Raw-vegan vegetarian Macadamia nut pesto slathered
tomato appetizer, Chef Rita Romano's private
raw-vegan vegetarian dinner club, Lake Worth, Fla.
Copyright 2013 by Helen A Lockey

For the appetizers there were melt-in-your-mouth macadamia nut pesto slathered tomatoes, and spinach stuffed dehydrated mushroom caps.

Raw-vegan vegetarian zucchini marinara pasta dish, Chef
Rita Romano's private raw-vegan vegetarian dinner
club, Lake Worth, Fla.

There were serveral main course choices including a pasta dish made with long strands of zucchini spagetti topped with a spicy, fresh tomato sauce.

Raw-vegan vegetarian pizza, Chef Rita Romano's
private raw-vegan vegetarian dinner club, Lake Worth, Fla.
Copyright 2013 by Helen A Lockey

For guests craving bread-like items, there was a choice of crackers or pizza. Raw-vegan vegetarian cooks, sometimes use dehydrators, which heats ingredients from 104 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit, to make more complex items like pizza crust or crackers.

Tiramisu made the raw-vegan vegetarian way, Chef Rita
Romano's private raw-vegan vegetarian dinner club,
Lake Worth, Fla.
Copyright 2013 by Helen A Lockey

And then dessert arrived. Chef Romano served a semi-raw vegan vegetarian tiramisu made with maple syrup, coconut oil, fresh coconut, and an espresso soaked almond pulp crust. A drizzle of raw-strawberry puree sauce and fresh berries completed this delicious dish.

These are just a few of the dishes prepared at the dinner. If you want to experience this raw-vegan vegetarian dinner club food for yourself, contact Chef Romano at 561-324-5794 or go to her website http://www.rawkitchen.com/