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Posted by: Matthew
Tulsa World
By Cary Aspinwall
Sun pours in through the cascade of glass surrounding Matthew Kenney OKC in Oklahoma City, and the kitchen smells of fresh herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables.
A cook slices vibrant gold beets paper thin and seasons them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Others prepare eggplant chips, sesame seed crackers and crack fresh coconuts. A carton of Medjool dates is hauled to the juice bar, where a stack of fresh pineapples sits next to a bottle of agave syrup.
The kitchen at the restaurant a few blocks northeast of Penn Square Mall is hustling, bustling — but no one is searing, sauteeing, frying or grilling anything.
Nothing is heated far above 105 degrees, because devotees of raw cuisine say it reduces the health benefits and nutrients of food.
They sprout, dehydrate, puree and soak. Those seasoned beets will be “cooked” in a thermal emulsion circulator at a very low temperature. The hottest thing in their kitchen is the commercial dishwasher.
The usual suspects on restaurant menus in Oklahoma — chicken, fries, steaks, chicken-fried steaks — are not here.
Matthew Kenney Cuisine is a raw, vegan restaurant in the middle of cattle country, and on a Thursday afternoon when other restaurants are mostly empty — it’s hopping.
Which answers the question that its director, well-known raw cuisine chef Matthew Kenney, had to answer for months when he decided to open Matthew Kenney OKC.
“Oklahoma?”
The Waving Wheatgrass
Cynthia Beavers made a name for herself by shipping her eye-catching raw vegan cuisine all over the country.
“We have customers in New York and California and everywhere in between,” she said.
And her Pure Cafe, 3711 S. Harvard Ave., is scheduled to open its dining room to Tulsa on Oct. 23.
Her restaurant has been in the planning stages for a while, but Tulsa wasn’t somewhere she ever thought her business would thrive.
“When I started, I really didn’t think Tulsa was the place,” she said.
Beavers started eating raw food in 1998, when she was working as a real estate agent in Dallas. She’s always been into health food, but she started hosting raw food potlucks and it led to her career as a raw food chef. She moved home to Tulsa to be near family and realized she could ship her meals all over from Oklahoma.
“What I found out when I moved here is that there is a huge group of local people interested in raw food and healthy eating,” she said. “And raw food is the purest, healthiest food you can put in your body.”
Restaurants can make the cuisine more accessible to diners because the work is done for them.
“You can do it at home, it’s just time consuming. It takes 24 hours to make a pizza crust in the dehydrator,” she said. “All of us want to be healthier, but we lead busy lives. And it’s just so easy to pick up a pizza on the way home.”
But her sprouted crust pizza is much healthier — full of vitamins and minerals, not grease and cholesterol, she said.
“If you put the right food in your body it will do exactly what it needs to do,” she said.
Having two raw cuisine restaurants opening this fall may be a sign that the state’s diet is headed in a healthier direction, she said.
“Oklahoma is going to be the leading raw food capital of the United States.”
Kenney is the chef behind some of New York’s hippest restaurants of the past decade, was one of Food and Wine’s “Ten Best New Chefs” and a two-time James Beard nominee — but had never been to Oklahoma when Dara Prentice approached him with the idea for a raw restaurant in her hometown.
Prentice, an Oklahoma City lawyer who started eating an all-raw diet about three years ago, said Matthew Kenney OKC is the marriage of her lifelong interest in good health with a love of the recreation of creating food.
“At first, it took a lot of explaining what truly is a basic concept — but it’s foreign to a lot of people in our current food environment,” Prentice said.
Meaning, at either end of the Turner Turnpike at the same time she was opening her restaurant, Oklahomans were gearing up to gorge on fried cheese curds, corn dogs and turkey legs at both state fairs.
But that didn’t stop her from cold-calling Kenney at one of his restaurants in Florida to ask if he’d work with her on plans for a raw restaurant, school and store in Oklahoma.
“You’re from Idaho?’” said the hostess who answered Prentice’s phone call.
She eventually sold Kenney on the idea, and now they’re selling Oklahoma City diners on Kenney’s gourmet raw fare, such as red sweet pepper wrappers filled with Sicilian almond puree, avocado and basil; portobello mushroom piccata and creamy mashed potatoes.
“The locals, our patrons, have embraced us as beacons of light and health,” Prentice said. “Even the skeptics — the meat and potato guys — have told us it’s one of the most flavorful, delicious meals they’ve eaten.”
The restaurant attracted several talented chefs to work in its kitchen, including chef de cuisine Geoffrey van Glabbeek, a veteran of Tulsa favorites such as Biga, Bodean, Stonehorse Café, the Palace Cafe and Lava Noshery (Tulsa World’s pick for “Best New Restaurant” in 2007, which has since closed).
The biggest misconception? That eating raw is a monk-like existence of deprivation and denial.
“It’s actually very rich, decadent, fulfilling and beautiful food,” Kenney said.
Posted by: Matthew
The Shop at 105 Degrees has many cool products- all distinctly thought out and sought after. To choose just one artist to mention was nearly impossible. So we decided to start with one of our favorite products, that we both sell in the shop and use in the restaurant.
The Glass Straw- by Glass Dharma. This eco friendly solution to a “plastic problem” is not only logical and cool- it happens to be aesthetically very beautiful and well designed. We chose the beautiful bended version to serve and sell- and customers are constantly impressed. (I think we are almost sold out!)
To mention the straw, we must mention the maker. We would like you to meet David Leonhardt. David brings us GlassDharma from the beautiful Mendocino coast in Northern California where he both works and lives with his wife Gail. After giving up his corporate life, David decided to “retire” to the beautiful coast to pursue a more peaceful existence. David worked as a lamp worker (glassblower) for over 10 years before deciding to change his glass blowing specialty to glass straws. David recognized 
the glass straw as something that is not only creative, but also incredibly useful and environmentally friendly. The goal of GlassDharma is not to focus on whether global warming is human caused or not, but to focus on ways to provide a positive impact. I bet you didn’t know that McDonalds serves an average of 52 million meals a day- if each meal only used one straw (doubtful) that would still be 52 million plastic straws a day! So even though plastic straws may seem like a minor problem in the grand scheme of things- it adds up. In a setting where re-use is an option, the glass straw is the perfect solution. And, how cool does it look to be sipping a smoothie or cocktail from a beautiful glass straw? Very. Another good reason good reason to use a glass straw? When you use a plastic straw in a hot beverage you are leaching harmful toxins into your beverage. Remember the “Don’t leave plastic water bottles in your hot car spiel?” Same thing.
Hemp Sleeves
Once we established that a glass straw is good for the environment and your health, we asked if a glass straw practical? It does sound potentially hazardous, and often the first question is, “Will it break?”
Several weeks after opening, 105 Degrees provides a sound example of the durability of these works of art. In a restaurant setting, glass inevitably breaks- between customer handling and commercial dishwashers, all glass gets a lot of rough attention. I can confidently say not a single straw has broken thus far and this is not because they haven’t been through a lot already. These straws have a lifetime guarantee.
The straw in our own Blueberry Lavender Lemonade
Cleaning? Easy. David and his company send a cleaning brush with each straw.
With heightened awareness on environmental issues, the door for new creative solutions and positive impact is wide open. It is an exciting time for art and design and the shop at 105 Degrees will continue to provide an outlet for cool people and their companies.
Posted by: Matthew
On a recent weekend in Boston, I had the opportunity to visit O-Ya, the highly rated, 37 seat restaurant owned by Tim and Nancy Cushman. I was immediately drawn to its subtlety, quietly tucked into an old brick building on a quiet side street. Everything from their website to the elegant, but modest decor, is in line with what I had anticipated. The vegan tasting menu was beyond anything I could have imagined, and fully explained why O-YA is consistently praised by diners and the media. It was an excellent experience that I can’t wait to repeat.
Visit Website
Truffled Potato Sushi
Kyoto Style Enoki Mushrooms, Soy-Garlic Sauce
Kimchi Gunken, Ginger-Scallion Oil
Grilled Tomato, Tempura Bits, Avocado, Cucumber, Scallion, Truffl
Roasted Beet Carpaccio, Myogi-White Soy Sauce, Shiso
Tofu Tempura, Black Trumpet Mushrooms
Shiso Tempura, Grilled Tomato, Pine Nut Mayo, Daikon Sprouts
Avocado Sashimi, Micro Cilantro, Black Sesame, Shiso Buds
Daikon Dumplings, Miso-Pinenut Cheese Kimchi, Scallion Ginger Oil
Grilled Shiitake, Soy Sake Foam
Chanterelle and Shiitake Miso, Black Truffle
Posted by: Matthew
Opening events are often great to attend but challenging to orchestrate. I’ve had my share of difficult ones and some that flow suprisingly well. Among the many I have been involved in, our first annual Live and Learn at 105degrees is my stand alone favorite. My partner Dara Prentice and I, along with our entire team at 105degrees, hosted several of our friends, colleagues and a couple hundred guests for a full day of events last weekend – a day that included dynamic and motivating appearances from our many presenters; Philip McClusky, Anthony Anderson, Penni Shelton, Hope Ferdowsian, Ani Phyo, Courtney Pool, Karen Knowler and Tim Van Orden.
This group was incredible. I could have been fully satisfied with the day, simply by observing their camaradarie and professionalism. Everyone was as dynamic and probably more so than they appear in their online, print or media work. They are also all radiating health and beauty.
After most parties, I’m both relieved and tired, ready to avoid thinking about the next one for a few weeks. In this case, Dara and I are already very excited about next year’s follow-up, which will be a full weekend of living cuisine and lifestyle events, lectures and meals.
Philip McClusky and Courtney Pool. Philip is a captivating lecturer and a really good photographer as well (in fact, I borrowed one of his images for this article). It was great meeting Courtney for the first time and a real pleasure listening to her knowledgeable and interesting presentation. She is doing great work with Dr. Gabriel Cousins at The Tree of Life.
Anthony Anderson, a great speaker and very passionate. I predict he will accomplish many interesting things in the sustainable world in the near future.
Penni Shelton and Ani Phyo. Penni has been a wonderful friend and supporter of 105degrees. Little did I know that, along with her many projects and being a mentor to so many, she is a talented comedian. Ani has a ton of fans and for good reason – she is dynamic, creative and beautiful. She recently completed writing her new book, which will have over 250 recipes!
Karen Knowler. We were fortunate that Karen’s schedule allowed her to be with us. She is very entreprenurial and has been instrumental in the growth of living food’s awareness in the U.K.
Tim Van Orden. I’m used to seeing Tim in photos running up mountains in snowshoes or racing through a forest like a deer. He carried that same energy to his presentation, which had the guest’s full attention.
Hope Ferdowsian. Hope delivered a uniquely sharp message, filled with facts and statistics that were largely new to me.
Ani demonstrating one of her desserts (which I had for breakfast)
Meredith Baird. Meredith alternated this weekend between her role as sommelier, photographer, pastry wizard and shop forager….and mixologist, which happened to be a very popular category at the event.
Speaking of mixology..
Dara Prentice, founder and visionary behind 105degrees, and I. Only she would be able to manage the complexities of this event with such poise.
Me, in a demo preparing shiitake mushrooms using Thermal Immersion techniques with raw food.
The base of the first dinner course: Shiitake Kimchi Dumplings, Sesame Foam, Shiso
Heirloom Beets
Posted by: Matthew
Loving Raw
By Philip McCluskey
What about one done with so much conscious panache that people end up talking about it for months…
That’s what I got to experience this past weekend as I celebrated the grand opening of the new elegant rawfood restaurant in Oklahoma City, OK… Matthew Kenney OKC. Owners Matthew Kenney and Dara Prentice really got together an all-star cast for this one. Joining myself was also Ani Phyo, Karen Knowler, Anthony Anderson, Tim Van Orden, Penni Shelton, and Courtney Pool. We gave lectures in their academy and main dining hall all day Saturday to a packed house, then were treated to an amazing food demo by celebrity chef Matthew Kenney in the evening, before we dined on a 5-course gourmet meal.
This is no ordinary restaurant either. Besides serving amazing food at reasonable prices, they also have a complete academy and training program. That’s right, a state-licensed educational institute, not just a printed “you passed my course” flyer. Its all cutting edge cuisine in a state-of-the-art commercial living foods kitchen, with each student having their own station. And, they offer classes to the public too!
From eco designed bamboo dining tables, floor to ceiling windows with plenty of light shining through, a cool products store enclosed with glass, to amazing food and a smiling staff… I give Matthew Kenney OKC a thumbs up!
