Raw in Rome

By YiR contributor: Michele Robichaux

I recently enjoyed a lovely and unique dining experience in Rome: a raw food feast.

Now I’m no raw-foodist nor am I even Vegan, or Vegetarian, for that matter.  Don’t get me wrong.  I absolutely LOVE eating healthy foods.  But, I’m also a strong believer that every now and again a girl needs a good burger, gelato or cioccolato caldo to make life complete.

While I’m not a purist, I do appreciate discovering new, healthy eating opportunities.  Having lived in Southern California for many years before moving to Rome, I often find myself missing the total ease with which one can find health food staples like Chia seeds, Hemp protein powder, unsweetened coconut milk and kale in any Whole Foods Market (or, as I like to call it, Mecca).  Sadly, Whole Foods does not exist in Rome.  Of course, if you are patient and determined enough, you can tap into your inner scavenger hunter and find some of these goodies around the City.

Finding quality health-food dining experiences here, though, can be an even more challenging prospect.  In Italy where the people venerate their own traditional style of cooking (and, let’s face it, what’s not to love), restaurants offering organic, vegetarian, vegan and raw food options are few and far between.

For those of you who have been feeling the health food void in Rome or for the culinary adventurers out there who just like trying new things, the raw food movement in Rome is organizing events that just might catch your fancy.

One of these is the Raw In Rome Dinner Club at the Beehive Hotel, which I recently attended.  The space was quite limited so we had to book well in advance.  The dinner was prepared and organized by Chefs Matteo Morozzo and Hayley North and was hosted by the very hip Beehive Hotel (a stylish budget hotel/hostel between Termini and Castro Pretorio).

The cost of this raw food feast was only 20€ and the menu boasted an all-organic, all-vegan, all-raw lineup. The California health-nut in me was almost too excited to contain herself.  The meal began with a spicy, citrusy (and obviously cold) Pumpkin Soup starter complimented by oregano-flaxseed crackers. The main dish was a mouthwatering Raw Lasagna accompanied by three tantalizing side salads: a Wakame Beet Salad, a Carrot Radish Apple Salad and a Leafy Vegetables Salad with herbs and sprouts- who knew that such a panoply of flavors could exist in salad form?!  The feast was topped off by a Banana Persimmon Pudding with chia and pumpkin seeds.  Meraviglioso!

My taste buds were in heaven, but to be honest, they had me at flaxseeds.

THE NEXT FEAST IS THIS TUESDAY AT 7:30 pm. (remember to reserve in advance.)

For more Information

Raw In Rome Dinner Club: https://www.facebook.com/events/534202853332741/.

Find out more about the illustrious chefs and their next events, including cooking classes at www.rawinrome.com.

Finally, you can check out The Beehive Hotel online at www.the-beehive.com.

*Photocredit: Raw in Rome Facebook (check out their photo album for a mouthwatering look at how delicious raw food can be!)