Visit our blog frequently for the inside scoop on Living Light and what makes us tick. It's an intimate blog that goes beyond business into right livelihood, sacred commerce, life, love, gardening, family, and making a difference... you'll love our bloggers: Hilloah, Mary Elizabeth, and Kristin. You can click the Raw Food Chef Blog box on our homepage, or sign up on our blog to receive it by email in your inbox! We welcome your comments and participation on the blog.

In the midst of what is perceived by many as troubling economic times, we are pleased to announce that our Living Light graduates are making a difference and creating bright futures for themselves, their families, and their communities. This is due, in part, to our having instilled in them a sense of possibility - a knowing that they can create their own futures. To use a recipe analogy, they start with a healthy heaping cup of dedication, a generous handful of hard work, and more than just a dash of focus on their goals, as well as equal measures of enterprise, creativity, faith, trust in themselves, and a strong belief that what they do indeed makes healthy living delicious! We are truly awed by our students, their stories, and the gifts they bring to the world.

And of course it is our goal to support them every step of the way as they transform their dreams into reality. So whether their goals are to acheive better health for themselves and their families, teach culinary classes, open a restaurant, write a recipe book, or help support worker collectives in foreign countries, we strive to make our curriculum meaningful and relevant to each student's individual journey. Aspiring chefs count on Living Light to give them the skills, tools, and inspiration they need to step with confidence into very bright futures, indeed! With that in mind, we are unveiling our 2011 school calendar this month, which includes our core curriculum, plus several new and exciting classes, including Pastry Arts-Unbaked! II, and a new Advanced Teacher Training Course with Jennifer Cornbleet. We are also overjoyed to be able to present our very exciting new Recipe Book Writing, Design, and Production Workshop, geared to help our students become published authors! Plus, we are excited to report that three of our Living Light instructors, Amber West, Brenda Hinton, and Bennett McClellen, have just completed a year long internship program, and are ready to take our foundation course, FUNdamentals of Raw Living Foods™ on the road!

This month, in our regular Spotlight on a Living Light Graduate, we feature Melanie Maria Holzheimer, and all of the great work she is doing in Germany with her business Aphrohdisia, and highlighted this month is a recipe book We ♥ Raw Food by Living Light graduate Hiroyuki Domon in Japan. Closer to home, graduate Heather Haxo Philips is organizing a wonderful event, Healthy Holiday Survival: A Fresh Approach to Holiday Celebration in the San Francisco Bay area. We are so pleased to be a catalyst for all of this beautiful creative energy. Thank you Living Light graduates, for making our dreams come true!

Blessings of Radiant Health,

Kristin Suratt, PR Director and the entire Living Light Team

NEW! Advanced Instructor Training and Certification

When you're ready to become a raw food teacher at the highest level, this intensive, career-focused learning experience will help you rise to the top of your profession quickly. Each module is specifically designed to prepare you to share your expertise with people who are eager to improve their health and embrace a raw food approach to eating.

Building a business takes dedication and direction. If you provide the former, world renowned author and Living Light course instructor Jennifer Cornbleet will supply the latter. She'll share practical tips and tools for becoming a popular speaker/teacher whose services are in-demand to the growing audience of raw food enthusiasts.

Course Prerequisites: Successful completion of the Associate Chef and Instructor Training™ class.

Included in Your Course of Study:

• The Foundation of Success: Goal Setting and Time Management
• Mastering Internet Marketing: No Technical Skills Required
• Becoming a Raw Food Ambassador: Creating Demand
• Crowd-Pleasers: Secrets to Presenting Irresistible Raw Food Demonstrations
• Going One-on-One: Tips for Providing Personal Coaching

• Participate with other Living Light graduates and professional instructors, including Vinnette Thompson in a fun and challenging "think tank" of dessert creation!
• Become confident about preparing desserts of your own design!
• Learn "dessert styling" - how to show-off your beautiful dessert creations and even how to plate them for photography!
• Go home with a book of recipes and photos of all the recipes you and your teammates created in the course.

Click here to register now!

Melanie Maria Holzheimer is the founder of Aphrohdisia (German for aph-raw-disia). She teaches raw food classes with great joy and enthusiasm in her native Germany. As a Living Light Raw Culinary Arts Associate Chef and Instructor™ Melanie teaches both classes she has created herself, as well as Living Light Instructor Empowerment classes in Germany including Forget Cooking, Divine Desserts, and Asian Fusion. Melanie also has a naturopathic practice in Berlin where she specializes in detoxification and holistic nutrition.

"When I read my first book on raw food nutrition in 2006 it felt like it was the answer to what I was looking for. Everything made perfect sense: eat the fruits, leafy greens, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds and fats as close to their natural, 'raw' state as possible. For detoxification purposes I went 100% raw for one week and I felt so great, awake, clear, focused, and alert that I decided to adopt the raw lifestyle. I didn't stop reading for more than two years. Sometimes I was reading three books at a time. As a naturopath, my knowledge of the human body and diseases helped me understand the connections between nutrition, eating patterns, disease, and health. Then, I came to a point where I not only wanted to eat in a healthy way but also wanted to eat a variety of truly DELICIOUS dishes.

At the time I began my research, there was very little happening with raw food in Germany. Fortunately, I soon found a world of plenty in the United States; a whole galaxy of amazingly colorful raw creations that imitated my favorite cooked dishes in flavor, texture, and appearance. I quickly ordered Living Light Instructor Jennifer Cornbleet's book Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People and started making my own creations. After about two years of creating amazing apple pies, lasagnas, and nearly every raw dessert I could think of, I wanted to take my skills to the next level. I invested in a well-equipped raw kitchen and signed up to become a Living Light student.

During my training, I learned how to work professionally, how to balance flavors in a recipe, create my own recipes, and plan menus for small to large groups. I also improved my skills as a confident public speaker and teacher. By purchasing Living Light Instructor Empowerment kit classes I was able to begin professional teaching in Germany right away.

After meeting Victoria Boutenko earlier this year, I'm also touting the benefits of green smoothies during the "Rohvolution", the biggest German raw food fair, held in three different cities.

I'm currently teaching at least one Living Light raw food class per month as well as my own classes, and I've begun to create exclusive dinners, private parties, and sustainable events with raw culinary artist Boris Lauser from b.alive! Our vision is to create a vibrant focal point for raw foods in Germany and Europe, including a raw food school for health conscious people and chefs in one of the colorful and artsy hot spots in Berlin. I also participate in monthly gourmet raw food events where great music, fashion, art, and gourmet raw food meet!"

We are delighted that more and more of our students are spreading the excitement about how delicious the raw food diet can be by teaching culinary classes and writing recipe books - not just in the U.S. and Canada, but all over the planet! There is a revolution of consciousness occurring in countries as far away as Japan, thanks to Hiroyuki Domon and others like him who have discovered the benefits of the raw food diet and are passionately sharing it with others.

We first met Hiroyuki when he attended Living Light and received his certification as a Raw Culinary Arts Associate Chef and Instructor. Many Asian students, like Hiroyuki, travel to California each year to attend Living Light and learn the art of making delicious, health promoting meals. Some do so for their own health and the health of their families, while others are passionate about sharing what they have learned with others in their homelands. In fact, people from over 40 countries have attended the Associate Chef and Instructor Training at Living Light. Unlike most of our students, Hiroyuki was already an accomplished chef and a pioneer in the raw food movement in Japan. He had been working with one of the major health food companies there, and had also been teaching classes on the relationship between food and health for many years. He owns a consulting firm and also opened the first raw food restaurant in Hokkaido, Japan. He has appeared on many TV and radio shows, and in a variety of magazines. We are honored to have been a part of Hiroyuki's journey and impressed with his determination to bring the health promoting benefits of the raw food diet to Japan with the publication of his wonderful new book, We ♥ Raw Food, which promises to have a great impact on health and well being in Japan.

Ever wanted to put your delicious recipes together in a beautifully illustrated cookbook, filled with colorful photographs of your beautiful creations? Now you can learn to create your own recipe book to pass on to family members and friends, show a publisher a sample of your work, or even self-publish a complete cookbook of your own! You can also use what you learn to fuel your raw food blog, create your own brochures, and even gain the experience you need to promote your book to the media, including television!

This six-class series begins with a daylong workshop with a seasoned photographer, who demonstrates how you can make the most of your digital camera (or cell phone) and use natural lighting to best show off your beautiful food. Then you will spend two days learning the ins and outs of food styling for photography in a hands-on class designed to show you how to arrange your food creations for the camera and to practice photographing salads, sandwiches, and pastas. Next, you will spend five days creating and photographing your own recipes for your book with the help of our experienced staff of raw food chefs and food stylists.

The series wouldn't be complete without a segment on writing recipes for your book or blog (two days), and a course in designing and producing a cookbook with a software program that allows you to self-publish your book or find a publisher to do so (four days). To top it all off, you will spend three days learning how to prepare a culinary demonstration video for the media and actually go home with your own, promotional DVD to promote your book or business!

In summary, this comprehensive workshop provides everything you need to create your own recipe book, from food styling and photography to writing your recipes, to finding a publisher, and even creating demos for the media. There is no other workshop like it in the industry!

Dates: February 25-March 15, 2011 (17 total classroom days)

Time: 9 AM-5 PM most days (one-hour no-host lunch break each day)

Have you wished that Living Light would come to your area and teach our flagship course, FUNdamentals of Raw Living Foods™ class in your part of the world?

If so, you're not alone. We've heard this request for years, and we've shared your desire to expand Living Light's offerings beyond our Northern California headquarters. And guess what? We are doing it!

Beginning next year, three of our fabulous chef instructors, Amber West, Brenda Hinton, and Bennett McClellan are taking Living Light to the road! Stay tuned to learn how you can take advantage of this opportunity to invite your friends, family, and associates to attend the first class in Living Light International's culinary series close to home.

About the FUNdamentals™ Course: FUNdamentals of Raw Living Foods™ is a one-day intensive and the first course in our Raw Culinary Arts Associate Chef and Instructor Certification™ It covers all of the basics of raw food preparation and is a prerequisite for all other Living Light culinary courses. It is an observation course designed for anyone, from novice to professional chef.

Our FUNdamentals of Raw Living Foods™ on the Road Instructors: We are very proud of our new team of instructors who will bring you FUNdamentals™ On the Road! Living Light graduates Amber West, Brenda Hinton, and Bennett McClellan have each completed our one year internship program and they are now ready to bring this important course to your community. During a year of supervised training with Living Light Culinary Programs Manager Martine Lussier and Director Cherie Soria, they have participated in teaching all the classes in the Fundamentals of Raw Living Foods™ course 8-10 times. Their training included managing the entire one-day course: teaching all the culinary demonstrations, preparing the amazing buffet lunch that is included in the class as well as providing all the samples, organizing back-of -the-house operations for 16 rapid fire demos, and conducting Q & A reviews of all of the material presented in the class.

If you a Living Light graduate interested in becoming a host in your community, please contact Martine@RawFoodChef.com

World Vegetarian Day in Golden Gate Park

Three dynamic Living Light chefs made the trek to the 17th Annual World Vegetarian Day celebration in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on October 2 and 3: Martine Lussier, Amber West, and Brenda Hinton. They brought along some books and products to sell at our booth, fielded questions about our culinary and nutrition courses, and offered a trio of amazing raw vegan chocolate desserts for sale (needless to say, this made them beyond popular!) On Saturday Oct 2, more than 200 samples of our famous splendidly delicious Chocolate Pecan Bars were handed out, and believe or not, they were all gone in 15 minutes! Our chefs were able to talk with people about Living Light, and the excitement about the school was definitely contagious. As always, it was a wonderful experience to be a part of the annual World Vegetarian Day celebration. Living Light has been a supporter of the event for many years now. We had a raffle for a FREE FUNdamentals of Raw Living Foods™ class, and the lucky winner is Scott Groleau of Sacramento, CA. Congratulations Scott, we're looking forward to seeing you here in Fort Bragg. And of course as always, many thanks to all of the San Francisco World Vegetarian Day organizers and volunteers who make the event possible every year. We are honored to be a part of bringing the message of vegetarianism and veganism to a large audience in the San Francisco Bay area. Extra big thanks and a hug to organizer Dixie Mahey, who is such a sweetheart!

Here's the recipe for those delicious Chocolate Pecan Bars:

CHOCOLATE PECAN BARS

Serves 12

Candied Pecan Crumble

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1 cup pecan pieces

Bottom Layer

• 1/2 cup coconut oil; melted
• 3/4 cup pitted dates, packed (warmed in the dehydrator)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup ( room temperature or warmed in the dehydrator )
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 cup pecan pieces; soaked and dehydrated

• 3/4 cup maple syrup (room temperature or dehydrated warm)
• 1/3 cup coconut oil; melted
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder

1. To make Candied Pecan Crumble:

Place all ingredients in a bowl and toss well to combine. Spread in flat sheets on teflex lined dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 105 degrees F until firm. Flip, remove teflex sheet, and continue dehydrating until crisp, approximately 12 - 18 hours total. When you harvest the pecan crumble, break into large pieces to be pressed into the top of the soft chocolate top layer. Wait for pecan crumble to cool and store in an air tight container.

2. To make the Bottom Layer:

Place the warmed and soft dates, liquefied coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla in the food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the pecan pieces. Spread into a parchment lined 14" x 5" rectangular torte pan with gloved hands. Use a small offset spatula to scrape down any mixture that has worked its way up the sides of the fluted edge of the pan. Smooth flat.

3. To make the Chocolate Top Layer:

Place the maple syrup, liquefied coconut oil, and cocoa powder in that order into a high speed blender and blend until smooth and all oils are incorporated. Pour chocolate on top of pressed pecan bottom layer. Use a small offset spatula to work mixture all the way to the edges. While this chocolate layer is still warm press candied pecan crumble into the top. Place the bars into the refrigerator to set for 4-6 hours.

Living Light graduate and stellar chef Heather Haxo Philips has organized a wonderful event in the Bay area. Cherie will be on hand as will Living Light chef Jennifer Cornbleet. What a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays, and learn new ways to please family and friends while you make healthy choices during an important time of the year!

Imagine that your holiday experiences could leave you refreshed and healthy, rather than heavy and exhausted. In this daylong crash course, you will create a game plan for a fun, delicious and sustainable holiday season. The Bay Area's top raw chefs will teach you easy raw vegan foods to nourish you through the winter's festivities. Plus, you'll get loads of holiday decorating tips, shop for green gifts and enjoy an elegant raw dinner with like-minded enthusiasts.

This event is a fresh approach to holiday celebration, and is unlike any other event you have been to.

The Healthy Holiday Survival Crash Course will include:

• A chat with raw food celebs about surviving the holidays and feeling rawsome in the winter. Featured guests include raw food luminary Cherie Soria, Café Gratitude Head Pastry Chef Gregory Manitsas, Monday Night Live founder Shea Lynn Baird, author Diana Stobo, Chef Melissa Mango and others.
• Raw food classes with featured chefs: Holiday drinks and mains with Chef Heather Haxo Phillips, desserts with best-selling author and chef Jennifer Cornbleet, crackers and appetizers with the Krazy Kracker Lady Abeba Wright
• Tips for Holiday plating and decorations
• An elegant holiday meal featuring City Slicker Farms
• An opportunity to start your holiday shopping off right

Terilynn Epperson graduated from Living Light's Gourmet Raw Food Chef Certification™ program, and her enthusiasm for the raw foods lifestyle has led her to move her entire family to Fort Bragg to become Executive Assistant to Cherie Soria. Terilynn's popular blog, The Daily Raw Café, highlights her raw food journey, and offers an opportunity to present her passion for raw culinary arts to the public. Terilynn is a very proud mother of four beautiful children, Jordan, Donavan, Bishop and Avery.

Chris Nepper moved to the Fort Bragg area from Northern Nevada, and absolutely loves the area - everything from the beautiful redwoods to the sound of the ocean. He enjoys walking the headlands on the coast and watching the waves come in, staring over the most beautiful cliffs he has ever seen. He finds that living in the country is an amazing experience, and loves the energizing sound of the water from the sea throughout the night. Chris enjoys running, tennis, hiking, water sports, or anything outdoors. He's excited about his new journey here at Living Light, where he is surrounded by amazing people, and filled with peace and happiness.

For the month of September, Living Light is pleased to honor Therese Tarnoff as our Employee of the Month. Therese moved to Fort Bragg from Wisconsin where she had been a caretaker for people with multiple disabilities for many years. Therese joined the café team at Living Light early this year and has since been promoted to Assistant Café Supervisor.

Therese has earned the respect and appreciation of her fellow employees who say she never complains and always wears a smile. Her attitude is a great example of the enthusiasm, excellent teamwork, and professionalism we all strive for here at Living Light. She is thoughtful, intelligent, friendly, well organized, and always provides excellent service to staff members and customers.

Anyone can tell Therese likes working at Living Light - her disposition tells it all! You know she enjoys her job and this positive attitude is appreciated by our staff, students, and the public whom she serves. Living Light employees describe her as helpful, hardworking, and always wearing a smile to go along with her can-do attitude. They say she somehow manages to stay calm and pleasant, no matter what the circumstances.

Therese is devoted to her husband and kids and was very excited to come to work at Living Light because she wanted to create a healthy life for her family in Fort Bragg. She loves to watch and play kickball almost as much as she loves chocolate! Therese also loves to cook and says her favorite restaurant is her own home! Her primary goal is to live off the grid, grow her own food, and be part of a strong community.

Thank you Therese Tarnoff - for being one of the bright lights here at Living Light. We love and appreciate you!

Chef's Corner
Flavored Caramels made with Medicine Flower Flavor Extracts

Medicine Flower Essential oils and extracts are wheat- and gluten-free, organic food-grade products for culinary, scent and cosmetic applications. They are cold-processed using extraction without the use of any colorants, fillers, diluting agents or preservatives.

These flavor extracts are concentrated, so very few drops are needed to flavor anything from cookies, candies, sauces, fillings, frostings, ice cream, smoothies, shaved ice, and tea. Try a drop or two in your drinking water with ice for a refreshing gourmet treat!

Medicine Flower Flavor Extracts are also suitable for scenting massage oils, balms, bath oils, soaps and candles.

Chewy Caramels

24 small pieces (12 servings)

1 cup pitted dates, packed

1 cup pine nuts

4 drops vanilla extract

Rum Caramels

24 small pieces (12 servings)

1 cup pitted dates, packed

1 cup cashews

6 drops rum extract

Mocha Caramels

24 small pieces (12 servings)

1 cup pitted dates, packed

1 cup cashews

6 drops chocolate extract

6 drops coffee extract

1. To make the caramel of your choice: Loosely separate the dates and place them, along with the other ingredients, in a food processor outfitted with the "S" blade. Process the mixture until smooth. Do not over process or the mixture may become oily.

2. Using gloved hands, form the candies into small squares or whatever shape you desire and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

3. Caramel candies may be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 1 month.