We have declared the Summit is like college orientation. So many people to meet and greet from all over the country. Mixers. And roommates!!
More and more people have descended upon Chicago. A group of us decided to do an early dinner before our outing tonight and Diana had coordinated a tasting with RAW, a fabulous establishment "Raising Awareness Worldwide" about the wonderful benefits of eating a plant-based diet.
We decided in the Healthy Living spirit to walk to our destination – about 1.5 miles away.
Eye see you!
Upon our arrival, these AMAZING DIVAS, Polly and Carole, presented us with some tastes of their foods.
Hummus
Lasagna! Look at those layers!
Falafel (my favorite) with cashew cream!
Pumpkin Seed + Carrot + Avocado "Sushi"
Everything was raw, vegan and SO full of flavor!!!!! Very complex. Best raw food I’ve ever had!!
[I had one of each kind – plus 2 more falafels!]
And for dessert…
Hazelnut biscotti
and Lemon Bars!
They had a whole case of delicious prepared foods
Including RAW OATMEAL!!
When she saw the look on my face, she opened it immediately to sample 
Raw oats, apples, raisins, maple, cinnamon, Himalayan sea salt
I think it was made with fresh apple juice? I must replicate this coming apple season!
In the spirit, I clearly required a green juice cocktail
I requested something hard core with lots of veggies (plus a green apple)
Hit the spot!!
Diana shared her "sushi" with me too It’s all seeds, carrots and avocado.
Raw brownie ganache sample bonus – my fav dessert!
Girls! I was left so full. I think nutrients make you extra full because the body is satisfied Thanks so much to Polly and Carole for the awesome treat!
Our group then caravanned to the other side of town for the launch party of the site YumUniverse.com, a new website devoted to raw, vegan, gluten-free yummy things.
I love all kinds of foods and would never stick to just one way of eating, but I do love this style so much!
The party was so stylish – lots of fun decor and art (in the form of dirt expressed below!) with samples of foods and cocktails
Kale chips!!
Unfortunately the lines were so long that I didn’t get to taste or sip anything 
But I did get to chat it up with lots of new friends!
And I was "celebrity" sighted by a fun threesome of friends!!
Did get to taste an Acai Vodka that tasted like a cosmo
And an organic sake
It was a bit strong for me!
Our group departed via vehicle by Miss Braise The Roof (thank you!) and made it back to the hotel and on to the closest restaurant for a nourishment
Emily and I rekindled!!!
And my bed is calling my name so loudly I can’t think straight!!
Guess what tomorrow involves: HOT YOGA!!
{ 67 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks so fabulous!! RAW sounds delicious – falafel is such a favorite of mine!
Wow, I can’t believe that raw, vegan food can look so good! And oatmeal with apple juice? Sounds interesting!
So glad you made it to RAW tonight! Thanks for coming! Loved your recap!
RAW looks really great. If I ever make it to Chicago it will be on my list.
You did it – you posted your big post in 20 minutes and now are hopefully sound asleep. So wonderful meeting you tonight – I had loads and loads of fun. See you tomorrow : )
That food looks AMAZING. I’ve never had anything like that kind of raw food! (Raw food for me means fruit and vegies… Canberra is not at the forefront of eating trends like this!) I so want to try that lasagne and the chocolate brownie at the end…
oooh what a beuatiful array of foods!!!
it’s hard to get raw food right – this place looks great!
The raw food looks great- but all that plastic packaging and waste- ouch!
The plastic containers are so not a waste! I buy RAW take-out 3 times per week and I reuse all my containers. I love the food, the packaging, and the owners. They are so great and helpful. My son is a busy surgical resident at a large Chicago teaching hospital and he eats the RAW pizza on every call shift. It is amazing! The energy bits are another of his favorites. Many thanks to Kath for visiting RAW!
They had a recycling bin right next to the table, and it’s hard to find sanitary take away containers.
That food looks so yummy and everyone pretty all dressed up. I’m sure hot yoga will be fun in the morning!
what a spectacular place for a bunch of foodies to meet up! love it!
i can’t wait to read more HLS happenings! yay!
I just commented on Gabriela’s blog that I was so jealous that she met a “celebrity” haha. In my eyes, you are definitely a celebrity.
Looks like Chicago is a great city to be in:) I’ll be there in a couple of weeks for a conference but I don’t think I will have time to explore:(
Yay! Looks like soo much fun! Momokawe is the ONLY Sakery in the United States brewing Sake. I take all of my friends there for tastings and tours. It’s such a fun “friend date.” Every third Saturday of the month they have “Saketini Saturday” and feature Sake+Cocktails. Soo yum. The ultimate tasting is their food/sake pairing where they use local producs (cheese, chocolate, hazelnuts, etc) and pair them with sake.
If you’re ever in Portland, OR it’ll be my treat!
That oatmeal and lasagna looks so delicious! So jealous!
Have I said how weird this is yet? Yes, I know I have…but it really IS. I am missing in the photos! Looks like so much fun. Foodbuzz in November for sure!!
never really been a fan of raw food. but the food u ate looks even better than cooked food!
Hey Kath, I just got back from vacation and caught up on your blog— HUGE CONGRATS on passing your RD exam!! (Not that I had any doubts you wouldn’t) but I’m excited for you because I have been following you almost from the beginning and am also working on becoming an RD myself. Awesome job and have fun at the HLS!
Thanks!
How did they make the humus? That can’t be raw surely, I assume they cooked the chick peas or was it made with something different?
I definitely don’t know what they did at Raw, but I know you can eat technically raw chickpeas if they’ve been sprouted. Don’t know if you can without that step. My only info on the subject came from Emily; it blew my mind. Here’s the post where she talked about it – http://www.thefrontburnerblog.com/2010/04/sprouting-101-and-a-sprouted-hummus-recipe.html
Sprouting!
So glad to see such beautiful raw food on your blog today! What a fun outing! Also – thanks for sharing the YumUniverse link – I’m going to check it out right now!
I am fairly new to your blog – how can a newbie register for next year’s summit? When do tickets go on sale? I’ve got to get in on the action!
We made lots of announcements on our blogs this spring – look for them next spring!
Will do! Thanks!
I need to go looking for raw food restaurant in Helsinki, I wonder do we even have one..? anyway, looks like a super fun day!
Oatmeal with apple juice?! Wow, okay… I won’t lie, sounds rather strange to me.
Do overnight oats count as raw? I’m not exactly sure about the definition of a “raw” diet…
Wei-Wei
Love all the raw foods!! I did a high raw diet experiment a couple weeks ago and, while I wouldn’t commit to it as a lifestyle, I took away a lot of fun ways to prepare raw food, not to mention a lot of low-cal ideas to add lots of volume to meals.
Wish this place had been local to me when I was trying it out, LOL.
Jenn
Oh my goodness that raw food looks delicious! Everything looks so creative, cute, and healthy! Raw sushi and Oatmeal?! Awesome! I have never been to a dedicated “raw” restaurant. Definitely on my to-do list!
That raw food looks really good. Hard to believe some of it is in fact raw…like the lasagna and oatmeal.
that’s so much fun! I wish I could be there too !
I’m loving seeing Chicago through your eyes on this HLS trip. When I lived there I smoked and was an omnivore! Now a running vegan, I would love to spend some time and see the other side of Chicago! LOL
That raw food looks pretty good to me!
what fun places and foods to get to try!
Love all the food and the oatmeal with the apples sounds perfect for fall.
They make that RAW food look amazing! I guess I should give raw food more of a shot, though I have to admit I’m a bit of a skeptic…
I love raw food! That place sounds amazing!!! Sounds like a fun start to the weekend! Enjoy your hot yoga today!
Kath if I met you I would treat you like a celebrity — that is what you are to me!
RAW seems like such a cool place and looked like a great time!
I’d be really interested in knowing how to make raw falafel – it’s one of my favorites!
Raw food is something I’ve always wanted to delve into but not really had the chance because I live in SUCH a small town! One day though.
What a cool restaurant – I was going to try to head to the YumUniverse opener, but I got too busy yesterday. It looked like fun!
What a fun night! Ahh…wish I could be there!
I LOVE French Market and Raw! Looks delicious!
If you go back to RAW, try the collard burrito! Sooooo goood. The French market is such a neat place!
That raw sushi looks incredible! How inventive. Looks like fun time!
I am so bummed I missed this! I’ve been wanting to try RAW since it opened, but I’ve yet to convince any of my friend to go eat there with me!
I love seeing everyone’s take on Chicago!
Falafel with cashew cream?! Wow, must try that. And that lasagna looked incredible
looks like so much fun! love all the decor, etc.
Hey, Kath! I am one of the threesome of fans from the Yum Universe party. : D
I just wanted to say that it was so much fun chit-chatting with you about your blog and recipes. Thanks for everything! I hope that you have an amazing time in Chicago!
So nice to meet you Julie! You guys made my night
I love raw food restaurants! Sooo good!
Looks like fun, Kath! I don’t understand what this Summit is, though…a conference? Something you helped organize?
Yup!
Amazing what they did with all of that raw food! And I love that necklace of yours. Very fun and stylish.
Wow, that RAW food looks amazing, it is a truly admirable quality to be able to make good raw dishes, it’s hard! The Summit looks like delicious fun!
Sake One! I have toured their brewery in Oregon and they are amazing. If you did not care for their plain sake but do indeed like sake – pick up one of their flavored sakes. I believe they have four different flavors one being pear – AMAZING.
PS
How many times can I put the word sake into a sentence – geez!
All those raw samples look so good – especially the sushi!
That raw food looks ridiculously good! I’ve had a few raw meals, but nothing like that.
I live in Chicago right by RAW. It is hands down my favorite raw place ever. Did you get to try the spaghetti (zucchini) and meatballs? Also, their tiramasu is ridiculous. Wish I could be at all of these events but I am out of town. Enjoy the city!
Love love love RAW! They make the BEST desserts! Where are you doing hot yoga? I’ve been looking for a place in Chicago to give that a try!
I make overnight oats with applesauce all the time, and it is perfect for this hot weather.
I combine 1/3 c oats, 1/2-1 c unsweetened applesauce, a handful of raisins, and a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Pop it in the fridge, and it is a refreshing breakfast when its too hot for hot oatmeal.
This looks so fun! I’ve been following your blog for sometime now and I love it. Congrats on passing your RD exam Kat. Keep up the blogging!