Living Light International - Raw Food Chef

Classes in Raw Vegan Cuisine
for Individuals, Chefs & Instructors

The Living Light Difference

People often ask, "What is the difference between your courses and some others that also certify chefs, but take less time and therefore, are less expensive?" We can only tell you about our culinary and nutritional courses, since we do not want to compare our courses with any others.

 

Yes, our courses are longer, although not necessarily more costly than the others, if you look at the value received and the per day cost of tuition. We are a culinary school with a curriculum that is designed to teach all aspects of raw culinary arts and nutrition. Our founder and director, Cherie Soria, is known as the mother of gourmet raw cuisine because she was the first to transform plain raw foods into a revolutionary new culinary art and has trained many of the best raw food chefs, instructors and authors in the world today. She is a master raw food chef and instructor and the author of 3 books. Her latest groundbreaking book, The Raw Food Revolution Diet: Feast, Lose Weight, Gain Energy, Feel Younger, was written with two well-known dieticians, and merges the science of raw food nutrition and gourmet raw vegan cuisine.

 

Cherie started Living Light Culinary Arts Institute in 1997, at the behest of Viktoras Kulvinskas, the father of the Living Foods movement, and Dr. Ann Wigmore, to take her new cuisine out into the world and be a beacon of light -- hence, the name, Living Light. Cherie is not one to rest on her laurels and has, for over ten years, continued to perfect the curriculum of her culinary trainings, which began as a series of shorter workshops and has developed into a comprehensive chef and instructor training that far exceeds any other. It is designed for serious professional chefs as well as ordinary people who are interested in making healthier meals for themselves and their families.

 

Living Light has matured into a successful green business that now employs well over 2 dozen full time staff and operates a cafe, retail store, and eco-friendly inn as well as the culinary school, which remains the main focus. Cherie and her husband, Dan Ladermann, also produce the Vibrant Living Expo each August and act as a bridge for the raw foods community, bringing in authors, chefs, speakers, and leaders from all avenues of the raw food world to share their insights with participants. Living Light is highly regarded as a leader in the community and has received many awards. They have a dedicated staff who believe that teamwork makes the dream work!

 

Living Light is the undisputed leader in raw culinary arts, training amateur and professional chefs alike. Over the years, we have discovered the most important aspects of gourmet raw culinary arts training and raw nutritional science, and if we could cover everything in less time, we would do it. We're committed to sending people home fully prepared, so by the time they leave our training, they have perfected their skills hands-on, starting at the beginning and culminating in gourmet cuisine that inspires the most discerning palate. No other culinary arts training program is comparable to Living Light Culinary Arts Institute in raw vegan culinary education.

 

Our curriculum has been fine tuned to include everything students have told us over the years that they need in order to thrive on a high raw vegan diet. We inspire and motivate students to share their raw food passion with others by teaching them everything they need to know in order to create amazing gourmet foods, teach classes in culinary arts and science of raw food nutrition, write recipe books, and even cater raw events. No other program has trained more expert raw food chefs and authors than Living Light Culinary Arts Institute!

 

One of the most important things students gain from their experience at Living Light is community combined with unconditional love and support. It has always been, and will continue to be, an important component of all our classes. As most of our students will attest-you will not be sorry you decided on Living Light for your culinary training. In fact, you will receive more than you ever dreamed possible!

 

Here is an overview of what students learn in their studies at Living Light:

• The use of all kitchen equipment and appliances required in the preparation of gourmet raw cuisine, including professional knife skills, high powered blenders, food processors, juicers, dehydrators, spiral slicers, mandolins, and other time saving devices
• Sprouting and growing young greens (students each have their own sprouting projects)
• Cultured vegetables (krauts)
• Cheeses (almond ricotta, pine nut parmesan, cashew cream cheese, etc.)
• Condiments (chutneys, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, dressings, and sauces of all kinds)
• Breads, wraps, crepes, and crackers (make from both sprouted grains and nuts)
• Breakfast cereals (granola, oatmeal, etc.)
• Non-dairy milks and creams
• Juices and elixirs
• Secrets of making great salad dressings every time
• Candy making, pies, cakes, puddings, cookies, tortes, ice creams, desserts of all kinds
• Pates, dips, and spreads
• Wraps and rolls
• Soups and smoothies
• Appetizers to entrees
• Pasta making (spaghetti, linguini, lasagna, etc.)
• Ethnic foods of all kinds (Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean, Japanese, Thai, Chinese, etc.)
• Spa and weight loss cuisine
• Holiday and celebration foods
• Flavor dynamics and flavor balancing (experiential flavor tasting)
• Recipe development, testing, and recipe writing
• Transforming favorite cooked recipes to raw
• Sweeteners, binders, and thickeners in raw cuisine
• Setting up your raw food kitchen
• Easy meal planning for the working person
• Menu design for 10 to 100 (or more!)
• Food combining
• Science of raw food nutrition
• The importance of organic agriculture
• Composting, recycling and living "green"
• How to purchase, ripen, and store foods
• Food design (garnishing, plating, using a pastry bag)
• The importance of familiarity, color, texture, flavor, and love in food
• Catering dinner parties or large events
• Hygiene and food safety
• Instructor training
• Writing an introduction, bio, and press release
• Charting and organizing recipes, menus, and classes
• Using assistants
• Creating demo cards
• Pacing and sequencing
• Pricing your classes and services
• Becoming a dynamic speaker
• Organizing professional raw food classes
• Marketing your classes and yourself
• Coaching and personalized trainings
• Time management and goal setting

 

We offer several certification programs, each created so you can attend all the courses in one visit to our training facility, or take as many segments as time and money will allow, and return at a later date to complete your raw culinary education.

 

The certification courses offered at Living Light are:

• Living Light Associate Chef and Instructor™ (offered in 3 segments)
• Living Light Gourmet Raw Food Chef™ (an additional 4 segments)
• Benefits of Raw Food Nutrition Educator™ (offered in 3 segments)
• Professional Raw Food Chef™ (see below)

 

Living Light Associate Chef and Instructor™
This 3-part certification training you'll learn to prepare delicious, health-promoting, high-energy, raw gourmet foods without giving up flavor, appearance, or satisfaction!

 

Even if you are an expert professional chef, you will encounter a whole new world of food preparation skills that are specific to raw cuisine. If you are new to the kitchen, you will become adept with knife technique and familiar with kitchen equipment and time saving gadgets of all kinds. You will learn how to develop a recipe; combine herbs and spices to create both classic and ethnic flavors without using recipes; balance textures and flavors within individual recipes and entire menus; sprout grains, seeds, and legumes; make luscious live non-dairy cheeses; combine foods for optimum digestion and nutrition; create raw variations of cooked food recipes; organize and manage a raw food kitchen, and much more!

 

You will learn to make familiar comfort foods, like pizza, burgers, lasagna, pasta, burritos, bread, pies, cakes, and even hand-rolled truffles! You'll also learn how to organize and present successful raw culinary classes for groups of all size, how to find venues, market classes, and communicate effectively with an audience! Each student will be given the option of presenting a culinary presentation to the class, culminating in certification as a Raw Culinary Arts Associate Instructor. You'll come away from this program a more effective, better organized, more confident culinary presenter. After this training, you'll possess the skills and confidence you need to begin teaching successful classes immediately! Whatever your current level of chef skills, this program is guaranteed to take you to the next level in your culinary journey!

 

Living Light Gourmet Raw Food Chef™
In addition to the above listed curriculum, you will have two 5-day segments of recipe development, where you will learn the importance of contrasts in flavor, texture, and appearance in culinary arts. You will learn how to plate food beautifully, and how to balance flavors to suit any palate. You will become adept at recipe development and recipe writing.

 

In the Ethnic Flavors class, you will explore flavors of the world and prepare foods from Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. In RawFusion Spa Cuisine class, you will learn how to create fabulous recipes and stunning feasts using a limited number of ingredients selected for optimal digestion and weight balance. In the Raw Event Catering and Elegant Entertaining™ class, you will actually cater 2 events for the public, and learn to plan, organize and chart your own event, so when you go home, you are ready to begin entertaining friends and family. You will also be introduced to what it takes to start your own catering business and even negotiate contracts with clients!

 

Science of Raw Food Nutrition I is a 2-day course covering hot topics such as raw vegan sources of iron, calcium, protein, vitamin B12 and essential fatty acids, as well as blood sugar regulation, pH balance, food changes from cooking, anti-inflammatory nutrition, weight management, anti-aging and longevity, and much more. The Raw Food Doctors™ are known for their ability to make complex scientific concepts entertaining and easily understandable for the non-scientific person. Science of Raw Food Nutrition™ Level I is a required course for Living Light Gourmet Raw Food Chef™ certification.

 

Benefits of Raw Food Nutrition Educator™
Science of Raw Food Nutrition™ and Benefits of Raw Food Nutrition Educator™ will take your raw food nutrition knowledge and understanding to an entirely new level. This course builds on the knowledgebase learned in SRFN I and introduces many new topics that are essential to understanding the big picture of raw and living food nutrition. Students of this course will leave with a holistic view of how the human body works and how food nourishes and affects our whole being. The information learned in this course is an invaluable resource for health educators, or anyone else who really wants to "know their stuff," both personally and professionally. The comprehensive 5-day Science of Raw Food Nutrition II course covers essential information on raw food, living food, vegan and plant-based diets, and is a prerequisite for the 2-day Raw Food Nutrition Educator™ course immediately following.

 

The Benefits of Raw Food Nutrition Educator™ Certification Course is a 2-day class immediately following Science of Raw Food Nutrition Level II that prepares students to present fundamental raw food nutrition information with authority, accuracy, and confidence. It is highly recommended for health educators and raw food chefs who plan to teach the benefits of raw and living foods in an articulate and easy to understand manner.

 

In this class, students will learn how to utilize information acquired in Science of Raw Food Nutrition I and II to deliver an interesting and comprehensible presentation that is appropriate for a variety of audiences.

 

All participants will receive a CD containing two turn-key PowerPoint presentations on the benefits of raw and living food nutrition. The first is a 20-minute introductory presentation designed to be a free talk to invite participants to attend the second, more comprehensive two-hour raw food nutrition class. This class is designed to be presented on its own, or in conjunction with culinary demonstrations.

 

Professional Raw Food Chef™
This course requires all courses listed above, plus Pastry Arts-Unbaked and a 1-year internship, as well as other coursework and externships. For more information about the Professional Raw Food Chef™ certification, please contact our school administrator.