Antoinette Bruno: Why did you start cooking?
Roxanne Klein: My grandparents were organic farmers. Every
day, my grandfather would ask me “What do you smell today?”
If I smelled the peaches it was time to harvest them. Dinner was
always decided by what my mother would pick from the garden. I was
around food throughout my childhood. My grandmother was a vegetarian.
She would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and my answer
would always be “I want to be a chef!”
AB: How did you get into raw foods?
RK: I tried eating raw for a month, and I felt better, like
I had more energy. I discovered more textures and layering of flavors.
I’m a pastry chef at heart, and that helped in creating my
AB: Who are your mentors?
RK: Charlie Trotter and Charles Dale.
AB: What is your most indispensable kitchen tool? Why?
RK: My Japanese electric slicer and the Vitamix. It makes
it easy to create cheese-like textures.
AB: What city will you visit next for culinary travel?
RK: Costa Brava, Spain, to experience El Bulli.
AB: What is the key to great cooking?
RK: Start in your garden or local farmer’s market.
Smell the produce. Choose your ingredients following the seasons
and your senses.