1. What has been your inspiration for becoming a raw foods chef?

Lately, it’s our kids. With obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other health issues on the rise in the USA, I feel it’s important to start kids on a healthy track from a young age. All of my recipes are designed to be fast, simple, and easy enough for a child to create in the kitchen. I encourage everyone to invite kids into your kitchen. Have them help you make my recipes. This is real play food, and it’s fun for kids to use their hands to mix and form uniquely shaped cookies and treats. Kids begin to learn how to prepare foods, while learning about healthy ingredients. They’ll also love eating the food they’ve helped create.

2. What are the essential tools that you would suggest for someone just starting to experiment with a raw food recipes?

A food processor is not necessary, but will make your processing time a snap. If you don’t have a food processor, you can always chop by hand with a knife, but it will take you much longer. A high speed blender is also a great investment. A food processor chops and processes dry ingredients into a powder or pudding texture, while a blender mixes ingredients together with more water than a food processor to form a cream or liquid.

3. If you were making a dessert for someone unfamiliar with raw food dishes (and maybe a little skeptical), which recipe would you suggest to knock their socks off?

All of them, but if I had to choose, the Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake. The frosting tastes like any you’d buy in the cake mix isle of the grocery store. But it’s made from avocado and dates. It’s delicious and beautiful too.

4. Summer seems like the perfect time to take advantage of fresh produce for your dessert recipes from Ani’s Raw Food Desserts! How does eating raw food desserts compare to baked goods and dairy desserts when it comes to our waistlines and our health?

Let’s take my Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake as an example. The cake is made with walnuts, considered a superfood by the FDA for it’s high levels of omega-3. Walnuts provide amino acids, vitamins E, A, calcium, iron, and have been found to keep our blood cholesterol levels in check. Walnuts are mixed with raw cacao powder, which is defined as a superfood by the FDA for it’s high levels or antioxidants, which fight free radical damage, premature aging and illness. I use dates, a whole food fruit, to sweeten and to bind together the nuts and cacao powder into a flourless cake texture. Dates are full of fiber, potassium, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. All of the ingredients in my cake are good for you superfoods.

On the other hand, the baked version uses bleached white flour that’s been stripped of any nutrient value. It’s sweetened with refined white sugar and empty calories, and uses eggs and butter, which contribute to high cholesterol levels. The baked version doesn’t offer much nutritional value.

You can actually enjoy my desserts as a whole food meal on their own because they’re super healthy and nutritious. By substituting more of my delicious desserts for traditional baked versions, you’ll loose weight and feel healthier on the inside, which will translate on the outside as healthy, radiant skin, and a healthy glow.

5. Any other new projects that you would like to share with our readers?

I’m currently writing my next book, which will have over 200 recipes including chapters on dehydration and pickling, due out in spring 2010. I’m also about to launch a new product line of Ready Mixes, which should be ready for order in about 1 week. Please visit my website, AniPhyo.com, for more info. The first Ready Mixes will enable folks to make their own superfood gourmet chocolate truffles and also their own Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake. The kits contain pre-measured ingredients to make shopping easy, while avoiding spending lots of money to buy mass quantities of ingredients.

6. Channeling the genius of James Lipton from Inside The Actor’s Studio, we would like to ask you a few of his famous interview questions.

What is your favorite word? Compassion

What is your least favorite word? Can’t

What sound or noise do you love? The sound of leaves rustling in the wind, and birds chirping

What sound or noise do you hate? Early morning beeping and clanking of the garbage trucks on garbage day

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Helping and inspiring people