once tried to go on a raw food vegetarian diet at the advice of an ill-advised acquaintance. It lasted a week. I was starving the whole time. By the end I was ready to scream if I had to shove one more raw carrot stick down my throat. As soon as the week was up I went out and scarfed back a cheeseburger. All this is to say that raw food diets, in my experience, generally end on an unsuccessful note. Upon further discovery though, it seems there is actually a vast population of raw veg eaters out there who make the raw organic diet a lifestyle choice. Well, that I had to see.

The raw organic vegan headquarters are located at Crudessence Café, the catering company’s new prêt-a-manger outpost in the Plateau. The L-bar sells fresh juices, smoothies, and inventive cuisine to health-obsessed addicts. Try the TNT smoothie with beets and red pepper for an energy boost, or Lisa’s Dream with strawberry, banana and mint for a refreshing sip. Quiche, lasagna, nori rolls and salads make up the bulk of the menu. “How do they do it?” curious passers-by may ask. Magic.

They make the quiche crust with brazil nuts and sundried tomatoes and they fill it with a tomato cream of veggie and cashew paste. The lasagna is made out of marinated zucchini, cashew cheese and sunflower seed pate. Genius, right? Who knew you could make cheese out of cashews?

Located right around the corner from the Tam Tam circle (like the park needed more granola cred) is the new café’s home. They only sell raw vegetarian organic foods as you might have guessed. The weird thing is people love it. In a city where the vegetarian take-out options consist of pizza, falafel or fries, Crudessence has definitely snuggled into a much-needed niche. Drop by post drum session next Sunday. –J.T.