He's written twelve cookbooks. He's opened dozens of restaurants. And he's teaching a new generation of culinary talent across the globe. But Matthew Kenney isn't just another celebrity chef. Matthew Kenney is crafting the future of food.

Beyond the kitchen, Matthew is a public speaker, educator, and entrepreneur specializing in plant-based food. He has authored 12 cookbooks and is the founder of Matthew Kenney Cuisine, an integrated lifestyle company as well as the Matthew Kenney Culinary Academy, a series of state-of-the-art education centers offering vegan culinary courses both online and in person that emphasize the use of whole, organic, unprocessed, plant-based foods to achieve healthy, aesthetically refined and flavorful cuisine.

Over the years, Matthew has launched a panoply of eating establishments ranging from the hautest of haute cuisine to take-out casual — everything from Santa Monica's M.A.K.E. and New York's Pure Food & Wine (both now closed), to Plant Food & Wine in both Venice and Miami,Make Out in Culver City, California and the recently opened and utterly amazing 00 + Co. plant-based pizzeria in New York City's East Village. When in Belfast, Maine visit The Gothic.Plant Café is coming to Bahrain this fall and Matthew has something brewing for summer in Montecito, California.

It's one thing to cook great food. It's another thing to cook great plant-based food. But it's astonishing to please the masses with incredibly delicious and nutritious plant-based meals without cooking anything at all. However, what most impresses me most about Matthew is not his culinary talent. It's his commitment to changing the cultural conversation around food. And in turn, change the world.

Today I sit down with Matthew in the wine room behind Plant Food & Wine Venice to get to the bottom of everything except the wine (don't worry I didn't drink any). Specific topics explored include:

* misconceptions of the raw food lifestyle

* the benefits of the raw food lifestyle

* Matthew's journey to embracing the raw food lifestyle

* what Matthew learned working in NYC's best kitchens

* the challenge of preparing raw cuisine for modern clientele

* the practicality of eating raw; and 

* how to increase plant-based awareness through better education

But at its core, this is a conversation about the future of food — and the incredible influence a high profile chef has on forging public opinion and taste when it comes to cuisine, culture and health.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange.

Peace + Plants,

Rich