pElAgUS' 

By Judy Pokras

In the case of Chef Ryan Boeve, one of the owners of the elegant Zoria in downtown Sarasota, it was simply by chance that he discovered raw food. As a busy restaurateur with no time to take classes to expand his culinary sights, he looks at cookbooks to see how other chefs approach recipe creation. One day earlier this year, he happened to buy Raw Food Real World by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis, tried some of its recipes, and loved the way he felt. "My girlfriend is a pilates instructor and she's all for me doing this stuff," he says, while sitting at a table in the high-ceilinged Zoria.

Although he wanted to pursue eating raw foods, he found that making the recipes took more time than he had. He figured if he made raw foods part of his restaurant's menu, it would be easier. He began experimenting with specials this past summer, and found the response from customers was better than he expected. "People have had only positive things to say," Ryan says.

So he began doing more and more raw dishes for Zoria. "I'm still experimenting. It's hard, because I have to switch my whole thinking. It's a really different process," says the handsome, unassuming chef.

His approach is to make dishes that the average person can't make at home, food that's a little extra special, and nicely presented. The raw food on Zoria's menu is made with all organic ingredients, unless he can't find a specific ingredient that's organic. Zoria also offers organic and biodynamic wines.

Ryan hopes to add a variety of raw desserts to the menu by mid-November, and I look forward to it! The small plates I've sampled have been excellent. In fact, I wish those plates were bigger!

Following is the current selection of raw food small plates from Zoria's menu:

Arugula, Lemon Vinaigrette, Shaved Pears, Currants

Thai Coconut Noodles, Curried Vegstables, Spicy Peanuts

Thai Coconut Noodles, Curried Vegetables, Spicy Peanuts

Tomato Salad: Semi Dehydrated  Red Tomatoes, Basil, Seasonal Greens, Yellow Tomatoes, Arugula Puree, Aged Balsamic

Portabella Mushroom Terrine, Artichoke and Pine Nut Cheese Napoleon

Portabella Mushroom Terrine, Artichoke and Pine Nut Cheese Napoleon