By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Sep 23, 2015 at 8:03 AM

When you hear the phrase "raw food," what’s your initial reaction?

Do you think of delicious foods like gazpacho and pesto? How about heirloom tomato salads or  coleslaw? Or do you immediately presume I’m talking about a radical lifestyle diet?

Personal Chef Karen Gill, who hosts a pop-up dinner at Amilinda, 315 E. Wisconsin
Ave., on Sept. 27,
says that she looks at raw dishes as being just another way to prepare great food.

"I don’t approach raw as a dietary lifestyle," she explains. "I just think of it as a new cuisine. It’s like Mexican or Malaysian. It’s something new to explore."

Gill, who has been working as a personal chef since 2004, says she discovered raw foods a few years ago when she was looking for a way to eat healthier without giving up desserts.

"I have a sweet tooth," she says, "And I fell into raw food through desserts. The first recipe I tried was a chocolate avocado mousse, and it was delicious."

The mousse was so good Gill decided she wanted to learn more, so she enrolled in a raw cooking class through an area organization. 

"It really opened up my world to a new cuisine," she says. "And I found a lot of recipes that are healthy, easy to make and delicious all at the same time."

One of her favorite recipes is a raw marinara sauce made in the blender with fresh tomatoes and herbs.

"I loved the idea that I could whip out a pasta sauce in the blender in less than ten minutes," she says. "I mean, your grandmother’s 12-hour-long simmering sauce is delicious, but I don’t always have time for that. It’s really freeing to know that you don’t have to slave over the stove for hours to make a really delicious dish."

Gill says people are frequently surprised by just how flavorful raw dishes can be, especially when care and attention is taken to using the best and freshest ingredients.

"This is the prime of harvest season," notes Gill. "So, it’s the perfect time to do this. I probably wouldn’t do this dinner in January. But now? It’s the perfect time to enjoy all the great fruits and vegetables that Wisconsin has to offer."

Gill’s dinner, "Un-Cooked," will feature five delectable courses, including dishes like a greens and apple "mojito," aged cashew "chevre" with herbs de Provence and tomato zucchini flax crackers, a cauliflower and apple soup with pickled onions, zucchini alfredo with marinated mushrooms, spinach and pine nut "Parmesan" and cocao nib and almond cake with vanilla sauce.

Uncooked takes place on Sept. 27 at Amilinda, beginning at 5 p.m. The cost is $55 per person, which includes five courses with beverages available for purchase. For more information, or to make reservations, visit amilinda.com.

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host

Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. 

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.