Antoinette Bruno: Why did you start cooking?
Roxanne Klein: My grandparents were organic farmers. Every day, my grandfather would ask me “What do you smell today?” If I smelled the peaches it was time to harvest them. Dinner was always decided by what my mother would pick from the garden. I was around food throughout my childhood. My grandmother was a vegetarian. She would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and my answer would always be “I want to be a chef!”

AB: How did you get into raw foods?
RK: I tried eating raw for a month, and I felt better, like I had more energy. I discovered more textures and layering of flavors. I’m a pastry chef at heart, and that helped in creating my cuisine.

AB: Who are your mentors?
RK: Charlie Trotter and Charles Dale.

AB: What is your most indispensable kitchen tool? Why?
RK: My Japanese electric slicer and the Vitamix. It makes it easy to create cheese-like textures.

AB: What city will you visit next for culinary travel?
RK: Costa Brava, Spain, to experience El Bulli.

AB: What is the key to great cooking?
RK: Start in your garden or local farmer’s market. Smell the produce. Choose your ingredients following the seasons and your senses.