Cruda Cafe is a fabulous raw vegan resto dedicated to creating deeply nourishing, gluten-free, raw, organic foods, that are sourced locally. It is for those with busy schedules, and a love for food art. However, if you think that’s all they do at Cruda Cafe you’re missing out on some of the best parts!
Meet the Fabulous Chef
Claudia’s spirited food inspiration is culturally diverse and as beautiful as she is! Growing up in Columbia, Claudia developed a passion for food at a very early age. She discovered that food could be healing, as her grandmother always had a remedy in her pantry. Claudia’s passion for food continued as she chose a career involved in the food industry as the marketing manager for boutique hotels in Columbia. This globe trotter then became the food merchant for a yacht company in the Galapagos Islands. With a desire to branch out in Canada, Claudia immigrated here, and shortly after developed thyroid cancer. Wait. This shocking news comes with a twist. Claudia followed her heart and embarked on a holistic healing journey that led her to juice for 21 days. After surrounding herself with ‘live foods’, fresh juices and other modalities at The Tree Of Life Rejuvenation Centre, Claudia’s cancer had almost completely vanished! This incredible turn of fate caused Claudia to change her life, and now she is helping countless people find natural ways to vibrant health through her gourmet cuisine and raw food cleanse programs & workshops at Cruda Cafe.
Cruda Cafe Undressed
“Cruda” is Spanish for RAW- and although it’s mostly about fresh, gluten and dairy free raw foods (and desserts)! you don’t have to be a vegan or vegetarian to appreciate their food. Their ingredients are predominately hand selected directly from local farmers at the food terminal although some of their organic ingredients are sourced right in their location in the beautiful St. Lawrence Market.
At Cruda Cafe, mindful living is at the heart of all they do. They honor the Earth with their eco-friendly packaging from Green Shift and support new movements such as takeoutwithout.com, a campaign dedicated to reduce restaurant waste. Amazing!
Their menu is reflective of Claudia’s love for travel, as global inspirations run wild in taste and texture throughout their gourmet food-art offerings. To give you an example, they offer a fresh and sophisticated selection of seasonal signature raw-wraps to ensure high enzyme quality (this means easier digestion and greater absorption). The flavour combinations are incredible! Every menu item is thoughtfully created and prepared fresh to ensure optimally balanced and nourishing nutrition.
Their organic juice bar offers the best delicious blends of detoxifying and cleansing ingredients; sure to leave you feeling vibrantly refreshed!
Who’s hungry?
When I arrived at Cruda Cafe, I was greeted with a smile and a chilled hibiscus tea blended with agave. I then learned that it is the second healthiest beverage next to purified drinking water. Hibiscus tea is loaded with anthocynins, a type of flavonoid known for it’s anti-oxidant, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory effect. The health benefits of this beautiful flower have been understood since ancient times, and was regarded in the Nile Valley as the King’s prefered beverage. I felt like royalty!
I had a few minutes to enjoy the space at Cruda Cafe, as Claudia was enroute to a catering event where she was serving for her friend, Deepak Chopra, in Toronto’s new Chopra Yoga Centre.
Upon first glance, Cruda Cafe appears to be a take out eatery with a collective space to sit down and enjoy a meal on the lower level of the St. Lawrence Market. However, Cruda Cafe has wide-reaching and open arms as it hosts a community juice cleanse (Click Here to find out more about Cruda’s community juice cleanses), delivery service, raw cooking classes, raw dessert classes, gourmet dehydrating classes, and Claudia’s personalized raw coach program, where she mentors future vegan business owners on how to find and develop their passion.
From raw wraps, salads and entrees to fresh juices and smoothies, Cruda Cafe has something on the menu for everyone!
I started with the Enchilada Wrap which was loaded with creamy avocado, vegan chili (Cruda’s own creative blend of pecans, mushrooms, celery, red pepper, pumpkin seeds and spices) topped with fresh beet and carrot salad with sunflower sprouts. The gluten-free wraps are made in house and are available to take out by the half dozen.
Taste and texture were deeply satisfying. A must try indeed!
Next, I sampled the wild mushroom nut burger. It is inspired by Claudia’s love for architecture. She created this entree out of mushrooms, pecans and fresh herbs, served with shredded beet, guacamole and sprouts on a tomato bun. The ‘burger’ has a lovely density and a deep earthy taste which comes to life dressed in the raw fixin’s. It is evident that quality and flavour come first. They also have an amazing quesadilla which is a dehydrated onion tortilla open faced with cashew cheese, tomato salsa with raw garlic, carrot, beet and her signature guacamole. Fantastic!
Some of the other menu items to show off the character of the menu include her ‘Quiche me Lorrain’ and her ‘Free Range Chickenless Salad’ which is raw zucchini piled mile high (they are very generous with their portion sizes) served with apples, grapes and a cumin cashew house dressing.
Everything at Cruda Cafe is made fresh on location with only the very best ingredients. Their juicer never stops making wildly nourishing creations from their ‘Greener Inner’ (apple, kale, parsley, ginger, lemon) to their ’Clean Me’ (apple, carrot, lemon, ginger). It is clear from her menu that Claudia has a solid understanding about healthful nutrients in winning combinations to strengthen and nourish your body from the inside out. She can also whip something up for whatever boost you need, or for whatever may ail you. If that’s not incredible enough for you, they even offer delivery!
Time for dessert! I was excited to take my first bite of the cashew cream Tiramisu, with smooth layers of cacao and espresso on a nut and coconut crust. This is the kind of dessert you close your eyes when you are eating and mindfully savor each and every bite! It is rich, delicious, and very satisfying.
Next she offered me a sample of her Key Lime Pie. The filling of lime juice, coconut oil, cashews, avocado, and agave are poured into an almond, pecan and shredded coconut crust – vacation in a bite! Join her raw dessert workshop to find out more!
Lightly-Cooked Options: Although its mostly about raw foods, Cruda Cafe does offer a selection of lightly cooked soups, prepared lovingly so not to denature the enzymes and take away from its healing nutrients.
At Cruda Cafe, their gourmet revivifying creations are a way they can ‘give back’ to the community. Claudia created Cruda Cafe as her expression of love for the earth and its diversity, and in service of providing health-rich food to everyone in her area. It was an honour to meet Claudia and learn about her personal healing story, the primary catalyst for Cruda Cafe. Claudia radiates warmth and positive energy. She also demonstrates a desire to connect with everyone around her and make a positive impact on the lives of others. Truly outstanding.
Have you been to Cruda Cafe? Share your thoughts about your experience & tell us about your favorites in the comment section below!
If you know of anyone else who enjoys eating healthily and happily, or could benefit from hearing more about Cruda Cafe’s workshops (raw food & desserts) or juice cleanses, please share this review with them on the facebook & twitter links below so they can benefit too – win win
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