Karyn Calabrese seemed pretty buzzed for a lady who’s given up booze. Though the room was packed and awfully warm, the freakishly youthful 57-year-old raw-food epicure and owner of Karyn’s Fresh Corner barely paused for breath during an hour-long ode to the culinary and hygiene habits she claims have saved her life.
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Calabrese went on to outline the theory behind raw-foodism. Raw-foodists believe that when heated above about 115 degrees Fahrenheit, food loses not just vitamins but also enzymes that help the human digestive system break it down, putting unnecessary strain on one’s innards; when that strain is gone, the theory goes, the body begins to eliminate toxins and heal itself. “The human body needs fats, salts, and sugars,” said Calabrese, “and that’s why most diets are bad–they cut them all out, when it’s just the overprocessed stuff that harms you.” But meat and dairy are so “toxic” and hard to digest they should be avoided, she said. She skipped most of the heavy science, preferring to cite testimonials–digestive ailments soothed, skin cleared up, cancers cured, allergy symptoms reduced–then dove from food talk into the more unusual services her business offers. Behind the classroom, where you can take yoga, ballet, or jazz classes, is a holistic clinic where you can get an enema, an oxygen “bath” (“A great hangover cure!” said Calabrese), a whack from the in-house chiropractor, or a back rub.
When I could chew I came back, curious how Calabrese would engineer the firmer stuff on the menu, like dried-almond polenta, pizza, and burgers. They don’t always taste like their cooked namesakes, but often as not they’re more interesting. Nuts and legumes are soaked in water and pureed, sprouted, or fermented to make “cheeses,” pastes, sauces, even a delicate cashew “sour cream”; grains are soaked, sometimes sprouted, and dried to make dense, cakelike bread products.
If you’d rather not gamble on the $11-$15 entrees at the sit-down restaurant, there’s a take-out joint and juice bar on the side, offering organic salad for $8 a pound, sandwiches, and prepackaged meals that cost between $9 and $13.
Hours: 9 AM to 10 PM every day
